Joshua Davis is one of the most successful musicians ever to emerge from the Lansing music scene, and he'll be back in town for a concert April 26.
His former band Steppin’ In It had a big following, and Davis has had his own noteworthy solo career that includes being a finalist on a season of the TV singing competition show “The Voice.”
Along with his performing and recording career, Joshua Davis has more recently added teaching to his resume. He’s the director of the Popular Music Performance Program at the Interlochen Arts Academy, where he also teaches songwriting. Davis finds working with students to be rewarding.
“It’s a full-time gig,” he explained. “We do Arts Academy. We’ve got some really amazing stuff going on here at the Contemporary Music Program at the academy, and then I do three weeks of arts camp in the summer; and then I’ve been playing gigs when I want to. I’m playing, like, one weekend a month, a few gigs a month.”
With his academic career, Davis said he doesn’t feel pressured to push his performance or recording workload.
Last year, he released three new songs he wrote in honor of his late father. In his grief, he was dealing with anger and pushed people away. Writing about his dad, he said, had also been difficult.
“When these songs really started coming together, I don’t know…they did something for me in a few different ways. They kind of solidified these stories in my life, and they solidified, in a real and visceral, kind of emotional way, I think I was able to bring my grief out through these songs.”
One of those songs, “Paper Boats,” recounts a childhood memory of floating small boats down a creek with his dad. The song helped him understand the ways his father affected him, adding that it was "monumental" for him to heal.
Davis said his Lansing show is one of several dates he’s doing with a trio of his students who have put together a set.
“They’ll open for me,” he said. “They’ll join me on some of my songs. Two of them are seniors. One of them is a junior. It’s gonna be a really fun time.”
Davis says these shows are an educational opportunity for his students to explore the real world of the music business, learning about collaborating and touring together. And, he adds that working with young musicians keeps him on his toes.
Saturday’s concert at the Robin Theatre in Lansing is something of a homecoming for Joshua Davis.
His 2019 live album, “Live at the Robin”, was recorded there. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.
