Davina & the Vagabonds at the Codfish Hollow Barn -- August 3.
Saturday, August 3, 8 p.m.
Codfish Hollow Barn, 5013 288th Avenue, Maquoketa IA
Performing in support of their May release Shoot the Moon, and treating music lovers to what Glide magazine calls their “inexplicable way of giving old-time blues and jazz a fresh, contemporary feel,” the touring musicians of Davina & the Vagabonds headline an August 3 concert at Maquoketa's Codfish Hollow Barn, their latest album praised by KAXE radio as "catchy and hopeful with the group's usual dose of fun, while also a bit more up-front about the complexity of life."
With the group's influences ranging from Fats Domino & the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin to Tom Waits, the Minneapolis-based Davina & the Vagabonds – led by vocalist Davina Lozier – originated in 2005 and released their first full-length, all-original album Black Cloud in 2011, a debut that was awarded four-and-a-half stars from Downbeat magazine and eventually named one of the 10-best releases of the year by the Star-Tribune. The group's next album, 2014's Sunshine, hit number 13 on the Billboard Blues Chart and led to the band's appearance on the hit BBC show Later with Jools Holland. And with the release of Davina & the Vagabonds' third full-length recording, 2016's Nicollet & Tenth, the ensemble moved to the forefront of modern-blues musicians, with American Blues Scene raving, “Their shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages.”
Over the past decade-plus, the group has traveled internationally to countries including Switzerland, Romania, and Finland, and has continued to amass widespread critical acclaim, with NPR lauding Davina's “sassy, salty, sweet voice that’s childlike at the top, husky at the bottom,” and Downbeat saying, “Davina zips to near-impossible heights in a divine declaration of romance.” With frontwoman Sowers (who also plays piano and ukulele) joined by Zee Lozier (trumpet), Connor McRae Hammergren (drums), and a rotating ensemble of upright bass and trombone players, Davina & the Vagabonds have released three albums in the last five years: 2019's Sugar Drops, 2022's A Lovenest Holiday, and the recent Shoot for the Moon. They also continue to amass rave reviews No Depression stating that the group “cunningly matches music with lyrics so that lighter lyrics float along joyous strains of jazz while darker lyrics weave their ways through moody blues tunes.”
Davina & the Vagabonds play their Maquoketa engagement on August 3 with additional sets by Robert Ellis and Lojo Russo, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $30, and more information and tickets are available by visiting CodfishHollowBarnstormers.com.
