Davina & the Vagabonds at the Redstone Room at Common Chord -- September 27.
Sunday, September 27, 8 p.m.
The Redstone Room at Common Chord, 129 Main Street, Davenport IA
Performing in support of their most recent 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 return to Davenport's Redstone Room at Common Chord on September 27, American Songwriter raving that "this music, as retro as it may be at times, feels fun, frisky, and alive.”
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 two decades, the group has performed in 45 states, 12 European countries, and two Canadian provinces, 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 Becca 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 six years: 2019's Sugar Drops, 2022's A Lovenest Holiday, and 2024's Shoot for the Moon. The group and its bandleader also continue to amass rave reviews, with Rolling Stone stating, "Davina Sowers creates her own Americana mishmash – a little Amy Winehouse-worthy neo-soul here, a little Great American Songbook-influenced songcraft there.”
Davina & the Vagabonds headline their Redstone Room engagement on September 27 with an additional set by Mo & Co, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is $20-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)326-1333 and visiting CommonChordQC.org.
