Davis, Ryan And The Roadhouse Band

***"At the frayed bottom-edge of Indiana—just a moderate bike ride north of Louisville, Kentucky—multi-instrumentalist, artist and songwriter RYAN DAVIS’ Americana-noir soundwaves have been emanating for years in a myriad of forms. As driving force for the lauded STATE CHAMPION, long-running member of TROPICAL TRASH, administrator of the esoteric and excellent Cropped Out festival, and lone proprietor of the Sophomore Lounge label, Davis lays down his first proper ‘solo’ release with Dancing on the Edge, a rich, 2xLP tapestry of tunes that absolutely glows over seven expansive cuts. It’s a pure collage of modernity and heritage. Recorded in early 2023 with help both in-studio and remotely from peers like JOAN SHELLEY, CATHERINE IRWIN (FREAKWATER), WILL LAWRENCE (FELICE BROTHERS, GUN OUTFIT, JOHN EARLY), JENNY ROSE (GIVING UP), CHRISTOPHER MAY (MAIL THE HORSE), ELISABETH FUCHSIA (FOOTINGS, BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY), and AARON ROSENBLUM (SON OF EARTH, SAPAT), Dancing on the Edge draws backup perhaps primarily from Davis' tight-knit drinking buddies-cum-cast of collaborators in EQUIPMENT POINTED ANKH (records on Astral Editions, Bruit Direct Disques, Torn Light)—a five-headed hive-mind from which he drew impetus for his own foray into more abstract and improvisational terrain these past few years under the ROADHOUSE alias. The results herein are melancholic, gentle, minimal yet colorful in mood: a lilting highway accompaniment of crisp instrumentation and a relaxed, amiable approach to vocals with rhapsodic wordsmithery. Fans of the aforementioned artists as well as those of Souled American, David Berman, Kurt Vile and Comes A Time-era Neil should all easily find bounty.