Jack Davey: Mama’s Gun

If you could be any animal, what would you be?

If I could any animal I’d probably be a lion.  Because they’re fierce and ferocious.  They are the kings and queens of the jungle.  I’m also a Leo.  But they’re also very beautiful cats, and I’m a cat person, even though I do have a dog.  I love that the female is the one that goes out and does the hunting, and provides for her family.  I think that’s a really cool sentiment that happens in nature.

Do you think you embody that in your personality, in terms of being a hunter of some sort?

Not so much anymore.  I used to feel like that.  But then I got into a great relationship, and so I was able to let my partner do the hunting for me, and I like that a lot (laughs).

So surprise surprise!  You’re having a boy!  Are we allowed to know his name?

His name will be Keane Tripper Nirvana Lindsey.
Keane, being English for “sharp or bold”.
Tripper is a name that’s special to me and my love so we had to include that.
Nirvana, being what I believe to be the most important word in our language, or any language.  It is the highest state of enlightenment; and that’s something that we want to teach our son.  How to be enlightened and how to be in the world without being of the world. And then Lindsey is his last name!

Was it a process coming up with the name?

Oh definitely!  Initially we wanted to just name him Tripper.  And people just hated that so much.  But it was special to us, and nobody else got that. We were sold on it regardless.  But then one night, there’s this song by this British band Keane, and their song was in this Winnie the Pooh movie commercial.  My boyfriend and I love that song.  It’s such a beautiful song, called “Somewhere Only We Know”.
And the song was playing in the commercial, and my boyfriend was just like, “Keane!  We should name him Keane!”
And I was like, “Keane Tripper… That goes very well together!”
And everybody loves that.  Our family approves.

One of the universal rights of passage for women is becoming a mother.  How have you felt yourself change?  Has it been a different growth into womanhood?

Yeah.  Definitely.  You start to realize the power of your body.  Which I think for women, that happens in stages, you know?   We start off as little girls, and then as teenagers we get our periods, and that’s a powerful thing that your body is able to do without killing you.  Miraculously.  So being pregnant is just the next phase of that power.  You really realize your strength.  Everyday is just something new.  It really just snaps you into mommy mode, like, almost immediately.

You just immediately start to care for this person that you can’t see and you’ve never met before, but you feel connected to them.  Especially when they start moving inside of you.

I went into the nesting mode very heavily.  Preparing for him, and wanting everything to be perfect for him, like his room.  Every night we play music for him or we read to him. I really just threw myself into this process wholeheartedly.  Which is interesting for me because I never really considered myself to be that type of person, you know?  I was always very career-driven and independent and not willing to put anything else before my career… and then you fall in love and everything changes.  It’s been a great transition.

Connecting into the music, have you started thinking about the music you make differently?  Or has your connection to it changed?

Yeah.

My voice has definitely changed.  The tone of my voice, and the power of my voice has changed.  And my songwriting has changed definitely.  I have a broader experience now, besides just trying to get laid and have fun, you know?

I feel like I have more experience now.  Just life experience.  [Pregnancy] has definitely changed my writing for the better.  Lately I’ve been writing a lot about gravity.  Center of gravity; and that definitely makes sense, because mine has changed.  Physically and mentally and spiritually.  It’s made me way more creative.

When we interviewed Brook he was saying when he makes music alone, he feels very schizophrenic and his thoughts change rapidly; but with you the music is different.  In your own world, what does Miss Jack Davey sound like now?

Now I sound more simple.  I’ve gotten simpler.  I know what to do.  I’m not searching for what to do.  Now I know.  So I can sit down and write a song, it’s a breeze.  I’ve been writing all my songs by guitar now.  So our recording process has changed, because before it would be Brook creating the bulk of the music.  And now, I’m coming up with material for us to build songs around.  I feel like it’s just simple.  Way more connectability.  It’s way more connected to something.

Brook said that he’s able to tap into the sensual energy to make the J*Davey sound because you’re a very sensual artist.  Do you feel that being a mother means you have to change your sensuality?

No.  It’s more mature now.  It’s sensual.  It’s not sexual.

What’s a mature sensuality like?

It’s not just connected to sex.  It’s realizing that sensuality actually has nothing to do with sex.  It has to do with intimacy.  And some people get those two things mixed up.  And they think that sex and intimacy are the same thing.  I think being pregnant, you realize that being intimate has nothing to with sex, because there’s certain times in pregnancy when you are not thinking about being sexual. (laughs).  I don’t think that stops when you become a mom.

I think that being a mom enhances that sensuality.  It makes you realize that sensuality has given you such a great gift.  It’s really a powerful thing, you know?

Let’s talk about West Coast culture.  How would you say the West Coast or L.A. has changed in your eyes?

There’s become a culture, you know?  That was always the complaint you heard from people about why they didn’t like Los Angeles, because it lacked culture.  And, it’s not that it ever lacked culture, it just wasn’t central.  The culture didn’t really have a direction.  It was there, and it was bubbling, but it was hard to see because it was overshadowed by Hollywood. People who have been here all their lives are now…we’re content with letting Hollywood play itself, while we go and present something real.

We were just talking about this in the studio the other day- L.A. is artistically so progressive.  I think the most progressive of all the music scenes.  And that’s not because I live here.  It’s because I’m listening to the music, and I know the people involved in making the music.  We went to Thundercat’s show the other night, and this dude is doing Acid Jazz Bass music.  And he’s selling out rooms full of kids that are Hip-Hop heads, but are somehow progressing into this strange Jazz-art scene.  In a time where ring-tones and stupid bullshit songs are king. That’s only happening here.  And it’s very special.  It’s been around for a while but it’s just getting started.  I think it’s so progressive that it’s taken a long time for it to really get its legs.  It’s the most important scene that’s happening.  Call me biased if you want, but you can’t front on that!  It’s unlike any music scene.  Any art scene, you know?

We’re not just musicians.  We’re visual artists.  We do film.  We do sketch and we draw and we do design.  The fashion.  The style!  It’s just like…nobody else is doing that shit.

So is J*DaVeY gonna be taking a break for a while?  Once your son comes will you be taking a hiatus for a little bit?

He’s due in November.  My hiatus will probably last until about February?  Then we’ll be back on the road.  I mean I’ve toured this entire time.  Basically been on tour from February until a couple of weeks ago, we just stopped because my doctor shut it down (laughs).

But yeah I’m done until about February or March.  We have two projects dropping before the end of the year and we’re recording a new project at the top of the year.  We’re taking a break from touring right now, but we’re recording, we’re still working.

A lot of people talk about having “haters” and naysayers, but you guys have a lot of people that love you.  Do you find it difficult or overwhelming having that much love?  Is it ever too much?

There’s no such thing as too much.  You want people to love what you do.  And when they do it’s great.  But not everybody loves us though.  That’s the fuel to keep us going you know?  People that hate it are the fuel to keep going.  But when people love it let’s you know, “OK I’m doing something right.”  It helps during those hard times when you feel like you’re not doing something right and you want to give up.  You look on Twitter and Facebook or somebody’s blog, and you read these things how they’re really paying attention and they’re really touched, then you know you’re in the right place.

Interview by Merc80. Photography by Stylehouse. Direction by Ronnia for Wakeupstar.
Styling by Seth Brundle & Mia Campbell. Makeup by Alana for Lady Art Looks. Nails by Nikko for KLEUR. Hair by Jack Davey. Produced in Downtown Los Angeles.

Look #1 — Dress, Dalia MacPhee ; Belt, Braze ; Shoes, Report Signature ; Earring, Haati Chai ; Ring, The Breath

Look #3 — Bandeau, Tumbler and Tipsy ; Skirt, Show Me Your Mumu ; Necklace, Haati Chai ; Cuff (Jack’s own)

Look #4 — Jacket, H&M ; Shirt, Gypsy ; Belt, ; Broach, Ayana Design ; Shoes, Jeffrey Campbell

Look #5 — Jumper, Hellz Bellz