The CD reissue market grows larger each day as a desire to hear music from a bygone era exists. Supposedly, times were better then – simpler, more rational, raw and closer to the earth. The postmodernists need look no farther than Bend, Oregon to get the purest Americana/old-timely/roots music available. BlackflowersBlacksun have let themselves shine out in the darkness of the music realm. What they sing about with a clear honest voice evokes the sadness and trials of a life spent in far off cities forests and fire camp miles and months out from there homes and loves.
Coincidently there meeting occurring in a gravel parking lot, which was located behind the rickety stone social club where CJ worked as house drummer and janitor and lived along with his dog Buddy.
This Duo – Greg Bryce and CJ Davis – their name inspired by a hand etched print Greg created during a short tenure as an art school student now have a single CD available through onsite distribution.
A wildland firefighter by trade, Greg Bryce’s hollering and moaning vocal style and his slashing slide guitar attack, mirror that of his heroes Fred McDowell and Son House and has earned him credit within his musical community and local print media. Inspired by equal parts Son House, Elmore James, Mississippi Fred McDowell and The Hunters Chapel Singers (McDowell’s church singing group), Bryce coveys the essence of a time when the acoustic guitar met the electric wall socket.
CJ Davis, a classically trained big band devote studied privately and shared a studio w/ legendary drummer Tom Arnold (Drummer for Louis Jordan. Studied w/ Cozy Cole, Alvin Stoller, Sonny Payne, and Lois Bellson!). And Keyboardist Andy Armer (‘79 Grammy nominee for “Rise” written for Herb Alpert and Former member of LA Symphony). CJ Davis plays with a reserved elegance and depth of knowledge befitting his mentors. His ability to play beyond his environment is continuously met with praise and invitation.
Some might call these boys anachronistic – Bryce preferring vintage arch top guitars and amplifiers created during the golden era of analog production. CJ collects and likes to perform in suites and ties that hearken back to the bigger band era.
Perhaps they are revivalists; perhaps they are wing-nut postmodernists; perhaps they just love the old gospel songs and like writing and singing new songs that just sound old and smell of dust and that stuff that has been put away for too long. BlackflowersBlacksun make modernly nostalgic music; one listen and you are hooked.
If someone's looking for traditional American sounds that return to an oil on dirt era, he or she can find those sounds in this duo. If a person longs for sparse instrumentation and a voice that does not shy and look away, he or she can find that musical toughness with these boys. If a person wants to hear music that embraces the folk and blues roots of American music then BlackflowersBlacksun are the voices that come out of the work camps and onto the smoky barroom floor, performing music that transcends their birth dates and transports their listeners from the past to the present Greg Bryce and CJ Davis are here and doing just that. --
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