photo: Mike Grimm
Davina and the Vagabonds are known in The Twin Cities, Minnesota as being the busiest band in town because of their hard-working professionalism, high energy stage performance, and original sound.
They have shared the stage with Pinetop Perkins, Aaron Neville, Gary Moore, 10 Years After, The Mannish Boys, Robert Cray, Los Lonely Boys, Scottie "Bones" Miller, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith, Ana Popovic, Booker T and The MGs, Bobby Rush, Irma Thomas, James Hunter, and many others.
Want to hear what the press is saying? VISIT HERE
photo:Kelley Sparks
Piano/Vocals
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Davina Sowers hit the Midwest scene in February 2005 and she hasn't looked back since. It didn't take her long after moving to Minnesota from Key West, FL to start making a name for herself. With great vocals and piano, she commands attention on stage and leaves everyone smiling. Davina has been performing since the age of 5, with the support of an extremely musical family. Sowers, a classically-trained pianist, has years of experience in piano performance. She and her band made a big splash at Duluth's Bayfront Blues Festival in 2006 to2008, having the highest sales in CDs all three years. She has been called the "hardestworking blues woman in frigid Minnesota.”
“Two things remain consistent in all her shows: her throaty, but cushiony voice, which has a sort of hardmattress comfort to it that's part Bonnie Raitt, part Etta James and a little Amy Winehouse; and her band's rollicking New Orleans flavor, driven home by dueling horn players and a bayouthick standup bass." (CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Star Tribune)
Davina has already shared the stage with Little Feat, Buddy Guy, Elvin Bishop, The Lamont Cranston Band, The Blues Brothers, Joe Bonamassa, Irma Thomas and James Hunter, among others, at venues such as House of Blues in Atlantic City, NJ and the Bayfront Blues Festival in Duluth, MN.
String Bass / Vocals
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Acoustic / electric bassist and vocalist, Michael Carvale, was born in Trenton , NJ. Moving to Minneapolis, MN in the early 90's to attend The McNally School of Music (formerly Music Tech), Carvale was originally a guitar player. There, he was exposed to music from all over the world, learning the niche of a bass player. At the age of 23, Michael purchased his first bass, playing with any musician and/or band he could. Carvale quickly learned the life of a working musician. Over the years, his bass playing landed him gigs all over the United States, Canada and northern Europe. Michael has played with the who's who in the Twin Cities and has performed with many known music legends on a national level. When not on stage, Carvale commits to session work and gives private lessons. Michael Carvale has received numerous Reader’s Poll Awards for his performance and contributions with different artists. He received two life-time achievement awards for his work with The Lamont Cranston Band over the years. One was the prestigious "P.O.P. Award" from the Minnesota Music Academy. In August 2006 he was inducted in the Minnesota Rock & Roll/Country Hall of Fame.
Born in Passaic, NJ; moved to Lafayette, Louisiana as a kid and eventually entered the world of music after a little detour as a responsible student.Medek was heavily influenced by local blues and jazz musicians as well as his mother’s collection of cumbia records and his father’s collection of classic rock and blues. In high school Richard joined the drumline, playing snare drum; at eighteen Richard received a full academic scholarship to the local state college and, as a reward, a loan from his father to buy a car which he spent on a drumset instead.
At twenty-two, Medek headed off to Tucson, AZ and eventually fell in love with its sleepy desert vibe and the dirty, honest quality to the songwriting. Met a lot of good friends, played a lot of great music, and did some touring and recording. In 2004, Richard was invited to move to Nashville, TN, where he lived for about four years, playing a little and learning a lot. In 2008, Medek moved to Minneapolis, MN, where he lives today with his wife and their three noisy cats.
A few highlights from the movie of his life — losing an undeclared drinking battle with T-Model Ford; recording Johnny Hickman’s solo record while freeze-framing the Big Lebowski for inspiration; getting soccer lessons from John Doe; swinging for the fences with guitarist Teddy Morgan; playing the gig that resulted in the Hacienda Brothers; tracking songs and drinking wine with Cathy Rivers, Kelly Pardekooper, Carl Broemel, Jon Coleman, etc., etc. — you get the picture.
Trumpet
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Zack Lozier has performed internationally in England and Canada, as well as in New York City, Las Vegas and New Orleans. Zack has played everything from avant garde jazz, to hip hop, to polkas, but he specializes in New Orleans music, straight ahead jazz, R&B, blues and world music. He is an indemand studio artist, fluent sightreader and an accomplished arranger. A graduate of Milwaukee High School of the Arts under the direction of Clifford Gribble, Zack was part of a Down Beat award winning jazz combo in 1996. He since studied at the University of Minnesota with Dr. David Baldwin, Dr. Ron McCurdy and Dean Sorenson. Other teachers along the way include Jeff Pietrangelo, Mike Plog, Al Johnson, Mike Betz, Bob Linsday and on one occasion Brian Lynch. Zack has had the honor of playing next to Wynton Marsalis, Nicholas Payton, Clark Terry, Barry Harris, Eddie Palmieri in master class settings, and has attended other presentations by Joe Henderson, John Hendricks, Joshua Redman, Terrance Blanchard, and Roy Hargrove.
Trombone
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Darren Sterud has been an active freelance trombonist in South Central Wisconsin since age 16. He has performed professionally nationally and internationally with groups such as Mama Digdown's Brass Band and The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Wind Ensemble. Darren has had a strong passion for music and has gained the reputation of being one of the busiest trombonists in South Central Wisconsin. Darren has spent time in some of Madison's best bands, some of which include Mama Digdown's Brass Band, Grupo Candela and Tony Castaneda Latin Jazz Band. He also runs his own groups which include New Tradition Brass Band and various jazz groups. Darren has spent his time polishing his talents and with that has come opportunities which have allowed him to share the stage with, B.B. King's All Star Band, Rebirth Brass Band, Stooges Brass Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Leroy Jones, John Allred, Chris Potter and Jiggs Whigham to name a few. He owes his success to his mentors and teachers, Steve Wiest, Mike Dugan, Erik and Roc, and Mike Olander. And of course his family. In addition to his time on the road with Davina, Darren is also an in-demand studio musician, teacher, and clinician at the UW Whitewater's Warhawk Band Camp where he does the jazz groups.
PRESS QUOTES
"...First was Twin Cities singer-pianist Davina Sowers, who sounds like the daughter of Leon Redbone and Betty Boop trained on piano by Randy Newman. Backed by an upright bassist and trombonist, Sowers delighted with some sassy originals and sly covers of Billie Holiday, Fats Domino and “Has Anybody Seen My Gal.” Her slurring, Southern voice (she moved here from Key West, Fla., in 2005) sounded affected and alluring at the same time."
-JON BREAM, Star Tribune June 9, 2009 (Opening for Pinetop Perkins)
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"At first glance, the very idea of a blues band without a guitar player strikes the mind as a daring if not totally outrageous concept. But, Davina & the Vagabonds, a Minneapolis-based quintet driven by New Orleans horns and the campy purr of vocalist/pianist Davina Sowers, carry it off with such aplomb that you won’t miss the usual six-string histrionics one bit.Listening to Davina & the Vagabonds is like stepping into a wondrous musical time machine. They have the panache and superlative musicianship to recreate the retro sound and ageless appeal of golden age Americana in high-definition reality on stage for your immense pleasure and enjoyment."
-Ken Wright, Thunderbay Blues Festival
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"Hardest -working Blues woman in Minnesota, but......two things remain consistent at all her shows, though: her throaty but cushiony voice, which has a sort of hard-mattress comfort to it that's part Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and a little Amy Winehouse, and her band's rollicking New Orleans flavor, driven home by dueling horn players and a bayou-thick standup bass”
-CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER, Star Tribune
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"At first listen to Davina and the Vagabonds, you imagine the tones escaping from a 300-pound blues musician. It seems unlikely that much power is coming from the slight frame of one Ms. Davina. It sounds like an unnatural force, pulled from some secret spot in the belly no other singer has yet discovered. It's a low bellow, most closely aligned with Amy Winehouse's walloping alto. But Davina takes "retro" back further than Winehouse and her Phil Spector reminiscing. She beckons an age when bad girls wore red lipstick and pin curls. Her music may be adorned with exceptional groaning trumpets, rat-a-tatting drum rolls, and staccato piano lines, but nothing deserves the complementing position to her voice. She’s in a league of her own."
-Erin Roof - City Pages 2009
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"Davina and The Vagabonds are based out of the Twin Cities and play hot jazz-blues-cabaret-soul-lounge-rock that warms the soul an just plain makes ya wanna dance."
-John Hammer,Blue Monday
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"When I listen to her sing all I can say is “Fun, fun, fun”.
-Diana Skope – Skope Entertainment