| Commentary and Photos by Drew Moody
I was waiting outside the Waco Center to meet the first Davisson Brothers Band equipment truck that pulled into the parking lot around 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The road crew was more than happy for me to photograph their efforts
unloading and assembling equipment preparing for the 7 p.m. show. Without exception, they were affable, and obviously experts at their various jobs.
The only challenge I witnessed was the college's inability to turn off the gym's overhead lights quickly. The road crew manager asked if we were planning on turning the lights off one at a time, wondering out-loud what the problem was.
Of course then wasn't the time to tell him it had just been the day before that the school figured out how to electronically lower the shades over the windows.
It's a brand new facility and one many of us are just getting used to. In fact, I repeatedly failed to remember which exit led to a break room, as I ferried cold water from a refrigerator there to the crew and later the band. At some point I thought we should have "rehearsed" our parts as well as the band did, but new
beginnings are naturally fraught with bumps in the road.
The band arrived about 5 p.m. Lead guitar player, Chris Davisson, noticed my camera and stopped to say hello. Sincere and down-to-earth would be a good way to describe him. He also happens to be an incredibly talented master of his instrument.
Chris Davisson (right) is lead/slide guitar player of the group
Soon after their arrival I made a quick trip to to get cold medicine for the drummer as well as picking up Gatorade for the band. I also grabbed two cases of water to make sure we didn't run out, only to discover there were no carts available to use to wheel it
into the Waco Center. At almost 60-years-old, a more than 50 yard jaunt with a case of water is a little much for me. Saturday's running around convinced me I need to quit smoking again and get in better shape.
Later, I touched bases with lead singer, Donnie Davisson, letting him know I'd be photographing the band. He smiled and said (paraphrased), "Sure, do whatever you need to." There was an overall consistently easy going feeling during preparations.
The bass player for the opening act used the edge of the stage for a table transposing a song as the stage took its final shape around him.
Prior to hearing their YouTube videos I would have said I don't like country music. But these guys are in a category of their own. They even know Grateful Dead tunes, but didn't play any for Saturday night's audience. A YouTube comment accompanying one
of their videos pretty much sums it up: "Hell yeah brother, the Davisson Brothers Band is the
greatest thing to happen to West Virginia since moonshine."
The Clarksburg, WV, based group puts on a high energy show that's hard to resist.
Donnie Davisson (left) is front-man of the band
Donnie's vocal range and playful energy onstage pulls the audience into the performance.
Before long some people were dancing in the Waco Center. Surely anyone who's heard
the band live would have to agree they're consummate musicians and performers.
And if the stage wasn't already proverbially "on fire," GSC professor and saxophonist
Jason Barr lit the fuse with his improvisational performance with the band. Donnie said
admiringly that he'd never heard a saxophone played like before. I suspect few others
in the Waco Center had either.
One of their songs, "Jesse James," written by Ben Glover/Joe
Leathers/Kyle Jacobs,
may be their first single which will be released nationwide in the coming weeks. They're
also set to embark on a coast-to-coast radio station tour in the near future.
Negotiations are ongoing for a proposed "reality show" focusing on the band. A
representative of Wild West Productions, based in Los Angeles, said the band is
planning a return trip to GSC later this year but the date has yet to be determined.
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