Deathray Davies
By All Music Guide
By All Music Guide
The Davies began in 1998 as the one-man show of founder and songwriter John Dufilho when he had songs that didnt fit in with the band he was in at the time, Bedwetter. After moving from San Antonio to Dallas, Dufilho recorded his debut as Deathray Davies, playing all of the instruments himself. The record, Drink With the Grown-Ups and Listen to the Jazz, was released in 1999 on Idol Records and the band was invited to play at the South by Southwest Festival based on a three-song demo. Luckily, by the time the festival rolled around, Dufilho had assembled a group including Bedwetter bandmate Jason Garner, Kevin Ingle, Chomsky drummer Matt Kellum, Legendary Crystal Chandelier frontman Peter Schmidt, and Transona Fives Rachel Smith.
In 2000, Dufilho recorded The Return of the Drunk Ventriloquist, still almost entirely on his own, despite having a band ready to back him. Deathray Davies third album, The Day of the Ray, released on Idol Records in 2002, finally found the band fully realizing the sound that they developed during live shows. With this outing, Dufilho recorded with the bands solid lineup: Dufilho, Garner, and Ingle, as well as Greg Price, Mike Middleton, and Bill Shupp. The group moved to Glurp Records for the release of Midnight at the Black Nail Polish Factory in the fall of 2004 and followed it up in early 2005 with their strongest album to date The Kick and the Snare. The band at this point still revolved around the vocals and songs of John Dufilho with old hands Middleton, Garner, Ingle and new additions drummer Robert Anderson and keyboardist Chad Ferman providing able musical backing.
