Aaron Davis & the Mystery Machine
From "searing slide guitar" (Country Weekly) echoing gritty Southern blues, to a patchwork of story folk and acoustic roots, pensive alt-country, and improvisational 70s-influenced rock, Aaron Davis has been described as a “truly phenomenal songwriter” (Americana UK) with “the lyrical prowess of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and edginess of a weathered bluesman” (Jackson Hole Buckrail) and “a combination that goes down like top-shelf bourbon” (Austin Chronicle). Chiefly known as co-founder of national touring act alt-folk/alt-country band Screen Door Porch, Aaron has re-focused creative energy toward the ultra-eclectic project Aaron Davis & the Mystery Machine—equally versed in hypnotic groove, three-part vocal harmony, exploratory improvisations, and intricate story songs. Recognizing his ten-album body of work, Aaron was recently awarded a Music Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, “a merit-based honor for an artist’s work in their field.” AaronDavisMusic.com
Multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and vocalist Aaron Davis has spent half of his life in Kentucky, the latter half in Wyoming, and another lifetime carving out a humble existence as an independent recording artist in the country’s least populated state. He’s chiefly known as co-founder of decade long alt-folk/alt-country band Screen Door Porch, for his eclectic solo ramblings and the accompanying project Aaron Davis & the Mystery Machine, and as a studio engineer-producer and session player at his Three Hearted Recording Studio in Hoback, Wyoming. Aaron was awarded a Music Performance and Songwriting Fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, “a merit-based honor for an artist’s work in their field,” which spurred his tenth release, Catalyst.
Aaron (vocals, banjo, harmonica, guitars—acoustic, electric, resonator, lap steel) and the texture experts of The Mystery Machine work the lesser-worn corners of the American musical fabric through an unconventional lens. It’s a dynamic stage show with three-part vocal harmony, exploratory improvisations, intricate story songs, and plenty of groove. Slide banjo? A detuned guitar made of metal? You bet. From "searing slide guitar" (Country Weekly) echoing gritty Southern blues, to a patchwork of story folk and acoustic roots, pensive alt-country, and improvisational 70s-influenced rock, Aaron has been described as a “truly phenomenal songwriter” (Americana UK) with “the lyrical prowess of Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy and edginess of a weathered bluesman” (Buckrail) and “a combination that goes down like top-shelf bourbon” (Austin Chronicle).
The range of Aaron’s original material has been chronicled across ten studio releases, including three solo releases, and the four albums of “grooving electrified porch music” he wrote during his tenure with Screen Door Porch (SDP). According to Vanguard Records executive and critic Bill Bentley, “Screen Door Porch transformed roots music into something much larger—a down home goodtime vibe.” Along with his wife, Seadar Rose of SDP, the duo founded the multi-act WYOmericana Caravan Tour in 2013, a curated tour collective of Wyoming songwriters that has made waves across the Mountain West for the last seven years and garnered the attention of The New York Times—pointing out the duo’s “entrepreneurial gumption” in a full-page spread dubbed, “Touring, the Wyoming Way.”
Aaron’s songs have landed in various projects including films, commercials, documentaries, podcasts, and network television. He has been fortunate to share bills with many of his heroes—Wilco, Willie Nelson, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Buddy Guy, Sam Bush, Brian Wilson, James McMurtry, Steve Earle, Grace Potter, and Hayes Carll among them. This has led to theater, festival and studio stages including South by Southwest, Treefort Music Fest, Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival, Magic City Blues Fest, Sawtooth Music Festival, and the first and only Wyoming artist to record at Magazine’s famed Daytrotter studio.
Aaron Davis & the Mystery Machine:
Aaron Davis - vocals, electric/resonator/lap steel guitars, banjo, harmonica Mike Patton - piano, organ, synth, trombone, harmony vocals
David Bundy - bass, harmony vocals
Jason Baggett – drums
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