Sounds of crickets and lawn mower engines were in the background as I began to speak to Drew County’s own Ward Davis, last week in a pre-show interview. Davis is set to headline “The Rev Room” on Saturday, October 28 in Little Rock.
The Drew Central graduate is excited to return to the Natural State at the end of the month, and about the release of his new single, “Ain’t Quite Mary Jane.”
“I was listening to a lot of Tom Petty at the time this song was written,” Davis stated. “It’s a new single, but it is an old song. I wrote it with some buddies a while back. I played the groove for them and told them that I wanted this song to be not exactly like ‘Last Dance with Mary Jane’. My buddy said, ‘Why don’t we call it, ‘Ain’t Quite Mary Jane?’ and the rest is history.”
While listening to the new single, I found myself enjoying the raspy tones of Davis’ voice, but I felt like this song possessed a different quality than the Ward songs I had heard before.
“Mary Jane isn’t a normal song,” Davis stated. “It’s not how I have branded myself. I don’t consider myself ‘outlaw country’. I mean, I’m getting ready to mow my yard right now. There’s nothing really outlaw about me, I’m a songwriter.”
Davis went on to talk about his life outside of Nashville, with his wife and their three daughters.
“I’m a dad,” Davis said. “And a little bit of a performer. I’m no good with a hammer but I can write a song. That’s what I love most, spending time writing a song and then getting to share it with the people at the shows. I love the sharing part of performing. Connecting with actual people is what I want.”
Davis recently spent time in Key West, Florida recording a new album.
“Some people call it a passion project, this is kind of like a vanity project, if I’m honest,” Davis added. “Key West is a community based around tourism. A lot of the people that live there were tourists once. They all treat you like a local and there is something to that. I’ve heard people talk about the dirt in Muscle Shoals and for me, Key West has that same energy. It inspires and feels like you’re going back in time.”
Key West has been a popular destination for many artists throughout the years. Davis says it is because something special always happens when you’re there.
“I took my last drink there,” Davis added. “I got married there. I got my first tattoo there. My first show with [Cody] Jinks was there. The crickets sound different there and its just a good alternative to Nashville.”
Now more than 800 days sober, Davis says he doesn’t miss alcohol, but he also doesn’t judge others who drink.
“In this line of work, I have to be around it a lot. Some people know how to behave, and some don’t, it just boils down to that.”
In his upcoming tour schedule, Davis will headline The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Saturday, November 11. This will be his second time headlining at “The Mother Church”.
“This show is going to be different,” Davis stated. “There isn’t going to be a set list, I am going to do it how I want to do it.”
Even though Davis can command a room of thousands of people with all eyes on him, he showed his softer side when reminiscing on his last show at The Ryman.
“Getting into that room was so important to me,” Davis remembered. “That was the last show my dad got to see, I knew when we booked it this time, he wouldn’t be there. My dad was one of the biggest reasons I needed to play that room. I did, and he was there. That is what matters.”
He says his goal is to keep the audience entertained and engaged.
“I want to be much more than noise and a good time,” Davis added. “I want people to know how my songs came about. My dream is to sit in a room with James Taylor and have him tell me how some of his songs came to life.”
Tickets for the upcoming show at The Rev Room can be purchased at https://www.revroom.com/product/ward-davis. His new single is available for download on most streaming platforms.
