Bart Davenport

Smooth, yet curiously pointed, Bart Davenport’s songs transport us to an imagined past or present filled with romantic odes and enigmatic characters. His Oakland roots are in blues (his 90s band, The Loved Ones opened for Junior Wells and John Lee Hooker) but in 2002 Bart went solo, embracing a quieter indie esthetic. Kings of Convenience singer, Erlend Øye has called him the “best one-guy-and-guitar performer there is.” Meanwhile Bart’s recordings often reflect a taste for full band arrangements. A self-titled debut blended sunshine pop and Brit folk. He followed that with the Laurel Canyon styled ‘Game Preserve’ (2003), then the bedroom lo-fi ‘Maroon Cocoon’ (2005). Next came ‘Palaces’ (2008) an album referred to in MOJO as “a fine example of San Fran’s vinyl and thrift shop culture, turning stuff people throw out into something new.” In 2012 Bart released a synthy single ‘Cheap Words’ and relocated to LA, assembling the band that recorded ‘Physical World’ (2014). Pitchfork called it “sophisticated and cheap-sounding at once, likable within five seconds of hitting your ears.” In 2018 the band, aka Bart & The Bedazzled issued 'Blue Motel' produced by Aaron M Olson who gave the LP a cinematic, elegant 80s atmosphere. The Bedazzled followed up in 2022 with a danceable single 'People Person/Cardboard Man'. Bart Davenport’s latest solo album ‘Episodes’ offers avant-baroque strings, worldly percussion, 12-string riffs, and an overall return to 60s pop and indie lo-fi esthetics.