Just placed online, an interview/feature with John Davis of Georgie James. Davis talks about his love of soft rock derived from a life growing up in the radio business. His father, Don Davis, even did a tour of duty in Omaha at the now-defunct WOW FM, a short-lived rock station. Davis also discusses Georgie James' influences, the break-up of his former band (Q and Not U) and getting signed to Saddle Creek Records. Read it here. Some tidbits that didn't make into the story:

-- Tomorrow night's show at Slowdown Jr. is the first one back after the band took a break due to "illness." James said he's now nearly 100 percent, that constant touring without a break took its toll on him. "I'm not normally an anxious person, but it's starting to wear me down," he said last Saturday. "At this moment, I'm fine."
-- While Georgie James is primarily Davis and Laura Burhenn, the band also includes bassist Michael Cotterman, who used to play in Kid Dynamite and The Loved Ones, and drummer Andrew Black, formerly of The Explosion. "Those guys are the live band," Davis said. "The reason it's presented as a duo is that Laura and I do the writing and recording. Originally it was just the two of us for a year. These guys have been friends of mine for a long time."
-- The band's name, Georgie James, is a play on Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. "We kicked names around for three months," Davis said. "What about Tall Grass? What about The National Zoo? We were desperate. I always thought Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames was a great name. I'm not a huge Georgie Fame fan, but what an awesome name. I suggested Georgie James because I just read a book about James Taylor. Laura liked it."
-- Though Q and Not U broke up in September 2005, Davis said the breakup had been in the works from the beginning of that year. "We half-assed a tour. It didn't go well and afterward we said, 'See? Our time's up.' It was intentional on our own part; it gave us a reason to get out of it. Harris (Klahr) and I were feeling the same thing about not wanting to do it anymore. We felt if we kept the band together when we were doing new things, the (new projects) wouldn't get the attention we wanted them to get. People would say, 'Oh, the side project is great, but when are you going to get back to the real stuff?' Forget that."
-- Davis is a vinyl music fan and is proud that Places has been released on vinyl. "I think in some ways it's a better format, both the way it sounds and the bigger artwork. It's just a better experience," he said. "In an era of free downloading, vinyl has its place. You can't download vinyl."

Now go read the whole darn article, and go down to Slowdown Jr. tomorrow night for Georgie James along with Kite Pilot and Aqueduct. It's only $8 ferchristsake... But before you do, go down to Slowdown Jr. tonight for Reagan and the Rayguns (that's Reagan Roeder's band) when it opens for Will Hoge along with Brad Hoshaw. $12, 9 p.m.

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