Review :
Transformation : Dave Davies Live at the Alex Theatre. May 23rd 2003.
by Carey Fleiner
Mr Davies, lead guitarist for and founder of the Kinks, staged 'Transformation: A Concert for a Cause" on 29 May 2003 for the Soroptimist of the Verdugos, Glendale, California.
Founded in 1921 in Oakland, California, the Soroptimists are volunteer service organisation comprised of business and professional women. Soroptimist International has 100,000 members in 120 countries worldwide. Their projects benefit needy women and range from local volunteer service to advocation of women's issues at the United Nations. Do please visit their site, www.soroptimistinternational.org for more information on their works and also local chapters.
For his work with the Soroptimist cause, Mr Davies received a commendation from Mr Frank Quintero, the Mayor of Glendale, on 22 April 2003.
Mr Davies' concert for a cause was two years in the making, but Mr Davies' personal 'Transformation' is the culmination of a lifetime of music, poetry, and spirituality.
Here are lively arrangements of familiar tunes as 'I Need You' and 'Picture Book' and 'Living on a Thin Line,' a lovely song included in the acclaimed HBO series, 'The Sopranos,' but nearly half of the songs on the CD are arrangements from his latest studio album, Bug.
Released on 7 May 2002, and listed by Rolling Stone On-Line's critic Mr Charles Bermant amongst the top 10 cds of 2002, Bug illustrates Mr Davies' versatility: There are sweet ballads, 'Flowers in the Rain,' and hard rockers, 'Who's Fooling Who,' and culminates in the remarkable song arc 'Bug'-'De-Bugged'-'Life After Life.'
'Transformation' is a synthesis of 'De-Bugged' and 'Life After Life' - part vocal, part instrumental -- and reflects Mr Davies' spiritual interests and reveals keen observation and interpretation of the world
around us.
In his own words ..."Transformation" is a continuation of my work, an expansion. I like to feel it marries Inspiration, Spirituality, Dance and Rock elements. It is very exciting to perform."
This new work may take some by surprise, but Mr Davies is not one to rest on his laurels: "I am always looking for ways to change or infuse my music with new ideas. These are very exciting times musically. A time to really experiment and express yourself in a much broader sense, and to meld different musical forms and influences together."
What, then, is the message within 'Transformation'? He answers, "It is a message for our age. This is a time to express our inner-selves. To mix spirituality openly with art and politics. To create an awareness of ONENESS. This is the only way forward, I believe, for us as a race. We are all part of each other. Understanding, Tolerance, Co-operation, Sharing, Compassion and Love will see us through this change, and artists who are true to their ideals can help provide the inspiration and encouragement necessary for many of us to realise than inner self-expression, the expression of the SOUL.
'I firmly believe that we reincarnate through many, many lives as we endeavour to achieve Spiritual perfection and freedom.
'"Transformation" is a call to break the cycle of repetition that binds us always, Life After Life, to the material and emotional worlds of mind and feeling.
"Now is the time to break free and realise our True Spiritual potential. We are Divine Beings expressing ourselves in multitudinous ways. Now is a time to accept and acknowledge that spark of Divinity within us all.
Complex stuff, but certainly not inaccessible. Mr Davies adds, "I hope it uplifts as well as entertains. You can just dance to it if ya want!" |
