Have you heard of PCL Blues pianist Rooster Davis?
To bring our 2020-21 PCL Blues season to a close, Arts Commons Presents has found a creative way to bring the series into your home. Working in collaboration with CKUA, and utilizing the advanced sound equipment in the Jack Singer Concert Hall, Arts Commons Presents invites you to tune in for an evening of soul-refreshing blues.
For the final installment, we invite Rooster Davis to the stage to perform on the Friday Night Blues Party on this Friday, September 17th. If you haven't heard of Rooster Davis, we have you covered! We had a chance to sit down with the Albertan bluesman to hear some of his stories of the road.
Where does the name Rooster come from?
Everyone asks me this, and I always give varied answers. I don't even fully understand Rooster or where he came from. He is a beautiful mystery, the creative, driving force inside me. His name has always been Rooster.
What’s the furthest you’ve travelled for a gig?
The furthest I've travelled for a gig was to tour Australia, which I did about 4 times. This was easy, however, compared to travelling in Canada to perform. Many times I've had to drive all night to get to the next performance, but I think the most brutal was when we had to drive to a small town in the Yukon in our converted school bus which we used for touring. We drove 21 hours straight in this noisy old bus arriving in the town by 7pm to discover that all the grocery/convenience stores and restaurants were all closed and we couldn't get anything to eat. We set up and played three sets for a halloween costume party in a town of about 500 people, and after the hotel we were staying in let us into the kitchen in their restaurant so we could make our own pizza. Next morning we woke early and drove 21 hours home. Wasn't worth it.
What’s the weirdest gig you’ve ever done?
Weirdest gig ever happened very early in my career. I was playing as a freelance musician for a guy named Jimmy in his rock band. We went to Jimmy's house to load gear where he introduced us to his brother, who, he told us, had just been released from prison that day. Jimmy's brother's two kids were also there, who he clearly hadn't seen in some time, as well as their mother. The gig was at a small hall in Edmonton for some company's Christmas party and was full of families including kids. Jimmy's brother and the mother of his kids (but not their kids) also decided to show up uninvited to the Christmas party and drink copious amounts of alcohol. We were just finishing our last set when a fight broke out. Apparently, the woman had picked a fight with one of the wives in the bathroom and followed her out yelling obscenities all the way back to their table. The husband of the woman who was being harassed stepped in to separate the two, and at this point Jimmy's brother attacked the husband. This happened just as we finished the last song, and Jimmy lept from the stage to drag his brother off of the husband. Jimmy managed to get his brother off, but as he flung him around he grabbed at whomever he could, getting a hold of some unsuspecting bystander and wrestling him to the ground. The man who was wrestled down was screaming in pain while his friends tried to get Jimmy's brother off of him. When they finally managed to separate them and kick Jimmy's brother out, they discovered that Jimmy's brother had bitten the man's ear clean off! We couldn't find the missing ear. When things settled down, the company whose Christmas party it was hired us for next years' party. I don't know if Jimmy played next year or not, because I quit after that night.
Did you develop a strange or unique pandemic hobby?
I took hammond organ lessons, taught myself how to trade stock options, and drank a lot of whiskey. I also discovered how much time alone is too much time alone.
If you could put one thing on your rider, what would it be?
Whiskey, and some local craft beer to chase.
What is one thing you always travel with?
Toiletries and whiskey.
What’s your favourite thing about New Orleans?
The music is everywhere, the food is amazing, the architecture is unique, the second line street parties, but what I love the most is the piano tradition found there. The players from NOLA make the piano sound hip and funky!
What’s your preshow ritual?
I try to take a few minutes to become quiet and calm. Get in the moment to be ready to release all my energy on stage. Then it's Rooster's time.
If you missed the previous two installments with Tim Williams: Conversations in Blue and Miss Emily, they will be available on CKUA’s website now until December 15, 2021. Special thanks to title sponsor of the PCL Blues series, PCL Construction.
