Spotlight on...Thompson Davis

Author: Melissa Marshall

Thompson Davis '08 is a music major who has migrated to frigid Middlebury College from hot and sultry Miami, Florida. He is a triple-threat performer armed with a musical knowledge as eclectic as his demeanor, able to wear the hat of DJ, musician and producer all interchangeably. A member of numerous bands since high school, Davis combines his musicianship and production talents in various endeavors from a variety of DJ-ing gigs to his creative work on solo and group projects. The Campus talks with this jack-of-all trades, who is distinguished by his neon clothing and high-energy personality, about his upcoming releases as well as his future in the music industry.


The Middlebury Campus: How did you first get involved in DJ-ing?

Thompson Davis: Well, that's a funny story. It started my sophomore year of high school when I was the singer of this band, Blue Light Special, and we got our first gig at this girl's 16th birthday party - you know it's a big one - and they made me buy a big PA system, which is basically just an effin' large speaker. After that I would always throw parties throughout high school, and then this past summer some friends got me a gig in a club in downtown Miami. I promoted it myself and all my friends came, so it was a relative success. I guess you could say that was my first professional DJ-ing gig.

TC: What genres of music do you usually play, and do you use turntables?

TD: I just cater to the audience really. I work with a lot of different genres, and usually the audience isn't too sophisticated so I'll just play hip-hop or house music. Occasionally I'll throw in electro or pop music, but I'm not going to get too esoteric. I think WRMC's party Velvet was really cool because the audience was a little more knowledgeable in terms of its taste of music, and the DJs had the luxury of playing songs that normally wouldn't make it on rotation. I would love to see that happen more often. In terms of turntables, collecting vinyl is super romantic - you have to devote your life to it and it's a lot more money spent. So when it comes to vinyl, I don't do it, but I do use CD turntables on occasion.

TC: I understand that in addition to being a DJ you are also a member of two bands. What sorts of projects are you currently working on?

TD: Currently I'm in this band called Black Beach with a friend from back home. We were actually here this summer recording, and one of the singles got a little exposure on a blog - nothing big, but we're developing a sound. In terms of what I'm doing here, I'm working on a solo release as well as playing with a band. The band is called Pluto, which has a lot of kitschy appeal, because Pluto isn't a planet anymore - how ironic. Because, you know, Pluto is the god of death and now, the whole concept of Pluto as a planet is dead. Wow, mind blowing. Our album Pluto Is Not a Planet is scheduled to drop on December 13th and it's basically inspired by desperation and profound hopelessness.

TC: What inspired you to launch a solo project as well as perform in Black Beach and Pluto?

TD: Well, my solo outlet is in interests that just wouldn't fit in the band's repertoire and aesthetic, which for all extents and purposes is "indie-rock." I just love music production in general, and I wanted to explore hip-hop, R & B, electronic and house as well. My solo album, Young, Invincible and Poor will also hopefully be released on December 13th. It's all Thompson, all the time. I can play with some facility guitar, bass, keyboard, drums, but I'm still forming my sound and I need feedback on it. I'm too ambitious and I just need to scale down my ambitions and focus on a sound. There are a lot of failed attempts, but it's fun.

TC: Do you believe that a job in the music industry is a definite career path for you?

TD: All the avenues are open. I know it's very difficult to get into the industry and the chances are quite slim, but I can't imagine doing anything else, and I can't do anything else well. I am really interested in music production. I'm actually the head of the recording studio here at Middlebury and I produce all my own endeavors. I also spent a semester away at Tisch in NYU studying music production with Jim Anderson, who has won nine Grammy Awards. It was a great program: I got to work behind a real console with very well-qualified and passionate faculty. I had every intention of staying at Tisch and not coming back to Middlebury College, but strangely enough, I wasn't happy in the city. I enjoy production as much as performing and writing songs - it's just another aspect of what I do.