Davison/Coleman Spices Organic Sound And Soulful Lyrics With Hypnotic Magic Of Medieval Instrument On Debut Album Forward Motion
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Veteran L.A. Musician Cole Coleman's Lifelong Search For Exotic Instrument Galvanizes A Dual Chemistry With Longtime Bandmate, Singer And Keyboardist Lynn Davison
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The Duo, Whose RED/Sony Distributed Album Hits Stores August 8, Has Performed Hundreds of Gigs At Borders Books & Music Venues Throughout The U.S. Since 2004 And, Is Currently Receiving Airplay On In-Store Sampler at Kroger and Wal-Mart, Armed Forces Radio and On Numerous Radio Stations Nationwide

“With the release of Forward Motion , Davison/Coleman signals that they're on to something special; a deeply musical expression of sincerity coupled with poignant lyrics, superb performances, and a sparse but lush arrangement style that is beautifully warm and lends a classic and ageless quality to the tracks. This largely acoustic focused album features the warm clear voice of Lynn Davison (vocals, keyboards) and the exotic sound of the Laud which falls somewhere between a 12-string guitar and mandolin - is often called “magical” – delivered to the listener with virtuosity by Cole Coleman (Laud, guitar, keyboards, vocals). Davison shows her accomplished musicianship with rich, layered vocal arrangements while the duo combines their talents for orchestration.”
--MusicalDiscoveries.com

Beginnings:
When Cole Coleman, half of the popular L.A. based singer/songwriter duo Davison/Coleman, was a kid and aspiring guitarist, he saw Steve Howe, of the progressive rock band Yes, play an odd and alluring instrument – and remembered it's sound as one of the most interesting he'd ever heard. Years later as a musician, Coleman set about on a nearly 20-year odyssey to find one of these exotic instruments for himself not knowing what it was called. His obsession included visiting countless music stores, trying to tell confused clerks everywhere about this instrument that sounded like a cross between a 12-string guitar and mandolin with a teardrop body shape, F holes and a teardrop sound hole.

That incredibly hypnotic instrument – which Coleman finally located at a San Francisco music shop – is called the Laud (medieval in origin) – and drives the soulful, organic, beautifully orchestrated sound of Forward Motion, the long-awaited acoustically-focused debut album from Davison/Coleman, who formed their partnership in 2002.

The album, scheduled for national release by RED/Sony Distribution on August 8, is currently available on www.davisoncoleman.com , and numerous tracks are receiving airplay on both terrestrial and internet stations around the country.  In addition, they appear on a TM Century Music sampler used for retail outlets like Wal-mart and Kroger, and are making a name for themselves via airplay on Armed Forces Radio. John Shanks, producer for numerous pop/rock artists like Vertical Horizon, Alanis Morissette and Michelle Branch) says of the collection, “It pulls me in and takes me on a journey. It has a little quirk to it and various influences but is unique.”

A Galvanizing Moment:
Since 2004, Davison/Coleman, longtime friends and versatile musicians who toured the US Southwest with their larger pop/rock ensemble, have been performing regularly at Border's Books & Music stores and music venues all around the country. The standing ovations haven't stopped since the first one they received for their official live debut as a duo in late 2002 at the famed North Hollywood web-cast club Kulak's Woodshed (kulakswoodshed.com). “Sanctuary” and “One More Day,” two of the many lyrical songs they performed that night, were acoustic reworkings of cuts they performed with the band, and both appear on Forward Motion.

“We were back in L.A. after years on the road and this whole new singer/songwriter movement started to kick up,” Coleman recalls. “We thought it would be fun to get out and try some of our songs acoustically; a chance to use my Laud on a couple songs. The very positive response we got our first night was a galvanizing moment and my search for the Laud was vindicated by the audience reaction when I played it. People were really attentive and silent, just listening, swaying to the rhythm of our songs, singing along where they could. With a rock crowd, it's about the energy, but when you do an acoustic set, people appreciate the intimacy, and Lynn and I knew we were connecting. It made sense to continue in this more organic direction, and we're continually amazed and excited by the response to our music.

“Once I realized the impact that my Laud playing was having, I felt a real responsibility to expand the use of the instrument. People enjoy the sound of it so much. Steve Howe only used it on two songs as a featured instrument that I'm aware of. So, my goal became to write an entire album with it. In that way, I feel like I'm picking up a torch from Steve and moving it forward,” he adds. “It was a real challenge to write a whole album with it.”

Davison adds that even though the two were great friends when they played with the larger band, they were truly excited about the new, instant chemistry that happened when they applied their individual musicianship to the duo context. “We were back in L.A. from the road, still trying to figure out our next step when Cole played the Laud for me and I was stunned by its magical sound. He was always a great guitarist, but he took to the Laud as if he had a natural gift for it. He showed me material he was writing, and I got inspired to write melodies and lyrics, and we knew we were onto something special when we saw how our songs touched people.”

About FM:
Forward Motion, the heartfelt labor of love result of over two years of writing and recording, features 11 songs which perfectly reflect the duo's commitment to not only growing creatively, but playing a part in collectively helping our society move forward. Most of the songs have a hopeful tinge to them, addressing various kinds of relationship struggles (romantic and otherwise) and showing that it's possible to break free from the emotional chains of the past.

“You & I And All The World” expresses the idea that in some ways, we're all in this together and all human beings share the same experiences: we all laugh, we cry, we grow old and die. “Castles In The Sand” is about the material nature of our modern society and how empty and unfulfilling “having stuff” is in the end; it's a call to get one's life back in balance. The spacey, haunting, and inspirational “Heal,” addresses the issue of overcoming what Lynn calls “being programmed from childhood in a certain way.”  The closing track, “Our Leaving,” is a poignant and endearing song expressing the bittersweet sadness of saying goodbye. Davison takes the lead vocals on nine cuts, and Coleman carries them on the emotional anthem “One More Day” and a charming cover of Cat Stevens' 1970 song “Moonshadow.”

“On all of these songs, we complement each others strengths perfectly,” says Davison. “My strengths are lyrics, vocal production, choosing the right parts and the melodic sense that comes from my extensive classical background. Cole has an amazing sense of the overall production and shape of the sound, plus the fine details and specific delivery of the songs. There's an amazing synergy on the album that's special, which is probably the result of the fact that in all, we've been playing together for over eleven years.”

Additional Interests:
Outside of the duo, both Davison and Coleman are engaged in a number of interesting musical endeavors. Coleman, who was playing in clubs like The Roxy and The Troubadour and recorded with the band Cephas by age 16, works as a versatile session musician for recordings and film. He currently performs onstage with several Los Angeles based bands and is involved in producing a solo record in a hybrid genre he calls “rocktonica,” which blends rock and electronica. He plans to incorporate some of these electronic textures and beats into the follow-up to Forward Motion.

The classically trained Davison has written and produced jingles for Hansen's Soda, Dodge Colt and Wickes Furniture, among others, and has composed numerous soundtrack instrumentals for Omni Music and Real World Films. She has also performed overseas and co-produced her own music video for her song “Third World,” which was filmed in Egypt. Beyond her musical endeavors, she has a Ph.D. in Psychology and teaches college psych courses as an adjunct instructor.

“I feel like the music Davison/Coleman creates in the future will be a powerful synthesis of all the things that are happening in our lives now,” she says. “Cole will be incorporating his electronica vibe, and I'll be bringing more life experiences from a psychological perspective into my songwriting. That's what will make the music fresh and exciting, and keep it going in a state of Forward Motion.”