Ray Davies, the longtime frontman of the Kinks, is considered rock’s foremost chronicler of English life and what it means to be English, with a vast catalog of songs inspired by his homeland and characters he has encountered along the way.
Davies is well aware of his subject matter, and during a special presentation for his first true solo album, “Other People’s Lives,” at the South by Southwest Music Conference in March, the singer/guitarist said he wanted to find new inspiration and new subject matter for his CD.
To do that, Davies came to the United States and began what essentially became a four-year odyssey of songwriting, travel and searching, partly because of a tour for his “VH-1 Storytellers” CD, which featured acoustic renditions of some of his most famous Kinks material.
“I had no idea it (“Other People’s Lives”) would be such a strange journey,” Davies told journalists and other South by Southwest attendees. “It would take me from England to America, down to New Orleans and finally back (to England).”
The first stop for Davies was New York City, followed in fairly short order by the “VH-1 Storytellers” tour. Unfortunately, that tour’s start date ended up being September 2001, shortly after the terrorist attacks.
Restrictions on air travel made getting from one city to the next a hassle, but that also was a blessing in disguise. In traveling by highway, Davies saw more of the country than he expected, and along the way he began writing material that eventually would surface on “Other People’s Lives.”
After the tour, he felt the pull to go to New Orleans, and Davies became attached to the city, its vibrant and diverse music, its sometimes-spooky folklore and its unique characters. More of the album was written and recorded there.
But New Orleans also showed Davies a dark side. In January 2004, he was shot in the leg while chasing two muggers who had stolen his girlfriend’s handbag.
“All of the songs had been written and recorded before I got shot and injured down there,” Davies said. “So coming back to the songs was very strange to me, because things like “The Tourist” and “After the Fall” could have been a complete response (to the shooting).”
As it is, “Other People’s Lives” can be seen as a collection of character portraits based on people Davies encountered in America. But he admits there is a good deal of autobiography in the songs.
Musically, the CD will sound familiar to Kinks fans. Davies shifts between punchy, riff-laced rockers such as “All She Wrote” and “Things are Gonna Change (The Morning After),” and gentler but equally affecting fare such as “Next Door Neighbour” and “Creatures of Little Faith.”
The show Davies will play Monday at the Moore Theatre in Seattle is part of a second round of U.S. tour dates in support of “Other People’s Lives.”
The solo tour doesn’t necessarily mean an end to the Kinks, whose future was clouded in June 2004 when guitarist Dave Davies – Ray’s younger brother – suffered a stroke that has limited his use of the right side of his body.
Dave Davies has been gradually regaining use of his right arm, and Ray Davies said he is hoping that recovery will allow an attempt at a Kinks reunion.
Ray Davies will perform Monday at the Moore Theatre in Seattle.
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