Join the party as El Paso musician Emily Davis celebrates the release of her new solo EP
Music from Emily Davis and Javier Martinez can take your soul on a surprise flight of joy, beauty and sadness when you thought you were just in for a soothing ride.
On Saturday, El Pasoans can find out for themselves how lucky the Borderland is that these two talented artists, who record and perform together as Cult Loveless, call it home.
Davis is having a free release show for her new solo EP, “Living in the Past Tense,” starting at 8 p.m. at The Living Room, 2310 N. Piedras St., Suite A. Her music can be purchased at emilydavis.bandcamp.com.
Martinez will open the show performing as Tale of Giants. He also will play backup guitar for Davis during her set. You can listen to and buy his music at taleofgiants.bandcamp.com and on iTunes.
Shua Zermeno will perform between their sets.
More: El Paso's Tale of Giants performs ahead of Cult Loveless show
In addition to performing solo and with Martinez as Cult Loveless, Davis also is in Emily Davis and the Murder Police.
“I started off as a solo act, so there’s a small sense of nostalgia in releasing new music under my own name,” Davis said. “What I’ve learned in the years since my last solo album, however, is just how transformative collaboration can be, creatively speaking.
“I’m a fan of Javier’s music, so being in Cult Loveless with him has been a wonderful journey. He is so effortlessly poignant, and he pours his heart into what he does. His sincerity is an essential part of our overall sound,” she said.
As for Emily Davis and the Murder Police, she said in a message: “Jorge (Torres) and Jose (Macias) have been by my side for seven years now — we started playing together in 2016 and have since toured the country multiple times (and Canada!). They’ve made me a better musician, and they’ve provided a channel for me to exorcise my angst. Making music with them is a total blast. Jorge is now my husband and I adore him.”
The show also will kick off a tour by Davis that will take her across the country, wrapping up in Austin on July 28.
Martinez will accompany Davis on part of her tour.
“We will be driving from El Paso all the way to Richmond, Virginia,” he said. “From there I’ll fly home and Emily will continue the tour with her husband Jorge Torres. They’ll drive down to Florida, through the South and back home to devour our beloved Chico's Tacos.”
Davis said she’s looking forward to her upcoming shows in Florida.
“(Emily Davis and the Murder Police) had a great time there a few years back,” she said.
She said, “Javi will be on the road with me from July 7 to July 17. We’ll be touring through the Midwest together, mostly.
“I’ll meet up with Jorge midway, and we’ll travel down the East Coast and back into Texas together. Jorge is currently on tour with his other band, Civil Serpents, so having him on the second half of the tour made the most sense.”
Martinez said: “She asked me to accompany her for a week or so and I agreed. Emily had it all planned out; I’m just coming along to help her songs shine.
“I love her new EP and I’m more than honored to help her play the songs for her fans. We both love touring and recognize the hardships that come along with it. So, it’ll just be a good time sharing a craft we both enjoy.”
Martinez said he likes touring. Last year, he toured Ireland.
“I’ve been doing tours for 13 years and I love meeting new people and music venues,” he said. “I love seeing songwriters from different areas. Most of the time it’s like staring in the mirror and I make lifelong friends.”
But touring also can have its drawbacks.
“The worst part is showing up to an unknown city and having nowhere to go,” he said. “I remember countless times sitting at fast food place, using their Wi-Fi, or napping in the car till the show starts.”
As for the cities he’s looking forward to visiting the most, he said: “That’s a hard question. I think I’m excited to play up in Ohio. I’ve never been up there. I hope they have some delicious food.”
Davis said she enjoys performing both as a solo act and as a group.
“I think both bring merit. There’s an intimacy and vulnerability that is unique to performing solo, and I enjoy that environment. I also enjoy vibing with other musicians. There’s an interconnectedness you experience while performing with others that can’t really be replicated elsewhere.”
Martinez sees distinct differences in creating solo and as part of a group.
“Tale of Giants is all on me,” he said. “It’s at my pace and the whole process lives in my brain. It’s mainly a therapy for me. It’s hard and heavy. When I write, play or perform with Emily, the burden is lifted and I remember how fun it is to play music. She’s an incredible songwriter and I learn a lot from her. She pushes me to be the songwriter I am.”
Davis and Martinez naturally first met through music.
“I met Javier at Bowie Feathers (a former Downtown venue) back in 2015,” Davis said. “We were on the same lineup for an acoustic show. Near the end of 2018, I asked him if he wanted to write music together and he agreed. It was inevitable, I think, because of how much we respected each other’s craft.”
Martinez said that after meeting at Bowie Feathers, “I had a podcast at the time and I invited her for an interview, and that’s when I really got to talk to her. A few months later she messaged me, asking me to fill in on guitar, for one of her tours. That’s when we became friends forever.”
He added, “Maybe around 2018 we started playing guitars with each other for fun, then decided to formally start a band, Cult Loveless. We released out first EP in 2020.
Davis said, “I wish there was an interesting story behind the Cult Loveless moniker. Honestly, we liked each word individually, so we threw them together. ‘The Murder Police’ is a John Mulaney reference taken from a bit he did on ‘Law and Order.’”
She said: “Songwriting in Cult Loveless is shared, so Javi has a huge impact on our songs’ structure, vibe, lyrics, and arrangements. I’d say it’s probably a 50/50 split in terms of involvement. I’m the primary songwriter in EDMP, so there tends to be a lot of brainstorming on my part before a song is introduced to the band.”
As for how she decides which song is for Cult Loveless, Emily Davis and the Murder Police, or for her solo recording, she said: “I think my songs are often assigned to each project based on topic and overall attitude. EDMP gets my existential dread and Cult Loveless gets my heartache. They both receive the occasional morsel of hope, too.”
Davis, who was born and raised in El Paso, is open about life’s challenges on her Instagram account, @emilydavismusic.
She said finds support and strength in the feedback that comes with that honesty.
“Absolutely. I tend to be pretty transparent when it comes to mental health,” she said. “I think visibility is important, but mutual support is every bit as important, and transparency affords that opportunity.
She also believes being open is a way to help others.
Davis recently signed a record deal with Hogar Records, which covers her solo EP.
“The logistics are something I’m still acclimating to,” she said. “Having people in your corner who are actively working on your behalf and cheering you on is also a breath of fresh air. Doing everything on your own for years on end can get pretty tiring.”
Davis said writing solo material offers the opportunity to experiment.
“That’s the fun part of writing solo material — you get to do a lot of exploring. I went for an ethereal vibe on the EP’s single, ‘Know When to Quit,’ which is something I haven’t really done before. I’m looking forward to further experimentation in the future.”
But her favorite song from her new EP has special meaning.
“Without question, my favorite new song is Connie Francis,” she said. “I wrote it about my late grandfather, who was preceded in death by my grandmother in 2021. Watching him grieve was absolutely gut-wrenching, and writing a song about it was a form of catharsis for me. I’m really proud of how it turned out lyrically and how it builds, and it holds deep sentimental value.”
But the EP’s release doesn’t mean she’s taking a break.
“I’m currently recording a new EP with EDMP, and will begin recording a new EP with Javier shortly. I’m also trying to write some new songs.”
Martinez said, “We started tracking an EP in June 2023, but we took a minute to pause and rehearse the songs for tour.”
He said a new Tale of Giants release for 2023 also is in the works.
“I’ve been struggling with this because I want to be more strategic with my release,” he said. “Once I have a plan, I’ll have a date. I swear it’ll be worth the wait.”
He added: “The new songs touch on self-reflection and change. My past catalog is very somber and full of regret and longing. I’m in a place in my life where everything is great. I’m an uncle now and I want to leave an imprint that everything will be OK.”
He still doesn’t have a title, though.
“No title yet, but my heart’s beating and I need to take time and listen to what it’s saying,” he said.
Meanwhile, he finds himself in good company.
“El Paso is filled with incredible talent,” he said. “They exist in small pockets. I hope one day this city can embrace the creative community and be a beacon, bless it with more spaces to share art with travelers, locals and the extraterrestrials.” (Follow Martinez on his Instagram account @username.human for great music, honesty and some laughs.)
Davis also appreciates the community.
She said: “I’m grateful that people still care about what I do, even all these years later. I’ve been performing live in El Paso since I was a kid — I probably played my first show back in 2005! Somehow, I’m still able to do what I love and receive support from the community around me. That’s the best thing I could ask for.”
Emily Davis summer 2023 tour
July 1: The Living Room, El Paso
July 7: Juno, Albuquerque
July 8: Zombiez, Amarillo
July 9: The Hyde Out, Wichita, Kansas
July 11: Sk8bar, St. Joseph, Missouri
July 12: Tim’s Chrome Bar, St. Louis
July 13: Blind Bob’s, Dayton, Ohio
July 14: The Rambling House, Columbus, Ohio
July 15: The Pocket (Brunch), D.C.
July 16: Garden Grove Brewery, Richmond, Virginia
July 18: Inchoate Art Gallery, Charleston, South Carolina
July 19: Jack Rabbits, Jacksonville, Florida
July 20: Stardust Music & Video, Orlando
July 21: Square Mug Café, Tallahassee, Florida
July 23: The Nick, Birmingham, Alabama
July 24: Sundown Tavern, Ruston, Louisiana
July 25: Deep Ellum Art Co., Dallas
July 26: Eighteen Ten Ojeman, Houston
July 27: Texas House of Rock, Corpus Christi
July 28: Empire Control Room, Austin
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso musician Emily Davis releases new solo EP, to start tour
