Mikaela Davis

When was the last time you heard a country-tinged pop song prominently featuring a harp? Mikaela Davis is a Rochester-based singer/songwriter/harpist whose latest single is just that. “Out There Alone” starts with a lush harp arpeggio but immediately switches gears with three hits of a snare drum into a sunshine-y pop song. As the music subtly shifts time signatures, Davis’s vocal drawl keeps the song stabilized while the harp continues its unusual melodies. Her chorus is part “Lovefool” part Burt Bacharach–which is as great as it sounds–and her clever lyrics add an emotional depth underneath the saccharine surface. All these strange parts come together to create a truly intoxicating sound that will have you hitting the repeat button.

No news on a new album to house this song, but check out Mikaela Davis’s Fortune Teller EP if you want more. - Absolutemag.com

Indie harpist and vocalist, Mikaela Davis, has a new song up her sleeve, and it’s the perfect addition to our summer playlist. “Out There Alone” features Davis’ effervescent cadence intertwining with speedy harp chords to create a unique and retro-inspired sound, while bittersweet lyrics give emotional depth to the otherwise cheery track. Her classical harp training gives her songwriting a quirky edge — she has a knack for layering sounds around her expert string work. Davis has a lengthy tour ahead of her in which she and her band will hit cities all along the East Coast, Midwest and South. Listen to “Out There Alone” now, and let Mikaela Davis sweep you up with her harp-accented, lo-fi sound. - The Wild Honey Pie

Mikaela Davis had a plan. Having studied the harp since third grade, she was set to finish off her music degree, go to grad school, seek a job in an orchestra, and perhaps eventually get a doctorate to teach at the college level.

But something funny happened on the way to a career in classical music. Davis started a band. And people liked it.

“I think harp can do anything,” she says, speaking on the phone from Rochester, N.Y., shortly before selling her Subaru Outback and hitting the road in a new tour van. It’s only her third tour, and it’s the first one lasting as long as four weeks. But things are developing quickly these days for the 22-year old, who visits the Red Room at Café 939 with her trio on Wednesday.

The precocious musician played with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for years, and gave two piano recitals of her original work in middle school; while classmates had been working on science projects in an independent study program, she wrote songs. In high school, she busked with a friend on Saturday mornings at a farmers’ market in Rochester, forming an unlikely harp/ukulele duo.

But it was only after starting her college harp studies (at
SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music), and entering a battle of the bands almost accidentally, that Davis realized she might have a future playing her own pop-rock songs on harp.

“I was kind of nervous, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do it,” she says, “but I did it anyway and I won the battle of the bands. So I said: I wonder if I should play out more?”

Spoiler: yes.

It turns out Davis has a great touch for writing tuneful pop songs that showcase not only her highly proficient harp technique, but also attractive vocals that sound both vulnerable and assured. Her lyrics reflect an original voice as well. It makes for a slyly arresting musical package that fully integrates the sound of her chosen instrument, without ever sounding like a gimmick.

Rochester-based producer Brian Moore first saw Davis play at the Bug Jar, a rock venue there.

“It was one of those moments where you’re like, this is a star in the marking, he says. “She had the personality, and she’s obviously talented at harp and songwriting. I think the unique thing about Mikaela is she could stand alone with her songwriting and her vocals, but combined with what she can do technically on the harp, hearing that was just a shock to me.”

As she expanded her sound, working her way toward her current trio including childhood friend Alex Coté on drums and percussion plus Cian McCarthy on an ever-expanding list of instruments (including guitar, assorted keyboards, and sitar), Davis’s burgeoning band interests competed with the rigorous schedule of an aspiring classical musician. She practiced her technique at school, and went home on weekends to play original songs with her band.

Her musical worlds became harder to balance as she achieved more success in each. The summer after her sophomore year in 2012, Davis recorded and released her debut LP. It’s stocked with 13 original songs suited to anyone’s indie-rock playlist. But earlier that year she won her school’s concerto competition, making it a top priority to rehearse a challenging piece for a high-profile performance as a junior.

Davis gave herself a tight deadline to make it in the pop/rock world — if nothing major happened by the start of her senior year of college, she resolved to start auditioning for grad schools on the path toward a life playing in orchestras.

The summer before that milestone, she was signed by a prominent talent agency and sent out on tour with her band. The decision got a lot easier.

“Playing in an orchestra is cool, but of course you’re sitting at the back and you play every 200 measures,” she says with a frank chuckle. “I think I decided that I don’t want to sit in the background my whole life. I want to be up front. In a band. With music that I’m writing. I wanted to show people what the harp can do.”

An EP followed this January, displaying more of her facility with melody; new single “Out There Alone” (available online, but eyed for a wider release in October) is as good a candidate as any for a breakout hit. Heard as one piece, the emotionally evocative work Davis has released so far could be the soundtrack to somebody’s quirky imaginary indie film.

She finished up her degree in harp performance this spring, but is putting it to practical use with her current tour. After that comes the inevitable move to Brooklyn and, she hopes, another LP to be released next year.

Davis continues to expand what she can do on harp sonically, lately adding guitar pedals and experiments with electronic looping. As far as pure technique goes, she recognizes that she’s now unlikely to reach the breakthroughs she was headed toward on the classical path.

Still, she hopes to put her years of study and practice to work.

“Of course, playing my songs is much easier than performing a concerto,” she says. “But sometimes I write things where I have to actually practice them before I’m ready to perform it, which is a good thing — to write things that are harder. Ultimately, I’m trying to put the techniques I’ve learned into what I’m writing, so I’m not just forgetting about that. I think that’s possible.” - Boston Globe

Interview with Mikaela about her self-titled record - The Glass Music Blog

Interview with Mikaela about her self-titled record - The Glass Music Blog

German review of Mikaela's self-titled release - About-music.de

German review of Mikaela's self-titled release - About-music.de

Mikaela Davis, indie harpist and vocalist, has answered to the Histerycal Interview.
The 30th June was released the debut album, Mikaela Davis selftittled, was recorded at Red Booth, a local tiny studio that focuses in indie artists. Is it cool to be an indie hapist? Here she is. - Fans Histericas

Mikaela Davis, indie harpist and vocalist, has answered to the Histerycal Interview.
The 30th June was released the debut album, Mikaela Davis selftittled, was recorded at Red Booth, a local tiny studio that focuses in indie artists. Is it cool to be an indie hapist? Here she is. - Fans Histericas

Rochester's Mikaela Davis is one of the region's most talented up-and-coming musicians. Her instrument of choice is the harp, and she creates an engaging, dream-like sound that quickly overtakes the listener. Her recent self-titled album is full thoughtful lyrics and memorable melodies such as "Garden," and "Ballad Of A Winter's Past."
- buffablog.com

Rochester's Mikaela Davis is one of the region's most talented up-and-coming musicians. Her instrument of choice is the harp, and she creates an engaging, dream-like sound that quickly overtakes the listener. Her recent self-titled album is full thoughtful lyrics and memorable melodies such as "Garden," and "Ballad Of A Winter's Past."
- buffablog.com

Davis, a Rochester, NY native who attends The Crane School of Music at SUNY, has since finished and released her self-titled debut album, a gorgeous collection that echoes with instrumental atmospheres, melodic tensions, and experimental indie sentiment, inviting easy comparison to indie harpist progenitor Joanna Newsome, and justifying any look back. - Coverlaydown.com

Davis, a Rochester, NY native who attends The Crane School of Music at SUNY, has since finished and released her self-titled debut album, a gorgeous collection that echoes with instrumental atmospheres, melodic tensions, and experimental indie sentiment, inviting easy comparison to indie harpist progenitor Joanna Newsome, and justifying any look back. - Coverlaydown.com

...Mikaela Davis is going to be a big sensation from this jerkwater burg as soon as she quits wasting time at SUNY Potsdam and hits the road. - Rochester City Newspaper

...Mikaela Davis is going to be a big sensation from this jerkwater burg as soon as she quits wasting time at SUNY Potsdam and hits the road. - Rochester City Newspaper

Mikaela Davis had a plan. Having studied the harp since third grade, she was set to finish off her music degree, go to grad school, seek a job in an orchestra, and perhaps eventually get a doctorate to teach at the college level.

But something funny happened on the way to a career in classical music. Davis started a band. And people liked it.


“I think harp can do anything,” she says, speaking on the phone from Rochester, N.Y., shortly before selling her Subaru Outback and hitting the road in a new tour van. It’s only her third tour, and it’s the first one lasting as long as four weeks. But things are developing quickly these days for the 22-year old, who visits the Red Room at Café 939 with her trio on Wednesday.

The precocious musician played with the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for years, and gave two piano recitals of her original work in middle school; while classmates had been working on science projects in an independent study program, she wrote songs. In high school, she busked with a friend on Saturday mornings at a farmers’ market in Rochester, forming an unlikely harp/ukulele duo.

But it was only after starting her college harp studies (at
SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music), and entering a battle of the bands almost accidentally, that Davis realized she might have a future playing her own pop-rock songs on harp. - Boston Globe

This was a show that our fair city had waited six months for. Mikaela Davis was scheduled to come to the Tralf on January 3rd, but the show was canceled due to a pipe bursting at the venue. The weeks and months continued to build up, and we were left to wonder if the brilliant harpist from Rochester would be headed back any time soon.

Thankfully, our prayers were answered, as Davis and her band played a fantastic show at Buffalo Iron Works on Friday. Davis’ band, consisting of drummer Alex Cote and guitarist Cian McCarthy (who played several other instruments during the evening), was extremely tight throughout the evening, providing the perfect compliment to Davis’ harp.

Early this year, Davis released the EP Fortune Teller, and the tracks from it were featured prominently in the set list. “When The White Worse Takes Me Away” and “Feels Like Forever” in particular thrived in the live setting. I was a bit disappointed at the lack of “I Wouldn’t,” my personal favorite track off the EP, but it was a wonderful performance nonetheless.

She also played several tracks from her self-titled 2012 LP, with “Dreaming” and “Garden” ranking among the highlights. Each of her first two albums have showcased an incredible ability to blend classical pop, and she’s likely to only get better from here. Davis recently released the single “Out There Alone” to the website The Wild Honey Pie, and it’s one of her best compositions yet. As always, it blends the gentle strumming of the harp with an immediately catchy, power-poppy chorus. The song has a good shot at becoming a college radio hit.

It may have been six long months in the making, but it was worth the wait. Davis is one of the most talented up-and-coming artists right now, and it seems like only a matter of time before she becomes huge. Between her (and her band’s) incredibly skilled playing, and her knack for writing memorable songs, it seems inevitable that Mikaela Davis is going to take over the world in the very near future. - Buffablog

Mikaela Davis is a harpist, singer and songwriter from from Rochester, New York. At the age of eight, she began to study the harp with Grace Wong, principal harpist of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom she studied for nine years. Mikaela was a harpist in the Rochester Philharmonic Youth Orchestra from 2006-2010 and was a concerto competition winner in 2010. She now attends the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. Davis has won several competitions and local Rochester music awards over the last several years. Mikaela plays the Tin Angel, tomorrow night, Saturday, August 2nd, with Philadelphia’s Adrien Reju. Go here to the XPN Concert Calendar for more information. Below, download “Out There Alone.” - WXPN