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He can sell you a bill of love that from anyone else would seem corny and make you believe again - in the long summers of blissful youth, in dancing the night away. You may have seen Bart Davenport fronting the electro future-funk trio called Honeycut, or you may have heard their song “Exodus Honey” in a recent iMac ad. Perhaps you caught his one man Folk Rock show between the trees and beards of Big Sur or in England, Spain or Germany. Bart Davenport is a singer-songwriter troubadour who wears his passionate love of West Coast Pop on his sleeve. His songs have captivated audiences worldwide for years, dating back to his time as a front man for Oakland Garage/Blues combo The Loved Ones.

On Palaces, his fourth solo album and third for Antenna Farm, he delves into his heart and soul to give us a collection brimming over with arresting melodies, heartfelt lyrics and subtle musical touches that compliment his open, affable vocals, all delivered with his trademark combination of quiet passion and subtle wit. Palaces is the work of an artist who has assimilated the influences of a lifetime’s worth of music making. Drawing from Soft Rock, Bossa Nova, Brit Folk, and even a touch of Philly Soul, it captures a cohesive fusion of Traditional and Indie Pop. 

Bart Davenport’s early musical development was shaped by his mother’s love of British folk and his father’s gigs as an avid record store clerk during the day and bassist in the Oakland-Richmond blues scene by night. By age 14 Bart was sneaking out of the house to sit in on blues jams on his own. After several years fronting San Francisco club favorites the Loved Ones and later the Kinetics with childhood friend Xan McCurdy (now playing with Cake), Bart picked up the acoustic guitar and went the solo route. In 2000, he teamed with old friend Eric Shea to found and co-host the Monday Night Hoot at San Francisco’s Cafe DuNord, an “invitation-only open mike” that was a starting point for many performers in the neo-folk scene, including a young Devendra Banhart.

Bart’s first three solo releases (2002’s Bart Davenport, 2003’s Game Preserve, and 2005’s Maroon Cocoon) established him as a musician’s musician, with an avid Bay Area following. His captivating live shows have earned him tours of the US West Coast and Germany opening for the Kings of Convenience, while his five solo tours of Spain have won him rave reviews in the Spanish press and a devoted following that’s almost religious in its fervor.

Bart Davenport’s willingness to experiment is evident in the work he’s done as frontman and co-writer for avant-electro group Honeycut, a self-described “studio side-project” whose 2006 debut album The Day I Turned to Glass (released on Quannum Projects) met with critical acclaim and an instant popularity that propelled them to the US festival circuit. With Honeycut on the back burner in late 2007, Bart turned his attention to creating his fourth solo album.  

On Palaces, Davenport’s singing is rich, deep and nuanced, while his lyrics sparkle with plainspoken poetry that offers telling insights into the minds and hearts of his subjects. The classic songs of artists like Arthur Lee, Emitt Rhodes, Harry Nilsson, and Paul McCartney are touchstones. The album balances a sunny vibe with a streak of melancholy and subtly echoes the sound of yesterday’s AM radio hits while offering its own bright vision of future pop. “I often feel the sentiments and moods in an Oldies tune are much closer to my own,” Davenport says. I want to bring back The Gentleman.”

The record was produced by Davenport with more than a little help from his friend Kelley Stoltz and features stellar contributions from some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s top musicians, including Stoltz, Angelina Moysov (Persephone’s Bees), Tony Sevener, & Hervé Salters (Honeycut).

“[Palaces] was hard to make, but I think it may be the best thing I’ve done yet,” Davenport says. “It has the kind of real, warm sound you can only get using vintage analogue equipment. Making a record with that kind of gear in 2008 is like driving a vintage car straight through every red light and into the future.”