54 | MAY 2 • 2024
J
N
D
iffering contemporary
musical directions
have made a major
impact on the life of
Gretchen Gonzales Davidson,
whose guitar playing and
singing took off at Michigan
State University in the 1990s
as she worked to graduate
with majors in anthropology
and environmental policy.
Contemporary bands,
personal friendships, marriage,
religious commitments and
community participation
resulted from people she got to
know through music.
A recent recording, Tabula
Rasa for Birdman Records,
was made in her home studio
and private Hamtramck
studios. It was performed
and then released April 19 by
one of the groups with which
she works, Infinite River, and
is set for introduction May
11 during a release party
at Third Man Records in
Detroit.
The event is being
supplemented with a display
of images made by artist
Leon Dickey as presented by
Linda Dresner, whose former
designer clothing store held
Dickey’s work. The display
will be up for two weeks after
the event.
This is Infinite River’s
third recording. The previous
two were titled Prequel and
Space Mirror and were very
much geared to instruments
and drawing out emotions of
the various listeners.
“Depending on the music,
I experience different feelings
I can call upon as I listen,”
said Davidson, 51, who often
performs with her husband,
Ethan Daniel Davidson, a
part-time singer-songwriter
who plays the guitar and
bass in more Americana and
country styles. The two met
because of her singing on a
recording he made in 2004.
“I definitely feel
uncomfortable when there’s
no music at an event,” she
said. “When I walk into a
room of people, music is
the first thing I hope for,
and it’s a bonus when the
music is interesting and good
regardless of the styles.”
Tabula Rasa, identified as
a prog-rock vinyl recording,
ARTS&LIFE
MUSIC
New recording from
Gretchen Gonzales
Davidson to debut May 11.
‘Psychedelic
andIntense’
SUZANNE CHESSLER
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Gretchen
Gonzales
Davidson