Rising Stars: Meet Seth Andrew Davis and Michael Eaton

Today we’d like to introduce you to Seth Andrew Davis and Michael Eaton. 

Hi Seth and Michael, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
S: Michael and I met in 2015, became friends, and started playing together in an ensemble we started called Second Nature Ensemble. We had talked about starting a label but were waiting for the right time. We recorded an album for our duo Symbiotique back in 2019 and felt that the release of that record should be the start of Mother Brain Records. So, we finally launched Mother Brain Records in 2020. We launched our BandCamp page with our first duo album, Symbiotique. Since then, we have released 18 records on the label and have more releases coming up into 2022. 

M: Like Seth mentioned, we became friends in 2015 and soon after founded Second Nature, a hybrid musical ensemble that blends free improvisation, new music composition, minimalism, and electronics. We had seen the success and artistic depth on Irritable Hedgehog Records, and we felt not only that we could serve a similar fan or customer base, but that we probably had access to another segment of the KC and Midwestern music scene. Our goal was and is to document composers and improvisers who live in the Midwestern region, and hopefully beyond. We believe there is an abundance of ideas and creative and quirky artists living in this region who should be heard from and publicized to the broader world. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
S: It’s all been trial and error, trying to figure out the best way to release our material, how to market, how to get reviewed/press coverage, etc. It’s a struggle in terms of how to navigate the improvised/experimental music scene and get people interested, but overall, we are just learning how to do all this and it’s been a positive experience overall. The label has been mostly an avenue for us to release our own projects and collaborations, but we are in the process of releasing records by other artists. Michael and I do all the work for the most part, running the BandCamp page, SoundCloud, contacting visual artists about artwork, mixing/mastering, and in some cases recording our own work. We’ve been fortunate to work with artists here in KC and from different parts of the country such as New York, Chicago, St. Louis, LA, Bloomington, Indiana and in other countries such as Germany, Uruguay, and Japan. We hope this spread out and broad reach of different collaborators will also lead to different audiences across the globe. 

M: As a fledgling label, we are building from the ground up. We are also in a period of uncertainty that does not really correspond to the previous 70 years of the recording industry, in terms of physical media consumption then versus streaming now. I expect our initial development process to take 5-10 years. The foremost challenge is funding. To draw in listeners and supporters, they need to know we exist. This in turn entails marketing and promotion for our releases, which requires funds. But there are also recording costs and both art and packaging design costs. Since Seth and I are independent artists, this all comes out of our pockets or through sales. One thing that potentially helps is keeping most of our releases all-digital, with some exceptions, to streamline the process and minimize the investment on our end. But obviously we want to grow to a point where this is not necessary anymore. The challenge for us as a label is to accrue a large enough base of support to draw in revenue that will then fund other projects. But to be clear, in this kind of music, we are not hardcore capitalists seeking profit first and foremost: this is about art and ideas. Really hardcore profiteering is not compatible with this music. Without that kind of clarity of mission, this music would die on the vine, and the label would vanish. So, Mother Brain is a labor of love and part of a larger concept of musical cooperation. A lot of jazz musicians can cooperate at extremely high levels on the bandstand, but we also need to cooperate off the bandstand in business and creative development – I’m saying that as a professional jazz musician myself. We need cooperative economics. What Mother Brain is doing is of course reaching out to the world, and we certainly hope people are interested in our releases and like what we’re doing. For me, the art is first and foremost, and that’s what I have to take care of first. If that means we develop more slowly in the beginning, so be it. This is something I plan to do for a long time to come. I am confident that as Mother Brain builds ties, and as people come to know who we are and the creativity associated with our label, they will enjoy our releases and be interested 

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
S: I’m a performer, composer, improviser, and electronic musician working in Kansas City. My work is focused in the improvised/experimental music world as a composer, guitarist, and computer musician. I play and have played in several ensembles/groups in town including EMS (Extemporaneous Music Society), Project C4, Second Nature Ensemble, DeCorpsinator/Re-Animator, & Symbiotique. I’m also a concert organizer, having co-founded EMS in 2021 with Evan Verploegh, we host a monthly series at Charlotte Street Foundation on the third Wednesday of the month showcasing performers/practitioners of improvised/experimental music. EMS is also an ensemble with myself on electric guitar & electronics, Evan Verploegh on drums, Ben Baker on woodwinds, and Krista Kopper on upright bass. We are working toward becoming a non-profit organization. I’m also the Vice President of KcEMA (Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance) and the Production Coordinator for newEar Contemporary Music Ensemble. Since 2019 I’ve been an artist resident at Charlotte Street Foundation. I’m proud of all the work I’ve done and very lucky I’ve been able to perform and collaborate with other artists regularly in the area. I’m proud of the work Michael and I have done with Mother Brain Records and expanding the scope of the improvised/experimental music scene in KC. I’m also very proud of the work Evan Verploegh and I are doing with EMS in facilitating an improvised music scene. I’m excited about the work Mother Brain and EMS will do in the future 

M: I’m a professional saxophonist, composer, and educator living in New York City. I have played in a number of genres over 17 years of being a professional musician, but my identity at present has coalesced around a mix of modern jazz and free improvised music. I periodically return to Kansas City to play with Second Nature, Symbiotique, or as part of other jazz or improvisation related ventures. I originally grew up in Liberty and absorbed Kansas City jazz culture in the 1990s and early 2000s, but I went to school in Bloomington, Indiana, and then I moved to New York City in 2008. 

I have a number of albums that I’m proud of. Two are on the Destiny Records label: Individuation (2014) featuring NEA Jazz Master and a personal musical hero, David Liebman, and then Dialogical (2019), featuring one of the great living guitarists, Lionel Loueke. I recorded Tenor Triage (2019) with saxophonists Sean Sonderegger and James Brandon Lewis plus bassist Brad Jones and drummer G. Calvin Weston, and that’s on Ropeadope. My next album as a leader will feature trumpeters Tim Hagans and Dave Scott and vocalist Judi Silvano. 

I have had the good fortune of playing for a number of years with flutist Cheryl Pyle in her NYC free improv chamber ensemble, Beyond Group, and a slew of wonderful musicians have appeared with the group: the late Bern Nix, Judi Silvano, Roberta Piket, Jamie Baum, Claire Daly, Newman Taylor Baker, Sam Newsome, and even a guest appearance recently by Joe Lovano. 

I am proud of the work Seth and I did on “The Maximal Effect”, our last release as Symbiotique, which will be featured soon as an AllAboutJazz track of the day. I think the duo has the seeds of something unique and creative. I’m partial to a 2016 album I was on with trumpeter Kyle Quass, “Darkness Made Light”, which I think captures some lovely and creative post-bop and freer-leaning music. Thanks to friendly connections, I played tenor on Doyle Bramhall II’s “Rich Man” (2016) for Concord Records. 

Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
S: They can find me on my website, FB, Instagram. They can check out the Mother Brain Records Bandcamp, Instagram and Facebook page. 

http://www.sethandrewdavis.com 

https://motherbrainrecordskc.bandcamp.com 

M: Visit my website, michaeleatonmusic.com, at dialogicalrecords.bandcamp.com, or of course at motherbrainrecordskc.bandcamp.com. Some of my releases are available on Spotify, Apple Music, or YouTube. 

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://www.sethandrewdavis.com https://www.michaeleatonmusic.com https://motherbrainrecordskc.bandcamp.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/motherbrainrecordskc?utm_medium=copy_link https://instagram.com/michaeleatonmusic?utm_medium=copy_link https://instagram.com/hermitwizard?utm_medium=copy_link
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MotherBrainRecords
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNqEbWDde5vhiRmfJlK4BWA
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-877120284
• Other: https://motherbrainrecordskc.bandcamp.com

Image Credits:
Monty Davis
Austin Glassco