Editor’s Note: This article originally appeared on the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pulp blog.
Dave & Kristi feel a special connection to the chickadee.
The Dexter duo embraces the songbird as a symbol of joy and hope on their new folk album, The Chickadees.
“The chickadee reference is about the spiritual part of you that lives on,” said Kristi Davis about her latest release with husband and musical partner Dave Boutette.
“That’s the hopeful part, and they represent good luck, happiness, knowledge, truth, and adaptability. That’s exactly the stuff that we need right now.”
Davis and Boutette channel the chickadee’s positive spirit as they reflect on love, loss, and aging across the album’s 13 tracks.
“As far as things that are on the record, we’ve experienced a lot of loss in the last two or three years,” Boutette said. “And also this summer we’re both turning 60. It’s everything from family members and friends passing.”
The duo unexpectedly lost three family members and a pet during the last few years.
“Our dog passed very unexpectedly and a week later my dad passed,” said Davis, who sings and plays percussion on the album. “Dave lost his mom and his brother. There’s a little memorial to them on [the album], but it’s been an inspiration for the music.”
Some songs from The Chickadees also reference Dave & Kristi’s growing concerns about the nation’s changing political climate and its impact on our future.
“There are different parts of our foundation that we’ve been walking on for a long time and counting on for a long time that have shifted and are slipping,” said Boutette, the duo’s co-lead vocalist and guitarist.
“We’re OK, we have a roof over our head, and there’s food in the cupboard. It’s just that we’re older now—things are different underneath us now. We’re in uncharted territory, and we’re just trying to make our way through it.”
Dave & Kristi explore those themes and reflections through singable lyrics, rich harmonies, and emotive instrumentation.
To learn more, I spoke with the duo ahead of their June 1 album release show at Ann Arbor’s Old Town Tavern.
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