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Elaine and Mark Davis - The Davii, Mark on percussion and Elaine on Harp and keyboards, have been together as soul mates for millennia. Married now for 25 years they are still as much in love as when the first met in 827 b.c.e.
Mark plays an Albert Alfonso 16" tuneable bodhran that was made
around 1994 c.e..Mark also has a fondness for the bones, Australian claves',
a Clay Foster African seed pot shaker, tambourine, and triangle. Marks
musical interest are wide and eclectic from Celtic to traditional American,
African, Cubo-african, and all sorts of folk music from different parts
of the world.
Marks musical heroes are his bandmates and Jeffrey Barnes of Brave Combo
(http://brave.com/bo/), Johnny "Ringo" McDonagh, and the late
great Keith Moon of the Who.
Former bands include the New Potatoes, Band with No Name, and Swat the Flea.
Mark also plays with The Strayaways and The Denton Institute of Phrenology
Marching Band.
Read Mark’s bio as former member of Swat the Flea.
Elaine has been musically inclined since early childhood. She started piano
lessons at 10 and continued for 8 years. In high school she played a mean trombone.
She became interested in playing the harp in 1996. Elaine bought a small Pakistani
lap harp at Voyagers Dream in Denton and learned to play. On their 20th Anniversary,
Mark surprised her with a Dusty Strings FH-32 neo-Celtic folk Harp, which she
continues to play today. She also plays keyboards, Shoshoni flute and lots
of other stuff.
Elaine's musical influences are Old time American Music, Southern Baptist Hymns,
Swing, Jazz, and Celtic. Elaine's harp and keyboard playing hero is Derek Bell
of the Chieftains, who once kissed Elaine, but that's another story.
Leon Ashley Peek began trying to play guitar in 1960;
yes, 42 years ago. While some might say that this means he is past his
prime, others say that
it just means that he is a slow learner. His first band gig was playing
old-time banjo in a jug band in the early 1960's. The high point of his
brief professional career was playing for the senior citizen happy hour
in the Flamingo Bar and teaching kids guitar every afternoon and Saturday
in the Riviera Music Shoppe in West Palm in 1964. The guitars he plays
in Tuberville are a Breedlove jumbo and a Santa Cruz dreadnaught.
Leon's concertina is a new-old instrument. The reeds and the button action
was built between 1890 and 1910 in the golden age of concertinas by the Wheatstone
Company. Sir Charles Wheatstone invented the concertina and founded the Wheatstone
Company. Sir Charles was the same Wheatstone that advanced the field of physics
by the discovery of the Wheatstone resistance bridge. During the time this
concertina was started, the craftsmen would receive orders from the Company
and make the parts by hand at home. The wooden case and leather bellows on
Leon's concertina are modern. They were made by concertina maker John Connor
in England using the same hand techniques. The original wood and leather parts
had deteriorated to the point they could not play. There are several key layouts
on concertinas; Leon plays the Anglo layout. Read Leon’s bio as former
member of Swat the Flea.
Brian Horn played classical guitar in his earliest years
as a musician but switched to violin which has been his musical passion
since age 10.
Brian has studied classical music and has played in school orchestras since
the 5th grade. He has played each year in the All Region Orchestra and
in the winter of 2001 was their concertmaster. He has toured with his high
school orchestra to St. Louis and to London, England. Brian has won honors
in UIL state solo and ensemble competitions both as a soloist and in string
quartets. Currently, Brian plays with at the university level at Hendrix
College. He takes time out of his busy schedule to humor the
old fogies of Tuberville with
both
charisma
and finesse
on
fiddle.
Steve Horn made his musical beginnings playing ukulele at age 8 then graduated
to guitar on his 9th birthday. This was his primary instrument until his
college years although he also played saxophone in his school band. In
college, Steve studied 20th century composition and became interested in
medieval and renaissance music. His partaking in early music lasted more
than two decades including playing on various winds as well as lute and
harp. In 1998, Steve took a fancy to a banjo he found in a local pawnshop
which began his transition to the music he now plays with Tuberville. Steve
has played with various Old Time and Celtic Bands such as the New Potatoes
and Swat the Flea. Steve plays on a Deering Calico banjo, as well as a
James Lyon Superb, and a custom Nechville Meteor electric. He also plays
a Rigel mandolin, an Irish flute by Michael Cronolly, and a bass curtal
(renaissance forerunner of the modern bassoon) by Bob Cronin.
Read Steve’s bio as former member of Swat the Flea.
