Denali

More than skin deep

'Prior to my interview with Denali's lead singer Maura Davis, I encountered a common reaction to my mention of the band's name. Nearly every person with whom I spoke - who was familiar with the band - said:

"Dude, she is sooooooooo hot!

"And they're a really good band, too."

Is it sexist to make a statement like that? Probably not. It's just a matter of fact. There are fewer female musicians fronting indie bands. So, the ones that are out there do tend to stick out a bit more.

Maybe it'd be more appropriate to judge the band's music before judging its members' looks, but that's how we have been socialized to do things. After all, aside from the bassist of A Newfound Glory, when is the last time you saw a fat or ugly person on music television stations?

Yes, her looks do not hurt the band, but it'd be inaccurate to say something so superficial is helping them, either.

It's hard not to have a secret, won't-ever-come-true kind of crush on Maura Davis. She's indie rock's sweetheart, for more reasons than one. In all honesty, it's her voice that gives her that extra something. Citing Ella Fitzgerald as one of her musical idols, she sings in the way that just makes men clad in tattoos and piercings melt like grade-school boys.

"If people want to make remarks that I'm hot or whatever, I'm fine with it," said Davis. "I'm not a feminist or anything so, I take it as a compliment."

She admits that she did have one bad experience as a female in a band, but it was not within the indie scene. When the band went on tour with the Deftones, she received numerous comments onstage to the effect of "take your shirt off." As she stated, "It's like they never saw a girl in a band before."

Even such a vulgar gesture as this has not been too big of a deal. Having her brother Keeley, singer and songwriter from Engine Down, in the band has been a huge comfort to her. His presence made her feel safe and secure.

Sadly, this is no longer the case for Maura, the younger of the two siblings by nearly five years. Keeley and drummer Jonathan Fuller, also of Engine Down, have parted ways with Denali.

They were two of the original members of the band, which formed when Maura came to Keeley and asked him for assistance with the songs she had been working on. With the addition of bassist Cam Dinunzio, the roster was filled out.

Now, the burden of being in two high-profile bands has become too much for Keeley and Jonathan. Touring, writing and recording turned from blessing to burden. They never had any time off. So, they had to limit their responsibilities and put their focus back on Engine Down.

Both of these bands are on the road right now and, according to Maura, this is the first time the brother and sister have been apart for more than a week.

"Aww, I miss him," she said of her brother. "It's sad being so far away from him."

Maura hopes that someday, the two bands will at least have overlapping schedules so that they may be able to play some shows together.

Change is the one thing that has been a constant in Denali since they hit the studio to record 2003's "The Instinct." As the last record on which all of the original members appeared, the band made a conscious effort to diversify their sound.

"On our first album, people thought I was just this really depressed girl," said Davis. "We wanted to make the songs on 'The Instinct' shorter and more powerful. We wanted songs that would grab you the instant you hear the first note."

Less downtrodden but more powerful was the compromise's result. The new formula achieved the intended results and, additionally, fulfilled the band's hope of capturing the dynamics of their live show.

Of course, those dynamics are going to be different now that the band has two new members. As of the beginning of this tour, Stephen Howard of Pinebender is playing the role of bassist and Ryan Rapsys is now playing drums.

"It feels like a different band, now, but in a good way," she said. "It's sad to be without my brother but things are going really well - as long as people aren't telling me to take my shirt off."