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John Heathcote Davis (born 1970) is an American musician, educator and activist from Cambridge, MA. He lives in Durham NC. He is a namesake of his father's friend Heathcote Williams, the English playwright, poet, and activist. His parents taught high school and middle school English, and took an interest in the countercultural music of the 1960's. They exposed him to artists such as The Mothers of Invention, the Fugs, Ornette Coleman and John Fahey from a young age.

Folk Implosion
John is half of the duo Folk Implosion which he co-founded with Lou Barlow in 1993. Folk Implosion began by making lo-fi four track home recordings influenced by new wave, 60's garage rock and disco, most notably on their 1994 debut album Take A Look Inside. The band left soon left lo-fi recording behind when they recorded the soundtrack to the film KIDS with producers Wally Gagel and Tim O'Heir in 1994. The film was directed by Larry Clark and written by Harmony Korine. The band is best known for their Top 40 hit Natural One. The song was written for a scene in the film, but was rejected in favor of a song by the Beastie Boys. However, it was released as a single from the KIDS soundtrack in November of 1995 and quickly started getting surprise airplay next to artists like Janet Jackson, peaking at #29 in the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the Billboard Modern Rock charts. The track has since been featured on numerous television shows, such as The People Vs. O.J. Simpson and Pepsi, Where's My Jet? Beginning with KIDS, Folk Implosion became known for broadening the stylistic scope of indie rock to be more inclusive of influences from genres such as hip-hop, electronic music and disco. The band has been recognized as an important influence on the group Interpol, and was referenced directly in the track Paid For That from Interpol singer Paul Banks's solo album Banks. After the Kids soundtrack, Folk Implosion released two full length albums: Dare To Be Surprised on the indie Communion Label in 1997 and One Part Lullaby in 1999 after signing to Interscope Records. Both albums were recorded by Wally Gagel, and One Part Lullaby also featured additional engineering work by Robert Carranza. John left Folk Implosion in 2000.

The band reunited in 2021 and recorded the Feel It If You Feel It EP with producer Scott Solter. The EP was released on Davis's Inundation Records in 2022. The band subsequently announced that they had signed with Joyful Noise Recordings. The band filmed a live performance of five songs from the KIDS soundtrack with filmmakers Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley at Fidelitorium Studios in the spring of 2023. The resulting video for Natural One was released on June 28th, 2023 along with an announcement from Domino Records of Music for KIDS, a compilation of released and unreleased material that Folk Implosion recorded for the film. They are currently working on completing a new full length album for Joyful Noise with Scott Solter.

= Solo recordings and other collaborations =

John has also written, recorded and produced multiple solo albums for labels like Shrimper Records and his own label, Inundation Records. His early solo work has been cited as a key influence by the singer-songwriter Adam Green, especially on the first record by his band The Moldy Peaches. Davis has collaborated with other musicians in the lo-fi indie rock genre including Simon Joyner, Dennis Calacci, and the band Lake. Since 2013 John has worked consistently with producer Scott Solter after moving to North Carolina. The album El Pulpo they produced together was named album of the day by Bandcamp and received a 9/10 rating from Magnet magazine upon its release in 2017. John was also briefly an early member of Palace Brothers with Will Oldham, prior to the release of their first album, There Is No-One What Will Take Care of You. Davis and Oldham met while attending Brown University.

Activism
Davis moved to Durham, NC in 2013, and has taught in the Durham Public Schools Durham Public Schools for a decade. He has also been active in local progressive politics and in the teachers union. He has served as President of the People's Alliance and Treasurer of the Durham Association of Educators, a local chapter of the North Carolina Association of Educators and the National Education Association. John's teaching and work with the DAE often focus on current civil rights struggles, such as the School to Prison pipeline, LGBTQ rights and the treatment of undocumented immigrants. He was also part of the Sponsoring Committee that helped to launch the Carolina Federation in 2019. He blogs about music, media and politics at johnhdavis.com. Some of his recent musical work, such as the 2017 album El Pulpo and the accompanying cassette release We'll Teach Them How to Privatize, comment on issues related to his political engagements.

== Discography ==

2023: Music for KIDS; Domino Records

2022: Feel It If You Feel It (Folk Implosion) EP; Inundation Records

2020: Arches & Pathways (John Davis & Dennis Callaci) LP, Shrimper Records, Inundation Records co release

2020: Pure Night Plus (John Davis) 2XCD/Digital, Shrimper Records, Inundation Records co release

2019: Gnawing On the Bone (John Davis) CD/Digital, Inundation Records

2019: Outside A Small City (John Davis) LP, Almost Halloween Time Records

2017: El Pulpo, (John Davis & the Cicadas), Shrimper/Revolver (Cassette/US CD distribution), Arbouse Recordings/Inouï Distribution (CD, European Distribution), Inundation Records (digital edition).

2016: Deluxx Folk Implosion, s/t, LP/Download, Witches Pickle Records

2015: We’ll Teach Them How to Privatize (solo)  CS, Unread Records

2013: Spare Parts (solo backed by Simon Joyner & the Ghosts) CD / 2xLP  Shrimper Records

1999: One Part Lullaby (Folk Implosion) CD Interscope Records, 2xLP Domino Records

Singles: Free to Go – also appeared on American Beauty soundtrack album

Kingdom of Lies also appeared on the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack album

1997: Dare to Be Surprised (Folk Implosion) CD/LP/CS, The Communion Label

Singles: Insinuation, Pole Position

1997: Blue Mountains (solo) CD/LP, Shrimper Records

Singles: I’ll Burn EP

1996: Room For Space, (Dennis Callaci & John Davis) CD/EP, Shrimper Records

1996: Folk Implosion EP  The Communion label

Compiles earlier singles Palm of My Hand / Mood Swing (Communion 1996) and The Electric Idiot (Ubik, 1995)

1995: Kids Soundtrack (Folk Implosion; also includes songs by Slint, Daniel Johnston, Lo-Down, Sebadoh, Deluxx Folk Implosion) CD/LP/CS London Records

Singles: Natural One, Nothing Gonna Stop, Daddy Never Understood (Deluxx Folk Implosion)

1995: Instress Vol. 1, (solo, b/w Sandra Bell) 7″ EP, Roadcone

1995:   Leave Home (solo) CD/LP The Communion Label

1994:   Take A Look Inside, (Folk Implosion) CD/LP The Communion Label

1994:   Pure Night (solo) LP Shrimper records

1993:   Walk Through This World With The Folk Implosion, (Folk Implosion) CS Chocolate Monk, 7″ EP Drunken Fish (1994)

1993:    R.I.P., D.I.Y. (solo) 7″ EP, Shrimper Records

1993:    Stars & Songs, (solo) CS Shrimper Records.