Meet Your Fellow Subscriber: Joel Davis

Longtime DeeJay is also a major Avs fan

Joel Davis is the kind of subscriber I love to have. His life has been a smorgasbord of stuff. He grew up in Florida, he’s lived in San Diego, he’s lived in Vail and Boulder and, now, Louisville.

He’s been a photographer, a beekeeper, a record lable CEO and longtime DJ on Denver radio. Among other things. He’s 56 years old, and a huge Avs fan who played goalie for a long time in beer leagues. We all wear different hats in our lives.

Most of you know me as “sports writer for the Avs” but I’ve also been, in no particular order: dishwasher, Lyft driver, construction worker, timeshare salesman, inventory clerk, busboy, substitute teacher, bill collector, Kentucky Fried Chicken cook, proofreader, paperboy.

Here’s how Joel described himself when I asked him:

“Through all of my work/life experience, I’ve come to realize that a common thread through what I do is employ technology to deliver an analog experience. 

I’m a photographer, nature lover, former beekeeper, and am generally a good guy. Yes, I’ve lived in Boulder a long time but have lived in the world even longer. I’m fluent in the local woo-woo and think I’ve found a nice balance between the “Boulder bubble” and how things actually work.”

Here is a question-and-answer session with Joel:

As a longtime DeeJay, what would be your typical Joel Davis set list if you were hosting a party and could spin the records of your choice (and please tell me at least one Kiss song would be there)?

I call myself The Vibrarian -- as opposed to "DJ" -- because I specialize in selecting music to suit the specific setting, so what might be "typical" can vary from event to event. Generally, though, my sets feature a lot of different genres (jazz, electronica, hip/hop, rock, etc) and textures rooted in music from around the world. Regardless of its origin, I'm drawn to music that "swings." That's hard to define, but I'd describe it as music with some sort of inner propulsion and movement. This doesn't have to be dance or even upbeat music and in fact can range from a quiet piano piece to a blast of skronky free jazz sax; it's the underlying feeling and, as lame as this may be, I know/feel it when I hear it.

Through over 30 years (and counting) of programming music at KGNU (community radio for Boulder and Denver), I've immersed myself in a universe of music that's at least a couple of steps removed from the mainstream, and discovered fresh and exciting sounds from all genres, styles and eras. TerraSonic, the weekly "global freeform mix" show I've produced and hosted since 2002, features "Asian Dub to Afro-Beat, Indian Breaks to Moroccan Roll, Nu-Cumbia to Tuvan Punk; from then to now and here to there," and is an extension of what I've always done as a DJ: play a diversity of largely unfamiliar sounds, keep it moving and breathing -- in other words, make it swing!

Someone (Martin Mull, maybe) once said that "talking about music is like dancing about architecture," and at some point that's true. Fortunately, I made a mix called "Dancing About Architecture" that will come as close to "typical" for me as anything. Enjoy (it's free). https://www.mixcloud.com/TheVibrarian/dancing-about-architecture-ignite-boulder-37-mixtape/

(Of course, regardless of the event or occasion, every set fires up with "Detroit Rock City" and cools down with "Beth.")(Dater requires a Kiss reference with these Q&A's.)

How in the world did you become a hockey fan growing up in Miami in the '70s and '80s?

I trace it back to a Sports Illustrated article -- the long-form one that appears at the end of the issue -- about Wayne Gretzky. As a Miami kid, I was fascinated by his Canadian upbringing and backyard rink, and how his dad taught him to not go to the puck, but to where the puck's going to be (that, and "you miss 100% of the shots you don't take," are excellent life advice). What really struck me was how he took shifts that lasted as long as a minute. "He's one of the best ever and is never on the ice for longer than a minute and maxed out around 20 minutes a game?!" This really blew my young mind. 

Add in the Miracle On Ice, and watching that Islanders dynasty win those Cups on ABC's Wide World of Sports and I was as hooked as a Sunshine State kid could be.

Fast forward a couple decades to me living in Colorado, and the perfect storm of the Avs coming to town right around the time I met my future (now-ex) wife whose family had season tickets during the Avs first Golden Age. I was hooked.

I eventually fell in with a crew of hockey-loving bros with whom I'd watch the Avs and play broomball (on a makeshift outdoor rink in Boulder). Our ice got bulldozed the same year as the first lockout. With no hockey prospects, we decided to join the Y in Lafayette and started skating there. Since there's nothing cooler than a G, "Joelio the Goalie" was born (at age 37). My hockey buddies and I formed Los Conquistadores del Hielo, a team that still exists though none of the original players are still on it. 

I played regularly for about 15 years, and as a goalie with a flex schedule was able to play with much higher-level players than I ever would have as a skater (I skate like a kid who grew up in Miami in the 70s/80s) -- including Peter Sejna (former CC player, Hobey Baker winner, and STL Blue who scored the last regular season goal off Patrick Roy) and Nate Clurman (he wore the C at Notre Dame and is a current Avs D prospect). 

I had to hang up the skates during the pandemic, as I started an eBike tour company and simply can't afford to get hurt anymore (skate long enough, and you will get hurt). I've had the good fortune of doing a lot of fun and cool things in my life. Not sure I enjoyed any of it more than being an ice hockey goalie.

Have you ever "regifted" a present you got, to another person?

Well, being a longtime Boulderite, I'm a big "reduce, reuse, recycle" guy and do see the value of a quality regift. 

The most recent and best ever was this past Christmas. I'm in a new relationship and joined her and her family at her parents' house in Grand Junction. Her sister's husband (he's French and they live in France) is a musician and I have no idea what to get him as I've never met him.

At the company holiday party a couple weeks earlier, I was given a book about the music and art of Brian Eno (look him up if you haven't heard of him; he's a music legend who, among other things, produced some classic Talking Heads records and created the Windows 95 startup sound). It's a beautiful book but I'm not much of a long-form reader anymore and know I'll never open it. I figure Pascal (the sister's husband) is a musician so I'll give the Eno book to him.

He loved it! As I soon learned, he's not just a huge Eno fan. Brian Eno actually produced and played on a track recorded by Tanit, Pascal's first band, in France. Tanit's manager was good friends with Eno. They met for dinner one evening and Eno asked the manager about his current projects. He mentioned that Tanit wanted to cover "Lola" by The Kinks. It turns out Eno's a huge Kinks fan and he immediately offered to produce the track. He came to Paris, and they spent two days in the studio with him. Pascal told me it was one of the biggest moments of his career. I consider hearing the story to be a gift - which I never would have received if I hadn't regifted that book. 

(And here's that Lola cover:

What was the name of your favorite teacher in school and what subject was it in?

This is a tough one as I was always a "don't let your schooling interfere with your education" kind of guy. I'll go with Lesley Brill, with whom I had two classes at CU: one about the films of Alfred Hitchcock, the other about the films of John Huston. I saw a lot of excellent movies in those classes, but beyond that, it's where I first learned about the language of film. It was world-changing to discover that there's a whole lot more going on in a movie (or, these days, a TV series) than simply plot and script. I've never looked at a movie the same since (and am happy about it).

What was your first job ever?

I was a clerk at Spec's Records and Tapes at Dadeland Mall in the early 80s. It was the hottest record store at the coolest mall in Miami. It was also a concert ticket outlet so I always got good seats for shows in addition to discounts on records (the regular price for "a vinyl" back then was $8.98, kids). I recall that pretty much every purchase that year (1982) included some combo of THRILLER, TOTO IV and/or COMBAT ROCK.

Now, the list of top albums I loved from that year for the most part feels quite dated, while bands that I was barely aware of then would become influential listens for me later: Mission of Burma, X, George Clinton, Bad Brains. Amazing how taste evolves over time (or not...).