By day, he?s a lawyer specializing in Social Security disability programs and benefits.
By night ? or more accurately by weekend ? David Childers is the lead voice of David Childers & the Modern Don Juans, whose music has been described as honky tonk, blues, country, Tex-Mex, ?80s rock and whatever else you can throw into the audio pot.
“I was always into writing,” said Childers, who also writes poetry. “It?s pretty amazing to me that I am doing this now.”
Childers started playing guitar while in college at Chapel Hill, N.C., “to amuse himself” and was soon in demand for solo gigs. But it wasn?t until years later when his son, Robert, started accompanying him on drums that the music “started getting really interesting,” said Childers. Now David Childers and the band, which includes Mark Lynch (bass) and Randy Saxon (guitar), tour regularly on weekends.
The group has earned a loyal following on the East Coast. They?ve also earned high praise from premier rock critic Dave Marsh: “Childers merges Pentecostal fervor into what?s now called alt-country, which James Talley deems in ?the tradition of Dock Boggs and the primitive musicians of the ?30s and ?40s.? Damn straight.”
For his part, Childers is modest, which is a bit disconcerting for a man who has been known to shout Bible verses from the stage as he dukes it out with “Satan.”
“If I understood it, I wouldn?t be able to do it,” said Childers. “You make it up as you go along.”
That includes choosing places to play where he feels comfortable.
“If people treat me well, I go,” said Childers, noting the band will play around the East Coast before heading to Holland for a month in the spring. “There are some great people in Baltimore. We feel like the band belongs there.”
For his part, Robert Childers, 29, concedes that it is a rarity for a rock musician to play with his dad.
“It is kind of weird. It is definitely a different thing,” he said. “But my dad always played music when I was growing up, and his rhythms are ingrained in me. I could jump right on them and play along.”
IF YOU GO
David Childers & the Modern Don Juans with Lawnchair
» Venue: Austin Grill, Baltimore
» Time: 9 p.m. Saturday
» Tickets: Free; for more information go to www.austingrill.com
