Lakeville, MN, native Stuart Davis is an alternative folk-rock singer/songwriter with a yen for esoteric topics. (In the past, he has drawn influence for his songs from the Tao Te Ching, the Tibetan Book of the Dead, and transpersonal psychologist Ken Wilber.) Growing up, he was influenced by the sounds of Elvis Costello, Richard Thompson, XTC, and Bob Dylan. In 1990, he released a cassette-only album that picked up some airplay in Minneapolis. He followed that in 1991 with the album Idiot Express. Big Energy Dream came out the next year, receiving airplay on nationally syndicated shows such as World Café and Davis began touring the Midwest. In 1993, he dropped out of college to become a full-time musician. (That same year, he also entered treatment for alcohol and drug abuse.) In 1996, Davis signed to Triad Records in the U.S. and Blue Rose in Europe, releasing Nomen Est Numen. Kid Mystic came the following year, followed by the live effort 16 Nudes: A Collection of Live and Acoustic Cuts, which was recorded in Ames, IA. In the late '90s, Davis moved to California and started his own label, Post Apocalyptic Records. The venture was spurred to life when he offered 20,000 dollars in shares of his Bright Apocalypse album to fans on his email list. The stock sold out in several days, leading to an entirely fan-run label. Davis released a self-titled album in 2001. ~ Erik Hage