Musical meshing at East St Cafe

American singer and songwriter Shenandoah Davis is bringing an unlikely mix of chamber and pop music to Nelson.

The Seattle-based musician, who is touring New Zealand on the back of her last album Souvenirs, said her music was a mix of classical music, together with pop and ‘‘quieter, singer-songwriter music’’.

‘‘The music that we perform is not necessarily great background music because it’s very dynamic,’’ Davis said.

‘‘There’s a lot of tempo and volume changes during the course of any given song.

‘‘So I really try to seek out venues where people are going to be able to listen and pay attention without getting interrupted.’’

Davis said her music attracted a different crowd in New Zealand compared to the United States.

‘‘It’s been a lot of really eclectic audiences, a mixture of old people and young people.

‘‘It’s unusual in the States to have these two groups together at a show, there’s usually not a lot of overlap.’’

She said it had been fun to plan the gigs differently and improvise more.

‘‘We don’t really know what to expect from the crowd

‘‘Just as a lot of people coming to the show don’t really know what to expect from us. ‘‘It’s been fascinating.’’ Davis said she started playing a toy keyboard when she was three-years-old, and performing classical music had been her ‘‘first love’’.

She said she grew up in a conservative family and learned about music from going to church.

‘‘We didn’t grow up listening to a whole lot of music.

‘‘It’s something I discovered on my own at a very young age.

‘‘There are four kids and all of us grew up taking piano lessons.’’

Davis said she was excited to be back in New Zealand, one of her favourite countries to visit and tour.

Shenandoah Davis is performing at East St Cafe tonight at 8pm.