Tomorrow night at DC9, Unbuckled will feature Deleted Scenes, discussed on the site yesterday, and Georgie James, a new collaboration between John Davis, formerly of Q and Not U, and Laura Burhenn. You can read about the band and listen to their (excellent) songs here. Today, we talk to Davis, who was kind enough to take a few of our questions.

Questions for Georgie James:

So, it wasn't that long after Q and Not U said goodbye that the Geogie James demo was finished. Was this band something you two had talked about and worked on while involved with your other projects?

Yeah, we had started working on songs before the last Q And Not U show. In fact, though I knew that Q And Not U's days were numbered, I think we didn't decide to end that band until about two months after Laura and I started writing. So, I guess I knew that I was going to have a lot of time open to start something new. I really enjoyed doing Q And Not U, but I was hankering to work on different music, so this has really fulfilled that.

The songs on that first record surprised a lot of people, I think, because they were so well done and because they had pinpointed and developed a signature sound, despite the short time the group had been together. Were you guys also surprised at how quickly and how well everything came together?

I was surprised somewhat, since I didn't know for sure how things would go. But I think we played together a few times and there were enough moments where I thought that this could really work to make it clear that we should really commit to making this a band. To clarify, there hasn't even been a "first record." The thing we've been selling at shows is just an overview of some of the demos we've been making since last fall.

Your MySpace page indicates that you guys are working on new songs for a full-length (some of which you've played out already). Where are all these ideas coming from? Are most of these songs things you've been sitting on for a while, waiting for the right outlet, or is Georgie James just a very successful songwriting team?

As mentioned above, the CD at shows contains demos for songs that will probably wind up on our first record and isn't a proper release. We have a whole mess of songs ready to go and we'll be recording an album at the end of June. As for where the ideas come from, there are a few ideas from my end that I've had for a while. But most of the music I've contributed has been pretty freshly created. Anytime you find yourself in a new and creatively exciting situation, it feels easy to just churn out a lot of music. I do think we've been a really good team so far and working with Laura on writing these songs has been great. We balance each other out well and I think we've both learned a lot about writing from each other.

What's it like to shift gears from something you've been doing, musically, for some time, whether that's Q and Not U or Laura's solo work? Is it easy to change your practice habits and the ways in which you approach new songs?

I'd describe the shift as energizing and exciting. It feels like there are a lot of possibilities open to us and we can just make the music we want. It's one of the benefits of being a new band. There are plenty of benefits to being a band that has been around and has a following, but a huge benefit to being a new jack is that there really aren't much in the way of expectations. I'm used to working with a band and collaborating, so it wasn't a big shift for me, other than that I was only collaborating with one person instead of two. So, in that sense, it was easier for me. I think it was more of a shift for Laura since she had really mostly worked on her own. So, I really appreciate how open she's been to collaborating and hasn't shied away from criticism.

Who thought up "Georgie James?"

We both kinda did. We agreed that we liked the idea of naming the band as if it was a person. I'm not too fixated on band names, so I just wanted to settle on it and move ahead. I think it works for the music.

It sounds like there was a conscious effort to capture a certain folk/rock style from the 70s in your music. It's an interesting choice, because so many others are busy recycling the 80s at the moment, and because it also ends up sounding really fresh. How did you guys end up with that sound? Was there a decision to go in a different direction from what others seemed to be doing?

I don't think it was a conscious decision to be contrarian. I think it was more a matter of us both loving music from those eras and wanting to explore that side of our songwriting. It's true that there aren't as many people looking back to that era as there are, as you say, people mining the 80s. So, there wasn't that deterrent. We're not really looking to do anything retro or revivalist. We just love a lot of music from that time and it's pretty clearly reflected in what we're writing. But it's not a mission or anything like that.

Any news on the label front? You guys touring soon?

No news on a label for the first record. We're going to record it and then sort the label stuff out. We should be playing a bit this summer and may have some tour dates coming up. Our website should have that covered. We'll really just tour in earnest once we have a record out.

Photo from Georgie James' MySpace page.