This week's Artist of the Week is a good friend of mine, Patrick Davis.  I first started talking with Patrick about four years ago.  He is a cousin of another friend of mine, and I started working on getting Patrick out to Colorado to play some shows.  We were trying to figure out a good time to bring him out from Nashville, but hadn't found the right time/show/location yet.  Then he called me and said he would be in Denver to open for Hootie and the Blowfish in two weeks at the Paramount Theatre. 

I went to that show, and had one of the most amazing concert experiences I've ever had.  Patrick is a singer/songwriter with a heavy southern rock and blues influence, with a little country thrown in the mix.  He opened the sold out Denver show (2000 people) playing a solo acoustic set.  He has an amazing stage presence that captivates the audience, not to mention his music/voice are spectacular themselves.  His songs are very heart-felt, and really pull people in.  By the end of that set, the entire audience was on their feet giving him a standing ovation.  It was the first time I saw a solo opening act completely steal the show from a pretty well known act.  As soon as he stepped off the stage, he sold every single CD he had brought out with him (about 75 CDs) before Hootie could even take the stage.  I grabbed my laptop and started burning CDs for him, which he continued to sell at $15 each.  For those that bought the burned CD, he promised to mail them a real CD as soon as he returned home. 

In addition to being a great entertainer, Patrick is one of the nicest, most down to earth musicians I have ever met.  Always willing to help out where he can, and never forgets who makes it possible for musicians to do what they love - the fans.  About two years ago, Patrick signed a publishing deal with EMI, and has been writing non-stop ever since.  He has written with a ton of big names in Country, Rock, and Pop.  Some of these artists include Jewel, Robert Randolph, Pat Green, Matchbox 20, Mat Kearney, Jason Michael Carroll (who currently has Patrick's song "Where I'm From in the Top 40 on the Country charts), and many more.  Patrick still plays shows in the Southeast, and will probably return to more touring in the next few years. 

If you're ever in the Southeast, check out one of his shows and say hello.  In the meantime, check out a few of his tunes at his Myspace - www.myspace.com/patrickdavismusic.  Keep listening, and let me know if you hear something I should check out!