‘Best Motels ever’
New wave band’s singer says current lineup tops original
There’s no place quite like home for Martha Davis.
After a life on the road as the lead singer of the 1980s new wave band The Motels, Davis takes solace on her farm in Oregon.
“I moved up in 2005, and it’s really wonderful,” she says in a recent phone interview. “I’ve always been a girl that’s enjoyed dirt more than cities. I have that now, and it’s amazing.”
As the singer of The Motels, Davis found success with the singles “Only the Lonely” and “Suddenly Last Summer” — both songs peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1982 and 1983, respectively.
Davis and The Motels continue to record and perform provocative new material. The lineup includes Nicholas Johns, Eric Gardner, Clint Walsh and original member Marty Jourard.
Davis says the current band is “the best Motels ever.”
The Motels are touring in support of their 27-song collection, “If Not Now, Then When,” released in March.
The album consists of songs recorded from 2002 to 2006.
Davis says the next album, “The Last Few Beautiful Days” is expected to be released by the end of the year.
“I hate to toot my own horn, but the new album is possibly the best Motels record ever,” she says. “It’s an interesting album. It sounds like The Motels. The new guys in the band have been together longer than the original Motels. These guys are all younger, and it’s been great to make music with them.”
As for “If Not Now, Then When,” Davis says she looked through her archives for the collection.
“There were hundreds of songs in various stages, none of them further than a demo,” she says. “We narrowed it down and took some outtakes from previous albums. It was a good exercise in getting the songs pared down.”
Davis and The Motels are currently on the Replay America tour, which has put together some musicians and bands who had big hits in the 1980s.
“This tour is a bit of nostalgia for the performers as well,” she says. “I’m looking forward to meeting Billy Ocean. I’ve never met him. And I’ll get to see Taylor Dayne again. We met back in the ’80s when we were both touring a lot more. I’ve never been in this business for the fame. I’m proud that I’ve been able to work on my skills as a songwriter over the years.”