STRIKING MATCHES
Fate drew them together, but now Nashville’s latest duo are creating their own destiny. Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann talk songwriting for a hit TV show and working with their dream producer, T Bone Burnett, on their debut album
Do you believe that some musical success stories are just destined to be told? Like the day McCartney turned up to see Lennon’s Quarrymen gig at the local church fête. And that certain spark producer Sam Phillips could see in the young Elvis Aaron Presley that all the bands he’d auditioned for could not. Or what about those ‘musicians wanted’ ads that connected successful partnerships with everyone from Ulrich and Hetfield to Elton and Bernie?
Hearing Justin Davis and Sarah Zimmermann’s chemistry onstage and the story of how they met makes us believe in musical fate more than most other tales. “It was the first week or so of school and we had come to Belmont University in Nashville,” recalls Justin. “We were there as guitar majors and the deal was that, instead of introducing yourselves to the whole class, which was comprised of freshman, seniors… you had to go round two by two, selecting Fresh mans at random. Then you had to get up in front of the class and improvise something with this other stranger. That was the twist of fate where Sarah and I got thrown together.”
Justin’s honest about what his first thoughts were at the time. “I didn’t want to get paired together, because she was the only girl in the class and I had never seen a girl guitar player that could play. When they picked me and they picked her, I was just thinking, ‘Great, I’m dead.’ Then she whipped out her slide and proceeded to blow everybody’s mind. She completely slayed it!”
That was eight years ago, but the connection was made. “You just jive with certain musicians,” Justin continues, “just like you do with certain people, personality-wise. You have things in common. The same rules apply with musicians: some you just click with instantly.”
The young country rock duo have been on a journey to refine their vocal, guitar and songwriting chemistry, which has taken them far already – from writing songs for global hit TV show Nashville, to working with one of America’s greatest producers on their debut album, Nothing But The Silence.