Abel Davaris is seated intensely in his chair, entranced by a song that has his feet bouncing and eyes glazed over. There is a moody quality to him that almost demands you to pay attention.
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Unlike most middle children - swept up in the cacophony of sibling rivalry - Abel has a presence all his own, despite being one of seven.
He has been playing music for over 10 years and describes himself as a ‘scavenger’ of the music world.
“I’ll play anything I can get my hands on. I started out playing the piano and moved onto the guitar, drums, and harmonica, but guitar is what I perform with,” he said.
Abel looks as though he could be standing on a street corner singing punk-rock classics to anyone who walked by, charisma oozing from his persona, there is a sense he was once your classic class clown. Actually, it seems a bit like that on second glance too. Yet, his music seems effortless, without the need for attention or applause - it’s simply Abel.
“I live and breathe music. You can ask me what I do in my spare time and I’ll tell you I’m doing it now,” he said, pointing to the guitar.
“To me music is a form of expression. Sometimes I struggle with words, but I can tell a story through music.”
While Abel credits his passion to the old school 80s and 90s grunge music, inspired by artists like Silverchair, John Butler and Guns N’ Roses, his music doesn’t always reflect this genre.
“I play everything, rock, jazz, blues. I don’t like to think I have a genre, I just make sure it suits me and I play whatever sounds good,” he said.
“I play a lot of covers but I like to make them my own, make the music sound more like me rather than me trying to sound like something I’m not.”
Abel is slowly building a name for himself as an accomplished musician/songwriter. It’s his multi-faceted voice that keeps you coming back for more. His undeniable range of voice moves easily along three registers, allowing him to sing a range of covers from Bush to Britney Spears.
Born and raised in Yass, he carries with him a signature sense of style reflected in his tight-legged jeans, button up flanny and the casually hanging bandanna around his neck.
“My original songs really just represent what I’m feeling at the time. It’s usually about relationships that I’m either in or with my family,” he continued.
Despite his age, the 21-year-old is already playing in two bands and has his own solo gigs in both Canberra and Yass.
“I would love to play elsewhere, maybe explore the scene in Melbourne, where there’s more of an Indie feel.
“I think as long as I can play music it really doesn’t matter where I am.”
An electrician by trade, when asked what the future holds, he simply laughs: “hopefully a lot!” The smile on his face broadens. “I would love to look into getting some work with a variety of groups. I just can’t imagine my life without music, even if it’s just sitting at home playing my music… but I guess we’ll see what happens.”
“I’m willing to do anything to keep playing music.”
With the conviction in his voice, and the look on his face when talking about his passion, it’s hard to imagine the music scene without Abel.
To see him perform, get along to Oddfellows Hall at 6:30pm on May 20 as he supports “The Wizard”.
