Stuart Davis

Boulder’s Stuart Davis, a practicing Buddhist monk otherwise known as the “punk monk,” has made a name for himself with his HDNet show Sex, God, Rock ‘n Roll, which includes comedy sketches, monologues and music. He’s also made a number of albums under his own name with producer and engineer Alex Gibson, who’s worked with Sting, David Lee Roth and Ben Folds. Davis teamed up with Gibson again for Music for Mortals, and while he explores themes of spiritual awakening and death throughout the album, this is by no means sappy new-age bullshit. Sure, he delves into slower material on cuts like “Some Love” and “Reaper Wonder,” where Davis’s vocals at times recall those of Japan’s David Sylvian, but he brings out the intensity on rocking pop cuts “Spit it Out,” “It” and “Love.”