The tour is a ''swap'' after Tonnon joined Davis for a series of solo shows across the American West Coast last year.
''We met briefly at Camp A Low Hum in 2012,'' Davis says of Tonnon, ''but it wasn't until we did a little renegade show together in St Kevin's Arcade the night after my official last show sold out in Auckland, that I got to hear his music [which I immediately loved].
''Anthonie came over to the US last spring and played a few shows on the West Coast. I'd already been trying to figure out how to come back to New Zealand, and when I realised that he was interested in developing his fanbase in the US, I suggested we do a bit of a swap and book ourselves tours together in our home countries. It's been working out famously!''
Having now played a number of shows here, Davis says she feels New Zealand audiences are receptive of her art, which incorporates the ''piano parlour'' sounds of the chanteuses of the 1930s and the ''pop'' of more eclectic modern acts, such as Antony & The Johnsons.
''I also feel like audiences here attend shows to listen to music, not to be entertained by tricks or to have someone playing background music in the corner of a bar. I find my sets here to be more relaxing, and that I'm able to play more of my slower/mid-tempo songs without worrying about boring the audience the same way I often have to in the US.''
Davis is finishing a new album, while her second full-length album, The Company We Keep, continues to generate accolades in the US and abroad.
''I have been working on a new record for a while now,'' Davis says, ''but for me a big part of the `working' process is thinking about what I want it to sound like and what I'd like the songs to be about before I really dive in to the writing and recording process. The songs are about half-written at this point. I'm happy I've been taking my time with it.
''I've been writing quite a bit on this tour, and I've also been remembering my dreams every night, which is pretty unusual for me - I think I've been sleeping better than I usually do at home.
"My life at home is pretty noisy, hectic, stressful and at times a bit depressing, so I've certainly been enjoying the silence of being separated from all of that and feeling very calm and well balanced, which is certainly a healthier environment for song writing, and for life in general.''
Shenandoah Davis, Anthonie Tonnon and Mavis Gary aka Adrian Ng (Trick Mammoth), tonight at Taste Merchants (lower Stuart St).
- Tickets from undertheradar.co.nz ($10 with a free digital EP) or $15 on the door from 8pm.
Shenandoah Davis and Anthonie Tonnon with Richard Ley-Hamilton (Males) tomorrow at Chick's Hotel.
- Tickets from undertheradar.co.nz ($10 with a free digital EP) or $15 on the door from 7pm. The Chick's Hotel Magic Bus will depart Countdown Central at 7pm and the university shortly after.
