Davin Youngs Wants to Immerse You in 'The Reset'

Recording artist Davin Youngs does more than sing and make music; he also offers an experience in "sound bathing," a soothing (and even healing) immersion in an acoustic presentation that's improvisational, though built around pre-recorded electronic beats.

Sound is, of course, an essential part of various spiritual and meditative practices, from the use of a singing bowl to the chants of Tibetan monks (or, for that matter, the Gregorian monks who contributed fundamentally to our contemporary conceptions of music). In conversation with EDGE, Youngs discussed the effect that sound can have on brainwaves, inducing a state of deep relaxation and opening the door to different perspectives on the world and on one's own self.

"One of the most common things is that people get new ideas, or they catch new glimpses of themselves," Youngs told EDGE. "I think this goes back to brainwave function, that when you allow yourself the space to get outside of the small thinking of your day there's a new possibility that will emerge. Sometimes that can be like reconciliation, like letting go of past trauma."

That seems apt for a presentation titled "The RESET," which is the event Youngs will be offering at two times – 12 noon and 4:00 pm – this coming Saturday, January 25, at the Huntington Theatre. Indeed, a mental or spiritual "reset" is exactly what the hourlong experience is ideally intended to facilitate.

Explained Youngs, "We don't realize how the baggage that we're carrying around weigh us down."

"Davin masterfully weaves a tapestry of sound using improvisational singing, looping devices, crystal-singing bowls, tuning forks, and other overtone-emitting instruments," notes on the presentation explain. "Layer upon improvised layer will guide you through a sonic landscape into the far reaches of your mind."

It sounds truly relaxing. But for some, the experience goes beyond a mental refresh. "Many times, people will say, 'You know, I caught a glimpse of a deceased loved one, and I felt their love and their presence,'" Youngs related. "I'm not channeling that intentionally. That's not my gift or my skill. But I'm so honored to be able to create a space that allows for that to happen."

Youngs dove deeply into the concept of the "sound bath," how it relates to music and theater, and what participants in Boston might expect to experience this coming weekend from "The RESET."

EDGE: How you would characterize the concepts of the "sound bath" and of sound healing?

Davin Youngs: There's something in yoga studios and meditation studios that's typically like an acoustic experience, where there will be some sort of playing of a gong or crystal singing bowls or tuning forks. That's maybe how people are most familiar with a sound bath.

What I do, and what I've sort of created, is something that takes that and elevates it. It's electro acoustic, so there are elements that are amplified, that are primarily relying upon my voice and singing and looping devices to create amplified sound that is interwoven with acoustic instruments. It's not meant capture your singular focus; it's meant to hold space for your mind to travel wherever it might.

EDGE: You are also a recording artist. How did that lead to your work in sound therapy?

Davin Youngs: Singing is at the heart of my talents and my passions, and it's what I've dedicated much of my life to. [With regard to the sound healing], there were two simultaneous events that happened in my life. One was an experience in a yoga class where, in shavasana, someone played a gong, and I thought I was leaving my body.

Simultaneously, I was becoming familiar with the work of Bobby McFerrin around what he refers to as circle singing, which is an improvisational community singing practice. There's usually a leader that stands in the middle of a circle and improvises parts that they give over to sections of the circle to repeat. It's like a drum circle for the voice. I think this achieves a very similar experience to what I felt with the gong. From there, I started to study and become trained in sound as a healing modality. I aspired to integrate that with the part of me that loves to perform.

EDGE: Why are you bringing this experience to a theatrical venue like the Huntington Theater Company?

Davin Youngs: Because theaters are made for the power of art and creativity and music and sound. That's what they were designed for; they're sacred spaces. This is my maybe not-so-subtle attempt to reintroduce the language of healing into theatrical, symphonic, artistic spaces. One of the aspects of that is acknowledging the commonalities of what the art and creativity brings us, and, on a baseline level, we all know that we walk away from those experiences feeling changed. I think that's a component of healing that people are having the courage now to name explicitly, and I'm excited to be part of that.

EDGE: The title of this is "The RESET." Can you tell me a little bit about what that means?

Davin Youngs: I'll give you this analogy: If you have a computer that's been on a long time and you haven't rebooted it, there's a good chance there are a lot of programs open and a lot of tabs on your browser, and something will glitch, or it'll get slow. We lose track that everything's crowded and constricted because we have all these ideas and stories and narratives open, and so it's my belief that certain experiences are like hitting the reset button on the computer. Some folks have daily practices around that: Meditation, yoga, massage, practices that are intended to help them come back to ground zero so that they can get clarity around how they want to move through life.

This experience is being created with the intention of shutting down a lot of the programs that have been cramping your hard drive, and that's why I call it "The RESET."

EDGE: How do you go about recharging your own batteries?

Davin Youngs: I have a history of having burned out, and the gift of that burnout was that I set new boundaries around myself professionally and creatively. One of those boundaries was that I would always put first and foremost my own creativity. Making and creating is at the heart of my health and well-being. The way that I participate in what I create is that it gives me energy. I may feel fatigued physically, but energetically I don't walk away feeling depleted, and that is because I have very hard boundaries around it being a creative experience for me, too.

I also need to move my body. I meditate every day. Travel is a really big thing for me. Relationships are so important. So, there are many, many ways in which I keep myself nurtured. It's my intention that this is reciprocal when we're together.

EDGE: How does this work in sound healing inform your relationships?

Davin Youngs: Well, I think that for anyone who has spent time doing the "work" with themselves, there's a wisdom and awareness that comes that is influential in how you're relating to other people. The biggest thing for me is, I feel a capacity to step into my authenticity through this work in a way that allows me to be in deeper connection with my relationships. There was a time in my life where I would feel more self-conscious about being weird or woo woo, but I've realized that the further I step into that, the deeper my relationships have become. Folks have faded away when that happens, but new relationships have also popped up. I think that it's just an extension of who I am, which makes me better in all relationships.

EDGE: I noticed in photos of your presentation of "The RESET" that people are lying on yoga mats, and they've got blankets and pillows.

Davin Youngs: They're meant to bring those things with them. There are different types of tickets: There are floor tickets, where you would come and lie down, and in that case you should bring whatever blankets, pillows, eye masks, or whatever would set you up for comfort on the floor.

Folks who are purchasing traditional seats, same thing. Dress comfortably. This is not a show that you need to look cute at; come with your sweats on and your cozies. Maybe bring an eye mask, if you want to. But really, whatever would set you up for comfort. I think that this is important in these spaces, that maybe people have felt like they had to dress a certain way or behave a certain way. It's a real privilege to be able to come in and just let it hang out and be you in that space, like a "Night at the Museum" sort of thing.

"The RESET" happens Saturday, January 25, at 12:00 noon and at 4:00 p.m. at The Huntington Theatre, 264 Huntington Ave., Boston, 02115. For tickets and more information, follow this link.

For upcoming events on Davin Youngs calendar, follow this link.