Davey G likes to get lathered at his shows.
Near the end of every performance, the Baltimore singer/keyboardist plays a song called "Lotion," during which he takes off his shirt, whips out a bottle of Gold Bond lotion and dumps it on his upper torso. Sometimes he'll follow it with "Take Off Your Pants and Dance," where he, well, you get the picture. The whole routine
"It usually gets a strange reaction," said Davey, who's real name is David Cookson. "This was an idea that popped into my head, and I didn't question it."
Most of Davey's musical career has been built on spur-of-the-moment decisions. When, nearly 10 years ago, a roommate left a keyboard amongst a pile of junk in Davey's house, he picked up the keyboard and started fooling around on it. Davey realized if he used the keyboard's cheesy built-in backing tracks, he could write his own ridiculous songs on the spot.
"It popped into my head that I could write songs and I didn't really need to have any band mates or anything," he said. "I wrote 'I Will Kill You' and 'Drinking Beer at Grandma's Haus,' and all of it came from sitting in that house with the pile of junk and this keyboard."
Davey started gigging around Baltimore as a one-man show, using the stage name Davey G and the Keyboard. He has released four albums since 2000, and is celebrating his 10th anniversary as a performer with a show at the Sidebar Tavern Saturday.
When Davey first began dousing himself in lotion, he would buy $10 bottles at local stores. Then he realized it was cheaper and more effective to mix water with Gold Bond lotion.
"It spews a lot better, and looks more shocking," he said. "It's more violent. It's more like a volcano effect."
Tomorrow, Davey will be performing with the Mandroids, Rare Candy, Markitect, Fourth Grade Security Risk and Man Friend. Originally, he had a different roster in mind.
"I wanted to have an all-day festival with every band I've ever played with," he said. "Then I realized I wouldn't even want to go to that show. So I switched it up and made it a little more consumer friendly."
Davey G and the Keyboard's 10th anniversary performance is Saturday at the Sidebar Tavern, 218 E. Lexington St. Doors open at 8 p.m. $8. Call 410-659-4130 or go to sidebartavern.com.