& Copple Copple, p.c.
COMMUNITY
Growing together The Teen Challenge program played another important role in Paul’s life — it was how he met Natalie. The pair met when he stopped by a nearby Del Taco she was working at as he participated in the program. Together, they built a life centered on Christian faith, marriage and family. Their three children — Jude, 10, Bethany, 9, and Elijah Davis, 7 — front the family band, The Painted Llamas. The family metal band formed after the Davis kids started saying “puppy cat” in a guttural, death metal growl. “It just became a thing. The kids and their dad came up with the lyrics,” Natalie said. Everyone in the family sings. While the kids cover the vocals, they also have started to learn how to play various instruments with their parents. In the band, Paul plays guitar and Natalie plays the bass and drums. The band also has Pierre, Bible and Lane on rotation. “Sometimes it’s a lot of arguing [among the kids]. But honestly, it’s just been a lot of fun spending a lot of time together,” Natalie said. The band has written several songs, with the first few inspired by their middle child, Bethany. One day, Bethany caught her father’s ear by repeating the phrase, “Adeline, Adeline, she’s my friend.” Paul went to work, bringing the song to life. “Them being so young really made me have to get creative with some of the recording methods,” Paul said. “They have a whole DIY album as a result.” Stepping into the spotlight When the Maricopa’s Got Talent auditions were announced, they decided to perform as a band. “We made the kids’ dream come true by letting them perform a song from their album,” Paul said. “It’s just fun to have a kids’ rock band.” The family registered for three audition slots: one for mom, one for dad and a third for the family band. Natalie covered “Zombie” by the Cranberries with her cover band, Kitten Glop; Paul sang an original song by his band, Worship Vein, and The Painted Llamas also sang an original song. Kitten Glop moved to the next round to compete at Duke’s Roadhouse.
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Above: Kitten Glop drummer Ephriam Pierre plays drums during a rehearsal at the Davis home in Tortosa. Left: Natalie Davis holds a Sphynx kitten in her arms between band rehearsals for Kitten Glop.
METAL 101: FROM HEAVY RIFFS TO DEATH METAL
Natalie started her cover band, Kitten Glop, specifically for Maricopa’s Got Talent came around by borrowing the members of Worship Vein, including Paul on guitar. “It just kinda happened. I sing and I didn’t have a band,” she said. The name was inspired by her pastime of being a Sphynx breeder. Kitten Glop is slang for a high-calorie, homemade cat formula. “This was something exciting and fun to do, mainly for me for Kitten Glop,” Natalie said. As their bands begin receiving invitations to play at community events, the Davis family are finding more opportunities to share their music with others. But for them, the connections behind the music matter just as much as the performances. Their bands bring them together creatively, while their church provides a community rooted in their shared faith. “I think it’s knowing we are loved beyond what people see on a Sunday morning,” Davis said. “Our faith brings us together and the way we care for each other makes it feel like home.”
Heavy metal grew out of blues- influenced rock in the late 1960s, as musicians experimented with louder guitars, heavier riffs and darker sounds. British bands such as Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple helped shape the genre. Over time, metal branched into subgenres including thrash, doom and death metal. Death metal emerged in the 1980s, pushing toward more extreme sounds with growled vocals, aggressive instrumentation and complex arrangements. Christian metal emerged in the same time period, combining heavy music with Christian themes and messages. Bands such as California’s Stryper helped bring the style wider attention in the 1980s, showing that heavy music and expressions of faith aren’t mutually exclusive.
S. Christopher Copple, Esq. (602) 528-4705
InMaricopa.com | November 2026
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