“I guess, friends of mine have ‘real jobs,’” said West Lafayette singer/songwriter John Davey. “It’s actually a big running joke with my friends that I’m just sitting around and reading poetry or whatever.”

But this full-time, self-described “pop-folk” artist is anything but a joke.

Davey began playing music roughly seven years ago after inheriting a guitar from his older brother and he has not taken more than three months off touring since the summer of 2007.

In addition, Davey is currently working on his first fulllength album while successfully touring the East Coast with long-time friends and Illinois natives, The Transatlantic. Time with old and new friends, plus money to keep up with car insurance and a cell phone is enough for this 22-year-old.

“I’d like to get to the point where I could sustain living out of my parents house. Paying rent and playing music,” said Davey, who has been compared to Josh Ritter and Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard. “And hopefully, I guess the other thing would be just to create some lasting kind of art that people can still listen to in 20 years and say they still like it.”

A soloist, Davey’s inspiration comes from years of listening to bands like The Format and Phantom Planet, as well as classic literature such as, J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings Trilogy.”

“I really like vivid descriptions of nature. Also, tragedy for some reason is gripping to me and recently I’ve been writing, more like rambling kind of songs – just traveling about,” said Davey. “As far as what I’m trying to convey, hopefully something that moves people in some level. Hopefully I can convey something about beauty or sadness or hope.”

Though he spends most of his time booking and playing shows, Davey does not see himself touring as a career.

“I definitely have plans to continue being in this circle for a long time,” said Davey. His future plans include, but are not limited to, creating his own record label and being a “helping hand” for bands like those he works with now.

Until then, Davey ‘s happy with traveling and meeting people as a “real job.”

“I am learning to see people not only for who they are and what they’re doing, but also for they’re potential as people,” said Davey. “I think…in some ways that is how God views us.”

For more on Davey, check out http://www.myspace.com/johndavey. And don’t forget to stop by McConn next Wed. at 9 p.m. for Crema, featuring Davey and Kyle Rictor.