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Spring Tour Part 1
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
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9:03 PM
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SPRING TOUR PART 1
I’ve procrastinated writing this blog for far too long, so without further adieu I present you with a somewhat crazy account of what happened on my recent month-long spring tour.
A few days into March I climbed into Clifford the Big Red Van. Yes, I really DO call my van Clifford. And before we get started I should also tell you that the GPS system in the van is named Beatrice. The name Beatrice is of French origin and means “Bringer of Joy”. Seriously. I just looked it up. But it’s an appropriate name because Beatrice makes sure we don’t get lost!
Let’s start with Ohio. I set off on a Wednesday and drove from NJ to the Columbus area and met up with Tomfrom American Cherry. We had planned out a few shows in central Ohio and the first one was that night in Newark.
The show was laid back but fun, I got my ass kicked in pool (as always) and afterward we headed back to Tom’s place—this is where I would be staying for a few days and as you’ll soon find out, is the setting of some pretty entertaining stuff.
It should be stated early on that Tom has four dogs at his house. Snoopy, Snoopy 2 (the son), Lucy (Snoopy’s first wife) and Cassie, the mother of Snoopy 2. Thursday morning after Tom and I went to check out his new recording studio, we come back to the house and I start bringing my stuff in. As I’m walking out to make another trip, Tom says, “Dude, you just stepped on a mouse!” What?! Apparently while I was inside one of the dogs had found a dead mouse and dropped it on the doorstep. Lovely.
I decide to take my shoes off (my brand new shoes I had bought just two days earlier hehe) so as not to track any nastiness into the house. I put them up on the rail figuring the dogs wouldn’t find ‘em. Wrong! I come back out two seconds later and there, sitting 50ft. up the driveway is my right shoe…completely covered in dog slobber. This would not be the last time the dogs would make for an interesting story.
Later that night we went into downtown Columbus to play a show at Andyman’s Treehouse. Andyman’s is located in a back alley just off the main drag near the Ohio State campus. Its name is derived from the GIANT TREE that grows in the middle of it. Seriously, there’s a tree right smack in the middle of the room. It’s roots are under the floor and a ceiling is built around the trunk about 10ft. up.
This place had a really cool vibe from the start and we had a very nice crowd come out to see the show. A lot of people I hadn’t seen for a while and even an old friend from high school (hi Becky). It was really great getting to hang with everyone. Nothing too strange happened, except that it was kind of crummy outside and a tree branch snapped in the middle of my set and landed on the roof making a startling crash during “Memphis” that pretty much silenced everyone for a good 10 seconds. Even me!
Friday I drove to the airport to pick Berg up…he was flying in from Atlanta to play the Midwest shows with me. Berg and I made our way back to Granville and played a show at the Broadway Pub. This one was a bit more intimate than the previous night, but again I had a blast hanging with everyone. The best part about all of this touring is seeing friends I haven’t seen for a while, and otherwise wouldn’t have gotten the chance to.
The last area show was also in Granville, right next door to the Broadway Pub at Brew’s Too. I had started to get sick and could barely sing, but made it through with a little help from my friends. Berg and the guys from American Cherry came up on stage and we played a joint set—a lot of Marley and Simon and Garfunkel stuff…it was a blast! Sometimes it’s nice to just chill and play some good ‘ol cover tunes.
Sunday morning it was pouring outside, and muddy as hell. There was a gate to keep the dogs from getting into the basement, but somehow around 6am Snoopy had come from outside into the house and made it over the gate. I was sleeping on an air mattress on the floor and woke up when I heard his paws on the steps. I sat straight up and as I did, he ran across the room and hopped onto my bed. Argh. I tried to push him off the mattress only to discover that he was soaking wet. He wouldn’t budge either! I grabbed him by the collar and pulled—he stood up and just before leaving, decided to shake all the water off of himself…right on my bed.
Columbus was a great time—I can’t wait to get back there. Hopefully we can get the American Cherry guys out to the east coast for a few shows in the coming months. When Monday morning came, Berg and I packed up and headed for Lafeyette, Indiana.
…to be continued.
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finishing up
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
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12:00 PM
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Well, the fall tour is over. I had an absolute blast. I have a few shows left through December, but for the most part I'll be concentrating on finishing up some songs that are half-done, planning out my new album to be recorded in the spring and booking my next tour starting in January.
There will be full-band dates beginning in the new year as well! Josh Dion and Brian Killeen of the Josh Dion Band will be joining me for a monster show at the Knitting Factory in NYC. I will keep you all updated--the dates for Jan and Feb are already pouring in! All the Best, Dave.
Here's what I'm listening to today:
Ben Folds Five/Whatever and Ever Amen (ridiculous album)
Pearl Jam/Vitalogy
Nickel Creek/Why Should the Fire Die? (insanely good band)
Stevie Wonder--can't get enough of him!
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2,000 miles
Monday, October 24, 2005
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12:00 PM
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I’m not quite sure where to begin. Two of the greatest things about being on the road are meeting lots of cool new people and at the same time spending time with old friends you might not have seen otherwise. During last week’s run through the south there was plenty of both.
Monday night I pulled up to the Blind Tiger in Greensboro, NC. At first it didn’t look too promising—no one was there when I first pulled up, but it was early yet. My new buddy Patrick Rock, with whom I shared the stage has a Monday residency there. He had said that it’s often hit or miss whether or not a Monday night gets a good crowd. Sure enough though, people starting coming in and the bar quickly filled up. It was a really fun time—Patrick and I ended up jamming a bunch and were joined on stage by some very talented local musicians for an impromptu performance of “Possum” by Phish. LOL. It was pretty freakin’ funny.
Next night was Raleigh, and I got to spend some time with several friends that I hadn’t seen in years. It was really great! Tuesday was no different from the night before—I also got to hang with a bunch of new friends, which was a total blast.
Wednesday was my day off—there was a chance that I would be heading down to Hilton Head, SC to play a show, but it fell through. Nonetheless I was happy to get the day off—definitely would need it. My friend Lori and I picked up one of her friends and headed down to the North Carolina State Fair. We don’t have these in NJ. Maybe we do, but you just don’t ever hear of them. Anyway, State Fairs rock. Simply put. I definitely enjoyed some good food…mmmm. And who can complain about a ride on the ferris wheel?
Thursday I was off to meet up with my pals Akiva, Berg and Jason Walls. Berg and Jason are from Florida, and Akiva’s from New York. The three of them were doing a week of dates together and I was joining up on 2 of them.
First night was in Columbia, SC. I got there a bit early and met up with some friends for dinner. Then from there we went back to Jammin’ Java to play. It was a fun night—the show was very intimate, and the venue had a really cool setup. If you live in the area you should definitely check this place out! Another part of this evening can be summed up in a few words: WAFFLE HOUSE AT 3AM. Sket-chy.
Akiva and Berg have a lot of friends in SC, so they all came to the next night’s show in Florence as well. It was a bangin’ show. The place was packed, and I got to meet a lot of very cool people who, despite denying me my status as a true southerner (I was born in Maryland), deemed me an Honorary South Carolinian. That meant a lot :O) hehe. Aroma Underground was an AWESOME place to play, and I hope to be back there soon.
Until that day I had never spent so much time in a food establishment before. I think we were in Panera for a good 4 hours. But hey, free internet right?
An interesting story from the Florence show—Berg was driving his SUV when a bird unfortunately flew into the front of his car…and never came out! It was stuffed in the grill of his car. Say, when is Thanksgiving anyway? Ok, just kidding.
On Saturday I parted ways with Berg, Akiva and Jason—they went on to Charlotte, I traveled north to College Park, MD (where I was born). Got to see my friends Lisa and Beth and after the show went back to Beth’s college. I ended up playing for about 30 people in the hallway of a dorm. It was blast. Some kid was freestylin’ (pretty damn well I might add), and another guy brought out a trumpet. Nothing like waking everyone up on the floor at 2am!
The next morning I ended up playing for a few more of Beth’s friends—the whole trip was a blast, and I’ll definitely be back to hang with you guys real soon! 2,000 miles.
Dave.
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Shows, shows, shows!
Sunday, October 16, 2005
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10:00 PM
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Shows. Shows. More shows!
I've been having quite a great time lately. Sarah St. was a lot of fun--I met some really cool new friends, and hanging out with Josh Dion Band is ALWAYS a blast. Those guys rock!
The support at the NYC show was great, and I had a lot of fun down in DE and up in Jersey.
Speaking of Jersey, I live near the beach now. Actually, I could throw a baseball off of my balcony and hit sand, 'cause it's right across the street! Pretty sweet, the only bad part is there's this constant "woosh, wooooosh" sound...(kidding of course).
Going down to the Carolinas this week then up through Maryland, so I'll write again when I get back. Dave.
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Concerts, concerts, concerts!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
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12:00 PM
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What's up guys?
I had an awesome weekend that began with a show up at Acoustic Coffee in Portland, ME. It was a really laid back show, and I got to see some people that I don't see that often, so it was very nice for me.
If you're in the Portland area and missed the show, I'll be back on July 23rd.
From there I drove to Milford, NH to a place called the Brick House. A few months back I played a show at the Brick House with Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe. It's a tiny restaurant/bar with a max capacity of about 150. Anyway, my friend Jenny, who books a few shows there, was able to get Edwin McCain and Jeffrey Gaines to come up and play to a capacity crowd.
I'm sure you all know who Edwin McCain is, but if you don't know Jeffrey Gaines, you REALLY need to check him out--he's absolutely fantastic.
It was really nice to see Edwin's band again--I had a lot of fun hanging with those guys last fall when I opened, and Sunday was no different.
The next morning (or rather early afternoon) I played a quick 9 holes of golf with Jenny and Jenn, another friend, then headed off for the 5 1/2 hour drive home. It was SO hot on Monday--I think it was the pinnacle of that little heat wave we experienced here in the northeast.
Tuesday I worked on a couple of new tunes, wrote some emails and made a few phone calls, and then yesterday my aunt gave me tickets to Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan as an early birthday present. I had seen Bob before, but this would be my first time seeing a Willie Nelson show. It's amazing that he's still touring at his age--him and B.B. King. The show had a lot of energy and was an absolute blast.
It was really nice to actually go to a few shows for a change. Usually I'm playing or traveling to a gig when someone else I'd like to see is playing. What's on the agenda for today? Trying to grab some shows in Ohio and the Carolinas. I know I've promised you southern people a run, so I'm gonna give it to ya ;OP
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