Austin-based blues singer/songwriter Arkansas Dave will release his self-titled debut April 20, on BIG indie Records. Featuring a wide range of blues-rock, the 13-track album features “a collection of songs that tell my story,” says Arkansas Dave. From blues to gospel to rock, the album showcases his many talents as a self-taught musician.
Recorded over eight days at Fame Studios with the Swampers, the legendary Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section –Will McFarlane, Clayton Ivey and Bob Wray, with horn arrangements by Charles Rose and Jim Horn—the album was produced by Jamie “Gypsy” Evans and Arkansas Dave. Vocals were completed at Arlyn Studios in Austin, TX.
Tracks from the forthcoming album were recently released with a cover of the Tom Waits classic “Chocolate Jesus” premiering at Glide Magazine, which noted his version as “slow and thick” with “soulful vocals,” while The Alternate Root premiered the video for “Squeaky Clean.”
Having played stages from Austin to London to Hamburg, Arkansas Dave’s ready to hit the road in support of the album. Confirmed dates include February 6 in Little Rock with private showcase appearances February 14-16, at the 30th annual Folk Alliance International (FAI) conference in Kansas City, MO. More regional area dates to be announced. A full list of dates is below.
A multi-instrumentalist, prior to turning to guitar and going solo, Arkansas Dave was the drummer for Guitar Shorty (We The People Tour), The Hard Pans (Jimmy Smith & Claude Bernard) and Mickey White (Townes Van Zandt), Dr. Zog, and was the band leader/drummer for his own group Ouachita. Before moving to Austin, Dave studied taiko in Japan under the direction of Art Lee and the late Daihachi Oguchi Sensei, and performed in the Nagano Prefecture Performing Arts Center.
Born and raised in the piney swamps of Camden, Arkansas, he began playing drums at five years old and by 12 was playing guitar every Sunday in church. With a need to chase his dream of music, he played in a series of bands cutting his teeth in dive bars and the best honky tonks in Arkansas and Texas, funding his music with a succession of jobs from busboy to assembly worker.
ARKANSAS DAVE TOUR DATES
February 6 – White Water Tavern – Little Rock, AR*
February 14 – Bliss Hippy Room | FAI – Kansas City, MO
February 15 – Krazy Keyboards | FAI – Kansas City, MO
February 15 – Roaring Girl Records | FAI – Kansas City, MO
February 16 – Access Film Music | FAI – Kansas City, MO
June 20 – Bar3000 – Zurich, Switzerland
June 21 – Next Stop Olten – Olten, Switzerland
June 22 – Mittsommer Festival – Lenk, Switzerland
*w/Aaron Stephens and DeFrance
Tracklisting:
- Bad At Being Good
- On My Way
- Think Too Much
- Bad Water
- Chocolate Jesus
- Squeaky Clean
- The Wheel
- Rest Of My Days
- Jubilee
- Something For Me
- Diamonds
- Hard Times
- Coming Home
