Daviddavenport's Blog

Okay, so I just went to Airtime Studios in Bloomington, IN, and had the chance to work with a tremendous group of musicians and engineer David Weber. What a great time. I had planned to send tweets via my Twitter account. This was my big chance to have things to say that my interest people. Thing is, I couldn’t quit working on the recording long enough to squirrel my way through my blackberry to Twitter, log in, write something of consequence and deeper meaning (which is hard to do, period), and keep my focus on the music. So….I didn’t do it. And I’m glad of that fact, because it took 19 hours of studio time to do what we needed to get done, and we did not stop working, even while eating (including some wonderful pasta provided by the host). I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

So…seven songs are ready for mixing. I would love to redo some vocals on one of the songs, but Dave hasn’t had a chance to work on them, yet, so I may be premature in my concern.

So….now? It’s off to Minneapolis to work at the legendary Winterland Studios, where Lenny Kravitz, Keane, Elvis Costello, John Hiatt, and Alanis Morissette have all worked on recordings. Add to that a run on American Idol folks (Daughtry, David Archuleta), and you can see why I’m excited about recording there. Good then.

I'm heading to Winterland Studios in Minneapolis the weekend of November 14th and 15th to work on new recordings of "Transition Man" and "One Brother". These tunes have garnered interest by some folks I want interested in my music. I'm working on updating the sound and approach to try and push them from "I love these tunes" to "I must have these tunes". It's like using gloss with your lipstick or riding just right in your jeans. Going in for the kill. Winterland Studios has recorded an amazing who's who of musicians over the years, including Lenny Kravitz, Alanis Morissette, Elvis Costello, John Hiatt, Daughtry, David Archuleta, and Keane. So, "Yes, I think they can help", with getting this project completed to satisfaction. It's going to be cool spending some time in the area where my father was born and raised. And the Twin Cities has a strong network of people who have done a great deal promoting efforts near and dear to my heart - gay rights and abolishing racism. It may seem silly, but recording music in a friendly tree house is much better than sitting in a hostile tree house hoping to get your feet back on the ground. It's good to me that this is going to be an opportunity to work with good people in a good studio in the heart of a great city. Good then.

I've made two CDs as a solo artist over the last several years. One was big sounding and rocked and rolled onto some of the best radio playlists in Indie radio in the Midwest. Alas, it was well recieved by all but booking agents who couldn't figure out how I'd get all that sound out of my piano. Okay, then....along comes CD number two - a stripped down affair that featured a more intimate, frequently solo performing approach. Well, it landed on somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 radio stations. Now, though, I've been asked to get back in the studio and put some production behind some of those songs to give them a chance to get licensed. Okay, then..... Soon enough, I'll be back in the studio, this time with acclaimed producer Dave Weber at Airtime Studios in Bloomington, Indiana. Dave has done the last several Carrie Newcomer albums as well as producing the music heard by millions on the internet recorded by Straight No Chaser. Dave and I have begun to assemble the various pieces of the project, including the studio hours and top flight musicians used in many of Dave's projects at Airtime. While I have many new tunes, the songs I'm redoing are: Transition Man (poppier version), and One Brother (bigger and with extended bridge). Others I've already recorded and probably doing new versions of include The Dream (full on production this time) and an old Burdons tune, Somebody Else's Arms (never actually recorded in the studio). Other suggestions?

Today was a very good day for Beyonce Knowles. She won a VMA award and saved the day for Taylor Swift with her very classy save of Ms. Swift’s victory, which had been upstaged by an ill-advised and tasteless bit of business by none other than Kanye West, who always seems to dance on the fine line between something great and something confounding. With today’s pop stars owning so much of the business they’re in (as Kanye West does), it took a lot of personal courage for Beyonce to do this, and I’m really impressed by it. This is also the day I read that oodles of idiots have decided to chide young Rumer Willis on her perceived lack of beauty. What is this meanness? Where has all of this come from? The answer that I’ve found over and over again with mean people is that they’ve intellectually shut down. They no longer have the capacity or the willingness to look deeper for more answers, resorting instead to the sort of simple logic that would satisfy a 5 year old. I want – I need – give it to me – you’re ugly – I don’t like you because you’re different – I don’t like you because if I do, others won’t like me. Lazy, lazy, lazy. When our brain food is reality TV and nasty radio, and our discussion is merely others who think just like us muttering, “yup” over and over again, we’ve fallen prey to our tendency toward irrelevance. I wish John Lennon were here to conjure up another, “Imagine”. But, alas, it is our job to right this misguided and persistent ship. How do we do this? How do we stand up and say, “Stop it!!”, “Stop the meanness”, “Love Again”?

So, I’ve been doing this music thing for my entire adult life. At certain times it has been my vocation, at others a hobby. Never have I wavered from the initial goal of being what is now called a Singer/Songwriter. Due to an ever-growing base of support and interest in my music, I am now embarking on a new chapter – I’m raising the stakes. I am going to get my career up and at ‘em and make my music available to you by either digital means (often for free) or through live performances. Having recently signed with Static Management, my musical career is about to launch into a new phase. I’m going to be bringing you cool deals; downloads, merchandise, gigs in your area. I am going to work on new recording projects. Hell, I even cut my hair. This is serious! My first mission is to create a new website. I’ll be sending along cool downloads, etc., to those of you who sign up for them. Details will follow once I have the site up and running. It’s about time, eh?