Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    

Just bought a copy of the Solo Acoustic album.  Good stuff, you should
buy one, too.  I particularly liked "Who Killed Uncle John" and
<reet>'s green glowing cactus picture as the cover.
  

    
Thank you kindly!

More info at http://www.dgans/com/perfectible
Order from http://www.cdbaby.com/dgans
  

    
I saw the Wake the Dead/Gans show at the Ashkenaz. A more perfect
double billing could hardly be imagined. For any other WELLites who
might have been there, I was the guy drinking a Guinness.
  

    

Nice review of "Solo Acoustic" by Ray Hogan on jambands.com:

http://www.jambands.com/CDReviews/content_2001_06_19.12.phtml
  

    


This is amusing: on the "Solo Acoustic" page at amazon.com
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005AUFQ/103-7543412-0531834>
the "visit the Books Store" link has a picture of Katie Hafner's "The Well."
  

    


David Gans Solo Acoustic

(Perfectible Recordings)

Anyone reading this magazine is probably already familiar with David Gans,
host of the Grateful Dead Hour, author and producer. What many don't know is
what a superb songwriter and musician he isQa singer/songwriter from the John
Prine/Jackson Browne school. With the release of Solo Acoustic, Gans shows
his skills as a wordsmith and guitar player. Recorded live on tour between
1999-2000, we hear a man who obviously enjoys playing music. He has an easily
recognizable finger-picking style that complements his smooth vocals. Gans
has a great repertoire of songs on this CD, and covers tunes from Gram
Parsons' "Return of the Grievous Angel" to Martin Mull's droll "Normal." The
best cuts, though, are the originalsQthe thought-provoking "An American
Family," and "Who Killed Uncle John?" a dark piece on the grittier side of
the Dead and the seedy element it attracted in the later years. TC



(Review by Tim Cullinane - Relix Aug-Sep 2001)
  

    

Saturday, August 25 was a rather large day in the musical life.

I flew in Friday night and stayed over at Ray and Glynis Riescher's house. In
the early afternoon Ray and I headed for the gig, in the back yard of a big
ol' Goth club called the Masquerade. After dropping off my stuff and greeting
the early arrivals from the DSO and Blueground Undergrass, we went to a
nearby restaurant called EATS to meet Gary Burnett and Alan Thornton for
lunch.

As we walked into the restaurant, I was greeted by Steve McMurry of Acoustic
Syndicate.  The whole band was finishing lunch as they headed out to Columbia
SC for their next gig. I said hi to Fitz and Bryon, at another table, and
then sat down with Steve for a while to shoot the shit.

Steve asked me where I'd be on Halloween. "I'll be home by then," I said. "My
tour ends on the 28th in Charlotte.

"On the 27th, we're having our annual Halloween bash in Union Grove. You
wanna come?"

"Are you inviting me to play?" I asked.

"Of course."

"That's great," I said, "'Cause I'm in Greensboro on the 26th and Charlotte
on the 28th, and I don't have anything scheduled for the 27th."

"I'm ramroddin' this thing, so I'll make sure it happens," said Steve.  "I'll
email you about it."

I sure hope he doesn't forget!

Back at the Masquerade, it was wonderful to see Blueground Undergrass again
and to be back on the road with the Dark Star Orchestra.  Reverend Jeff had
his wife and three adorable little children along; Sam, drummer Vic
Stafford's girlfriend, showed off her new engagement ring; Mark Van Allen's
bride, Jim, was not on hand, but we had a long conversation about our
respective good fortune in life.  Mark's first wife and musical partner died
of breast cancer in her mid-30s, seven or eight years ago.  That's not good
fortune, of course, but it's the sort of thing you have to take and turn into
a learning experience in every possible way. I told him how my wife Rita had
cared for two very good friends as they died way too young from cancer, which
proved to be very important preparation and qualification for the life-
mission of helping her father through his final illness. Paul died of lung
cancer a week before his 95th birthday (see www.trufun.com/paul) -- having,
with his daughter's mighty support, remained in his own home and on his own
terms until the very last. Let us pray that Mark's hospice experience is his
one and only.


The stage setup didn't make it possible for me to have Vic join me on drums
for his set. The lateness of the preparation time made it impossible to
require things appropriately, so I "settled" for having John Kadlecik on
mandolin, Scott Larned on accordion, and Lisa Mackey (back to her maiden
name) on vocals; Mark joined in on pedal steel, rather than Dobro, toward the
end of "Terrapin" and stayed with me til the end of the set.

There were a couple hundred people on the lawn when I started, and although
the monitor mix was sketchy, I felt good as I took the stage just a minute or
two after 4:20.

Down to Eugene
Loser
I Bid You Good Night->
Like a Dog->
Terrapin->
River and Drown

I didn't have much of a sense of connection with the other players -- except
Lisa, with whom I had close eye contact -- so I just bore down and played and
sang with everything I had, trusting the musicians to lock in with me. Later
feedback indicated they all did a fine job.

I got a great deal of positive feedback about my set -- my performance and
those of my collaborators. I couldn't be objective about it, so I was glad to
hear that it went over well.

After a delightful set by Blueground Undergrass, featuring a collection of
new songs from their CD in progress -- and evidencing the excellence of their
new rhythm section (not new since spring -- drummer Vic Stafford played with
us in the Big Cosmo Salute to the Psychedelic Cowboys),l DSO took the stage
to perform March 28, 1981 in Essen, Germany -- with some unspecified
characters in line to portray the Flying Karamazov Brothers (who juggled and
tumbled, and may have also played some percussion) during drums, and me set
to be Pete Townshend.

During the drums, various crew members and Cotter, the monitor mixer, joined
in on percussion.  When someone summoned me, I first replied, "I can't! I'm
someone else!" but then I decided to go for it. I played a little of this and
a little of that, and at one point I turned to Scott and said, "No way am I
coordinated enough to be a drummer!"

And then I took the stage, playing John's new Strat copy through Rob Eaton's
Super Reverb. I should have brought along my overdrive box, because I never
was able to really punch through when it was time to play a solo. But I
played well -- in no way attempting to imitate Townshend -- and sang some low
vocal parts.  I really enjoyed it, though I wondered if the band thought I
wasn't making enough of an effort to be authentic.

After it was over, someone told me they'd seen the video of Townshend's sit-
in, and he was just there for show, not contributing much musically.  So I
guess we were able to improve on that.  I enjoyed finding places to fit in
among the instruments.

We played:

space->
Not Fade Away->
Wharf Rat->
Around and Around->
Good Lovin'
~
One More Saturday Night

I did a few mock windmills, and leapt in the air theatrically a few times,
but mostly as a goof to make Scott laugh.  Got a bit of a reaction from the
audience, too. Nice response from the DSO guys after the show, too.

(Confidential: someone said to me, "and in a few days, you get to be David
Crosby!"

While we were all at the music park, someone arrived with the news that the
father of one of the members of Ancient Harmony had just died, and the
Blueground Undergrass were asked if they'd fill in over at the Brady House.
The band agreed, and they invited me to join them.  So after leaving
Masquerade, I found my way over to Brandy House.  Near the end of the first
set, the band jammed into "I Know You Rider," and Johnny Mosier motioned for
me to take his electric guitar. I happily did so, while he moved over to
acoustic, and I played some fun stuff and sang a little harmony, too.

During the break, we talked about what to do together in the second set. I
made a couple of suggestions which were readily agreed to, and after an
opening medley they summoned me to the stage again.  We played a nice,
energetic "Let It Rock," and then I launched into an original song I haven't
played anywhere in more than 15 years: "Blues Again," a three-chord song that
is sort of Willie Nelsonesque:

Well, I've got the blues again
It just gets deeper every time
Between the warmth of what I want
And the cold of what is mine

I'm on the back stairs once again
Sneakin' off in search of friendly eyes
You know how hard it is to find them
It's getting easier to tell lies

Now I've got the blues again
It just gets deeper every time
Between the warmth of what I want
And the cold of what is mine

And here I'm sittin', drunk again
Can't hold my head up to the light
I'm not a man who has tomorrows
I've got enough just for tonight

Now I've got the blues again
It just gets deeper every time
Between the warmth of what I want
And the cold of what is mine


DAMN, it was great to hear these pickers solo on that song. I asked this guy
Fred for a dub of his tape.

I had planned on bringing this simple song back in my solo set, now that I
have the loop station, so this was a nice way to break it in.  The vocal
worked great.

Coming out of that, I launched into "Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad," which
the band took and ran with until Reverend Jeff mutated it into a blistering
Orange Blossom Special.  I had some fun playing along with that, though I did
no attempt any soloing.

I felt somewhat self-conscious, as though my guitar playing was all the same,
limited, uninteresting. But I got lots of praise from audience members,and
Johnny Mo made some very kind remarks about particular aspects of my playing
(using a flat pick and two fingers at the same time for a sort of hybrid
fingerpicking style).

Finally got out of there, almost exactly 12 hours after I opened the show at
Masquerade.  I was in my bed at the Days Inn by 5, though not asleep til
closer to 6.


Today, Sunday, I am hanging out, catching up on reading and writing, until I
appear at Brandy House again, on the Dunham's show, tonight.  Tomorrow I have
a five-hour drive to rejoin the DSO tour in Charleston. I am looking forward
to a great week.




Monday, August 27, 11:30 pm edt
in the band room at the Music Farm, Charleston SC

I got off the Interstate just past Augusta, moving over to US 78 at Aiken. It
was a pleasant, if unspectacular, drive, but it was slow going due to trucks
and local traffic. I moved back over to I-26 for the last 35 miles or so,
only to find myself at a dead stop after a mile or so due to an accident.
Half an hour of rubbernecking delay later, I was back to the speed limit. I
got to the hotel just in time to see the band's van pulling out.

Checked in, put my feet up for a minute, and then the door lock made some
noise -- and in walked Dave Jonas, a guy I know slightly from the Zen
Tricksters crowd and also via Dave Greenberg. My actual roommate, Cotter
Michaels the monitor guy (former sound guy for the Zen Tricksters), gave him
a room key.  I think there are three of us in the room tonight, and I am not
sure I am up for that. I might need to invest in a room for myself, starting
tomorrow.

Sound check was problematic for non-Gans reasons -- a buzz in my guitar
channel, but only in the house. The monitors sounded great.  They had to
isolate the problem and then fix it.  In the meantime, I messed around with
the rhythm track of "Blues Again," which I intend to add to the repertoire
any minute now. As I was playing with the tacet at the start, someone walked
by and said, "Whiskey river, take my mind!", to which I replied, "Exactly."
I used to want to introduce it as "A Willie Nelson song I wrote not long
ago." So getting busted for the Williousness of the song was appropriate.

I eventually did get the soundcheck I needed. It really makes a difference to
have our own guy on monitors: he  got the speaker sounding very good before I
even stepped up, and he was very pleasantly attentive to my wishes and needs.

The DSO guys were kind enough to lobby for a later start time for me, to get
some more people into the room for my set.  So my 9:15 start was delayed
until 9:25 -- and then further delayed when a strange sound emerged from the
PA when my vocal channel was turned up. They might have switched me to Rob
Eaton's vocal mic, but Cameron was determined to fix it so the start of my
set was further delayed.

So, there were more people in there than I might have had, but still not a
very impressive fraction of the crowd that would be in place by the time DSO
started  Sigh.  I started with Sitting in Limbo, with Lisa singing harmony
throughout, John on electric guitar, Scott with his new melodica ("It's
easier to play than the accordion!"), and Rob Koritz on percussion.

I was really put off  by Rob's cabasa playing, but when I looked over at him
he was unperturbed. Maybe he was playing something relevant to the JGB
version, but what I do is closer to Garcia-Grisman.  When I spoke with Rob
about it after the set, he was defiant, insisting that what he played was
totally in the pocket.  I hope he doesn't carry something forward from this,
but he did seem rather offended.  I'll have to listen to the tape.

Lisa's singing was really wonderful, and our blend was terrific.  We ran
through it before the set, annd I showed her my phrasing in some spots.
Elsewhere, I made my phrasing a little more regular to match up with hers.  I
played some very strong guitar, standing my ground against the weird
percussion. John did lots of sweet stuff on the electric. I played what I
trust will still be a killer solo when I hear it back on the tape.

I had hoped for a bit of a scat jam and then some instrumental exchanges in
the jam coming out of Limbo, but we wound up keeping it pretty short. I
rolled it into Broken Arrow, which came off very well except for a couple of
brain farts on my part.

I did Blue Roses, very solidly in both the vocal and the instrumental.  The
jam was very strong; Scott's melodica solo, maybe not so strong. Before the
closing chord had finished ringing, I was into "Normal," which I think I took
at a slightly slower tempo than usual. It felt good.

Resisting the temptation to play a Dead song, I launched into An American
Family.  I collected a short, simple loop in the D section and jammed it out
for quite a while, quite satisfactorily, cutting it abruptly as I hit the C-
C-D leading into Mary's verse -- which I fucked up by singing the third line
of the third verse.  So I started the verse over and then carried on to a
solid conclusion.

Then I played Terrapin, with Scott and John and Lisa and I think Rob Koritz
as well. Rob Eaton added a third vocal from the end of Lady with a Fan
through Terrapin, and on into River and Drown.  So on R&D I had John on
electric, Lisa and Rob E. on vocals, Scott on melodica, and Koritz on
tambourine. I doubled my rhythm part, and the performance just plain kicked
ass.

And then my set was over. There were maybe 100 people there by the end.

I played some very strong guitar -- I reached for notes that not long ago I
never even knew existed, and I hit most of 'em -- and I sang very well, too.
I made good use of my digital assistant.  My friends took very good care of
me, and I gave them plenty of room.   It was a solid, convincing, passionate
set.



Monday, August 27, 2001
The Music Farm, Charleston SC
Opening for the Dark Star Orchestra

Sitting in Limbo->
Broken Arrow
Blue Roses
Normal
Down to Eugene
An American Family
Terrapin->
River and Drown



*

Listening to the tape in the hotel room after the show, I don't think
Koritz's work was so bad.  I will apologize to him today.
  

    


 Tuesday, August 28, 10:40 pm

 Two things about tonight's set, and I wonder if they are related.

 First, I played with earplugs. Second, I came off the stage PISSED OFF
 at the lack of response from the audience.

 There weren't very many people in the place when I started at 9:30, but
 people came in at a steady pace. A few came down onto the floor -- and one
 girl even danced, which I wish she had done out where she could be seen
 rather than in the shadows  at the side of the floor. Most everyone stood in
 the back, behind the rail. I could see people paying attention to me all the
 way in the back, but mostly what I felt was apathy.


 I think because of the earplugs, I didn't get the visceral hit of my own
 playing, and maybe I also didn't get the feedback I expected from the
 audience. As an objective measure, the scattered applause  I received
 throughout the set, and especially at the end, was really upsetting.

 The music was pretty good. Scott did some nice melodica work on The
 Minstrel, and some REALLY nice piano work -- especially a spontaneous,
 understated solo coming out of the bridge of Wharf Rat. Lisa and I
 need to work on our phrasing, but she is pretty attentive, and we did
 a pretty good job of staying out of each other's way. Some nice
 intertwining, too. We are enjoying singing together quite a lot.

 I am usually pretty sanguine about the opening act's lot in life, but
 tonight I felt that I was up on that stage giving a damn good
 performance aimed right at this audience, and they couldn't be
 bothered to pay it any mind.

 It felt good to close with Shut Up and Listen, but I wish I had had an
 electric band to drive it home.

 I can't imagine why I had a better relationship with last night's audience
 than with tonight's.  I started ten or 15 minutes later last night, but I
 don't think that would make a difference.



 11:40 pm

 Go figure.  I went out into the house to get paid, and four people
 stopped me to say thanks for an excellent set.  At the merch booth,
 Jen told me she'd sold three CDs, and pointed at a nearly full mailing
 list form.


 2:30 am

 And now I am listening to the tape, and I am liking the performance and the
 mix quite a lot.



 Tuesday, August 28, 2001
 The Music Farm, Charleston SC
 opening for the Dark Star Orchestra

 Cassidy-> (1,2)
 Elvis Imitators (2)
 Rocket Man-> (1,2)
 Wharf Rat-> (1,2)
 Monica Lewinsky*
 Who Killed Uncle John?
 Rubin and Cherise->
 The Minstrel (3)
 Shut Up and Listen

 (1) Lisa Mackey, vocals
 Scott Larned, piano (2) melodica (3)


 * "This is dedicated to Gary Condit. If he'd been paying attention, he might
 not be in the jam he's in."



 Wednesday, August 29, 2001
 The Music Farm, Charleston SC
 opening for the Dark Star Orchestra

 Return of the Grievous Angel
 Blues Again
 *Black Peter->
 Trying
 *Psycho Killer->
 Leave Me->
 *Box of Rain
 The Nightmare->
 Hooker River
 **Down to Eugene

 * Lisa Mackey, vocals
 ** John Kadlecik, mandolin and vocals




 Wednesday, August 29, 10:30 pm

 Tonight I was past pissed and into despondent as I started the set.
 I'd say there were maybe 12 customers.  Why even bother?  "Because
 I'll be out there, singing along," said Debbie.  Hard to argue with that.

 I looked at my repertoire, intending to make a general list of stuff I
 haven't already done in this town, but I wound up planning a complete set
 that to a certain extent reflected my dark mood. I wound up sticking to it,
 too, though I made a couple of MAJOR blunders.

 The early part of the set went very well, though I had failed to set
 up the looper properly so I got a pre-recorded sound when I meant to
 start recording the accompaniment on the opener, Re turn of the
 Grievous Angel. I just skipped the solo.

 Blues Again worked well.  I didn't overdo the soloing. The song works
 just fine, and I can't for the life of me figure out why I had no
 confidence in it for the first 20-plus years of its existence.

 Black Peter was smooth and, with Lisa's vocal support, particularly
 sweet.  I played a solo for the first time ever, after the second
 verse.  That was cathartic for me, trying to work off the anger and
 self-pity I was feeling as I took the stage. I did what I was supposed
 to do: directed the emotions into me performance.  And I made and kept
 eye contact with the whole room, inviting people into my performance.
 The transition into Trying was concise and smooth, and so was my
 performance of the song.

 Psycho Killer was a big winner.  My guitar playing is so much more
 solid (and so is this guitar, which is a major factor), and my my
 voice is so much stronger, since the last time I featured it. I didn't
 do anything fancy on the outro, just some chordal stuff as I brought
 the tempo somewhat abruptly down.  Leave Me was great; the transition
 into Box of Rain was nothing in particular. I love the transition from
 Leave Me into Terrapin, but that wasn't in the cards for tonight.

 I went completely blank after the second verse of Box of Rain, just
 dead blank, with Lisa standing helplessly by.  I dithered for a few
 bars and then said, "Sometimes you just have to admit that you've
 fucked up," and launched right into The Nightmare. I sort of lost my
 way coming out of it, and circled back through the high-intensity
 changes for a few bars, and then proceeded to botch the loop on the
 intro to Honeydew.  That song is nothing without a well-stacked
 groove, so rather than dwell on it I moved on to Hooker River.  I
 wasn't thrilled with my instrumental work in that song, but I got
 through it and delivered a very strong vocal.  There was a good
 response from the audience, which great steadily over the 45-minute
 set.  By this time, I felt enough good will coming from the crowd that
 I wasn't totally mortified by the aborted Box.

 My vocals have been strong all week, assisted greatly by Cotter's excellent
 stage sound. And I am thankful to Lisa for singing so well and so
 sensitively.

 I like the song choices I made tonight. This is a set that looks
 spectacular on paper, and will sound great on tape except for a couple
 of truly hideous moments.  I had a pretty interesting emotional
 odyssey, from despair to confidence to sheepishness to humor, playing
 some highly satisfying stuff and then tripping over my own two feet.

 Lisa was with me on the bridge of Black Peter, the choruses of Psycho
 Killer, and the aborted Box of Rain.  John joined me on mandolin and
 vocals for Down to Eugene.

 I really dig the fact that these musicians have learned my songs.
 Lisa asked me if she could sing Who Killed Uncle John with me some
 time. "Pete [her boyfriend] says that's a song for one person to sing
 alone," she said.  "I just really like it."

 "I'd be thrilled to play the guitar while you sing it," I said.  And
 she knows the words  by heart.  We're gonna  do this soon -- on stage,
 if I can talk her into it.


 12:30 am

 I was invited to join the DSO for the last three songs of their first
 set, tonight being an "elective" -- meaning they made up their own
 show.  I played acoustic and sang spontaneous low vocal parts on
 Cumberland Blues; took Jerry's lines in the verses and sang harmony on
 Jack Straw; and sang lead on Ripple to close.  I inserted a solo
 between verses 3 and 4 of Ripple -- me and then John.  I think the
 energy of the show really kicked up a notch when I was up there, and
 the response we got from the crowd really made up for the bleakness I
 felt at the start of the evening.

 After the set I walked out into the house to get paid, and the club
 manager, Jimbo, apologized for the thinness of the crowd when I was
 onstage: "I think everyone is fried from the first two nights."  Lots
 of people stopped me to say kind things -- about my opening set as
 well as the stuff I did with the DSO.

 And I joined them for the second encore (after a very well-received
 and well-played second set of their own design), I Bid You Good
 Night.  I sang bass parts, and loved it.

 So I'm feeling a lot better now.
  

    
The weather in Charleston was unspeakably hot and humid.  You'd walk out of
the steamy heat of an overcrowded club and be hit by a wall of even hotter,
wetter air at 3 a.m. and think, "There must be some mistake."  Then you'd
take a three-minute ride back to the hotel in your air-conditioned car, and
when you got out of the car your glasses would steam up.

Yesterday the DSO tour moved from Charletston SC to Norfolk VA.  I drove my
rented Cougar (yes!!!), with the monitor guy, Cotter, riding shotgun.  He
made me listen to 1972 Grateful Dead (the year I got on the bus, and a PEAK
year for the band) all the way, except for once through Donna the Buffalo's
"Positive Friction," which I have been evangelising to everyone I know.  He
got it about DTB, and I relaly enjoyed the Dead music.  Seven hours and
change, incuding some time spent in a futile search for decent coffee.

The NorVa is said to have the best backstage in the biz.  Hot tub, sauna, a
soft drink fountain rather than room-temp cans, etc.  No one EVER says, "What
time does the band room open?" anywhere else on this circuit; trust me on
this.

Much milder weather here.  It's only 80-something degrees.




And sometimes being the opening act has its advantages.  While the crew was
loading in and setting up, I was in the hot tub gettin' my muscles relaxed
but good!
  

    


Friday, August 31, 2001
The NorVa, Norfolk VA
Opening for the Dark Star Orchestra

I Bid You Good Night->
Like a Dog->  (3)
Terrapin-> (1,3)
Mason's Children (3)
Rubin and Cherise-> (3)
The Minstrel (2,3)
Down to Eugene (1,2,3)

(1) Lisa Mackey, vocals
(2) Scott Larned, melodica
(3) John Kadlecik, mandolin and vocals




Friday, August 31, 10:30 pm

Hot tub, sauna, lots of fresh towels, vast supplies of cold bottled water and
coffee, and a phenomenally wonderful dinner of broiled catfish, pot roast,
pasta, mashed potatoes, salad, pecan pie...

The legend is that two former Cellar Door employees won a lawsuit against
their former emplyer and used the proceeds to open a venue that artists would
love to play.  They seem to have succeeded admirably: the sound crew is
pretty happy with the gear here, too.

We finished dinner plenty early, so there was time for Lisa, John and me to
go over some music.  We sharpened up a three-part vocal for Down to Eugene,
and John and I ran through Rubin and Cherise with him on mandolin.

The manager, Colin, told me I was expected to start at 9:00 sharp. "So I'll
be playing for twelve people, right?"

"I don't think so," he replied.  "There are already a lot of people outside
waiting to get in - this more than an hour before showtime.

At around 8:30, Cotter got a call on his cel phone from Tiny, who was at the
front door of the club.  It seems I was supposed to be on stage at 8:30,
according to someone -- despite the published 9:00 start time.  Oy.

There was further discussion, regarding the iron-clad curfew in this town and
taking into account the date of the Dead show being played by the DSO
tonight: September 10, 1972 (in which I get to play David Crosby!).  "These
shows are a little shorter than our usual show," said Tiny, "so there's some
leeway."

While the various parties went around about the start time, I headed for the
stage to warm up, saying, "Just tell me what you want me to do, and please
ask John to come to the stage right away because he's on my first song."

I asked Tiny to introduce me.  "Anything in particular you want me to say?"
he asked.

"Just don't say that I'm the host of the Grateful Dead Hour.  Anything but
that is fine with me."  I don't remember the exact words he used, but the
phrase "singer-songwriter" was in there, and that made me happy.  I think it
was around 8:45 or 8:50 that I started -- but there were already a couple
hundred people in the room, so I was happy.

John wasn't on stage when it was time to start, so I pushed Rubin and
Cherise->The Minstrel down the list and opened with I Bid You Good Night.  By
the time I was into Like a Dog, John was up there with his mando.  Lisa
joined us as Terrapin began.

At the last instant, I decided to sing Mason's Children out of Terrapin
instead of the more customary -- but in danger of becoming a cliche -- segue
into River and Drown. John held his own on the mando. I launched immediately
into Rubin and Cherise, thence to The Minstrel as planned.  Lisa returned for
that one, and Scott wandered up with his melodica.  John and Scott  each
soloed for a chorus.

Then we finished with Down to Eugene, with the nice new three-part harmony,
John's mandolin, and Scott on melodica.

I had a good rapport with the audience throughout -- lots of nice attentive
faces at the rail, looking up and moving with the music.  As I started the
vamp to The Minstrel, I dedicated it to the memory of Jerry Garcia, as I
often do.  The crowd was quiet and attentive, and I could tell they were
getting the message.  The DSO members were also very warmly received as they
arrived. It was a good feeling, and I was very happy with my performance and
the performances of my friends.

Before the last song, I introduced my companions and mentioned that I'd be
back at the merch booth to sign CDs and visit with people.  A lot of people
came by to say hello and thank you -- some for my music, some for the GD Hour
--  and I collected quite a few mailing list signups as well as selling
several CDs. I left the booth when the DSO took the stage.

Sales are pretty modest on this trip, but I am recruiting fans in significant
numbers -- even in the underattended Charleston sets -- and I am enjoying the
musical company of these new friends, too.

In the afternoon, while the crew was loading in and setting up the stage,
Debbie (whose job on the tour is driving the white van, which hauls the big
equipment trailer) was bringing out the photos, crystals, candles,
tablecloths and other ambiance items that the band brings along to make their
temporary home more homey.  I was surprised to hear her humming a bit of The
Nightmare, and I told her it was a thrill to hear someone singing my song
that way. She told me that the entire entourage sings my songs all the time.
"Many is the time our bad mood was fixed by playing 'Down to Eugene' on the
CD player," she added.  And she asked me to tell her what words I am singing
in that part of The Nightmare.

A really good feeling for a songwriter.  That's what it's all about, really.



* * *

I had a better time working with the earplugs tonight, too.  After the last
show in Charleston, I figured out why I had been having problems hearing what
I needed to hear.  The monitor guy knows approximately what proportions of
voice and instruments to give to each player, and the sound check is an
opportunity to refine the mix for each person.

What I realized is that with the earplugs in, I am hearing my own voice very
well right there inside my head -- so what I need in my monitor mix is
EVERYTHING ELSE.  Cotter grasped this concept instantly, and tonight we were
able to dial in a mix that gave me all the guitar, mandolin, and guest vocals
I needed. That helped tremendously.
  

    


Sunday, September 2, 7:00 p.m. edt


The last day of my tour with the Dark Star Orchestra. The Music Zone in
Asheville, North Carolina.  A weird club, with the stage in a corner and the
audience area stretching out to the left and only a short distance directly
in front.

I whinged a little about the absence of my name from the ads and the writeup
in the Mountain Express.  I have to see if we can make it part of the deal
next time that I be mentioned in the ads.  I feel like an afterthought, or
worse. Once or twice on this trip I felt like saying to the audience, "Hey,
I'm not somebody's brother-in-law up here!"

My bad mood evaporated pretty quickly when I sat in the band room with Kevin,
the bass player, showing him the changes to Down to Eugene.  He's absorbed
the song pretty well just by hearing me sing it all week, so he was pretty
close to ready with I ran it down for him.  While we were working, Lisa came
into the room and started singing along, and then John did the same.  And so
did Debbie and Tiny.  Tiny added some sound effects, too (e.g. a siren on
"the other eye's open for the highway patrol"). Scott sang along, too, and
pretty soon there were ten people singing my song, smiling and swaying.  A
couple of local friends of the band were in the room, too, looking pretty
pleased.

So tonight I will close my set with John Kadlecik and Lisa Mackey singing our
rehearsed harmony, plus Tiny Dofner and Scott Larned on additional vocals;
Rob Koritz will play drums; Kevin Rosen will play bass; Scott will play
melodica; and John will play electric guitar.

I do need to do something about the billing problem if/when I tour with these
guys again, but jeez, this feeling is pretty hard to beat.  After the Eugene
rehearsal broke up, Lisa asked me to sing "that bluegrass still song" --
Gillian Welch's Tear My Stillhouse Down -- and when I did, she delivered a
powerful, dead-on harmony. I was thrilled, and I'm going to open the show
with that.





The schedule was doors at 8, DG 8:45 to 9:45, DSO at 10.  That would have
given me a fighting chance at a good crowd for my set.  So I was pissed off
when, as 8:30 approached, there was still a huge line outside and no one
coming inside.  Something broken -- a cash register, maybe?

I bitched.  I know it was no one's fault, but it seemed like a totally
gratuitous setback.

As it turned out, there were plenty of people in the house when I took the
stage at 8:50 with Lisa and John in tow.  Not all of them were exectly tune
in to my performance, to say the least, but I found plenty of faces to relate
to.

The monitors weren't loud enough to get through my earplugs, and somehow I
didn't know to ask Cotter to crank it up.  So instead, I felt detached from
the music and suspicious of the crowd.  The playing was good, the singing
excellent; but I wasn't feeling the music, and I didn't feel like I was
getting across.


Sunday, September 2, 2001
Music Zone, Asheville NC
Opening for the Dark Star Orchestra and Zen Tricksters

Tear my Stillhouse Down (1,2)
Looks Like Rain-> (1,2,3)
Trying
The Nightmare->
Blue Roses
Leave Me->
Terrapin-> (1,2)
River and Drown
Rubin and Cherise-> (2)
The Minstrel (2)
Willin' (2)
Who Killed Uncle John?

1 = Lisa Mackey, vocal
2 = John Kadlecik, mandolin
3 = Scott Larned, melodica




The whole band except Rob Eaton joined me for Down to Eugene at the very end
of the evening.  What a good feeling.
  

    


DAVID GANS October tour dates:



Greetings!

Here are the dates for the fall tour.  We're still trying to figure out what
is happening (and where) on October 27, and there may be a drop-in gig in
Jacksonville before MagnoliaFest.

A new shipment of SOLO ACOUSTIC CDs is in, so we weren't out of stock for
very long.  Ordering information, sample audio, and critical raves are posted
at http://www.dgans.com/perfectible or you can order from
http://www.cdbaby.com/dgans

The tour schedule is always up to date at http://www.dgans.com/gigs.html --
you'll find phone numbers, show times, ticket prices and upodated gig info
there.

We're living in scary times, but the music must go on!  Hope to see you soon.
 -- DG

*****

Wednesday, October 10: Jacksonville FL.  Check local listings.

Thursday, October 11, 9:30pm: The Pharm, 941 Huntley Avenue, Dunedin FL. $5.
727-735-9019

Friday, October 12: Fisherman's Wharf, 222 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., Pompano
FL. With Crazy Fingers

Saturday, October 13: private house concert, Kissimmee FL

Sunday, October 14, 5pm: Kool Beanz, 7 Rosa L. Jones Drive, Cocoa Village FL.
Dave Grooms opens

Tuesday, October 16: Sittin' in with Glass Camels in St. Augustine FL.
Details TBA

Friday-Sunday, October 19-21: MagnoliaFest at Spirit of the Suwannee Music
Park in Live Oak FL.  This is my favorite gig of the year!  Donna the
Buffalo, Blueground Underggrass, Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, Acoustic
Syndicate, Larry Keel, Yondfer Mountain String Band, and lots more -- on the
banks of the Suwannee River!  www.magmusic.com

Tuesday, October 23, 8:30pm: Red Light Cafe, 553 Amsterdam, Atlanta

Wednesday, October 24, 10pm: Cumberland's, 26 Cumberland Street, Charleston
SC

Thursday, October 25, 9pm: The Grey Eagle, 185 Clingman Ave., Asheville NC

Friday, October 26, 8pm: Tate Street Coffee House, 334 Tate Street,
Greensboro NC

Saturday, October 27: Raleigh NC (tentative)

Sunday, October 28, 9:30pm: Fat City Deli, 3127 N. Davidson Street, Charlotte
NC


Thursday, November 8: Moxie's Cafe, 128 Broadway Street, Chico CA

Thursday, November 15, 9:30pm: Chez Ray's, 44 W. 10th, Eugene OR

Friday, November 16, 8pm: opening for ekoostik Hookah at Berbati's Pan, 10 SW
3rd Ave, Portland OR

Saturday, November 17, 8pm: The Wheel Company (www.thewheelcompany.com)
presents Dark Star Orchestra, Big Brother and the Holding Company, and David
Gans.  Fox Theater, 2215 Broadway, Redwood City CA
  

    


Thursday, October 11 -- Dunedin, Florida

I like the Pharm. It's a modest neighborhood bar, one big room with the stage
at one end and the bar at the other, with a pool table near the bar. This is
not the optimal setup for the kind of music I am doing, but as bars go it's
reasonable. There are always more people at the other end of the room,
talking and drinking, but down front there are couches and comfortable chairs
so the people who really want to hear can do so in comfort.

After an uncomfortable 4-hour drive, I got to Dunedin a little after 5. I
went to the home of Michael Paul, a friend from DNC and the GDH list. He and
his wife, Lynn, have invited me to stay with them again. We had dinner at a
Mexican restaurant in downtown Dunedin, where we have dined every time I've
been here. For various reasons, none of Michael's Deadhead friends were able
to make it tonight.  My friend Pete DelGado from Cincinnati is here on
business, and he joined us for dinner and stayed for the first set.  A couple
of his colleagues came by for part of the show, too.

The Pharm story is that the place is always nearly empty when the show
starts. On the tape of my first show there, you can hear me say, "Since it's
just the 12 of us..." but by the end of the evening the place was full.

This time, the crowds never showed.

Musically, it was satisfying. I haven't played a full show on my own in two
months, and I haven't played my guitar much at all in the last two or three
weeks.  I wasn't as rusty as I expected to be, though my fingertips started
protesting pretty early.  My mood was grim because of the crowd and because
my back is really hurting -- though standing up isn't as bad as driving.

The flow of songs was easy and interesting. I played some standard sequences
and came up with some new ones, and I introduced my first Donna the Buffalo
song: "In Another World."  It's going to take me a few performances to really
find my way into the delivery, but I have a good handle on the musical groove
and I was able to loop the accompaniment for a decent solo.

On this tour I am carrying the Line 6 Delay Modeler that I abandoned when I
got the Loop Station. The Line 6 only has 28 seconds of loop storage, so it's
useless for that, but it has many other uses. So tonight I had several
multi-layer jams in which I stacked up plain guitar with echo, single lines
of overdrive melodies, and other stuff. Got a good response for that work.

Most of the people in the building stayed in the back of the room. They did
respond at the end of songs, and I could see people watching from the other
side of the bar, but I felt free to play originals and whatever else felt god
at the time -- no knee-jerk Deadhead flavor to this group.

Jeff, the owner of the club, paid close attention to my performance all
night. He spent most of the second set on a couch down front, snuggling with
his girlfriend and watching and listening to my performance. At the end of
the night he was kind and encouraging, and a little apologetic about the
crowd. Things are down in general, he said, and also we were up against the
regular Thursday night performance in Tampa by the area's favorite Dead cover
band, Uncle John's Band. This was the only night that worked for my tour, I
guess.  Jeff gave every indication that I'd be welcome again -- he clearly
enjoyed my performance, and I guess the reduced guarantee of $150 made it
economically reasonable for him.

There's a sign at the door explaining that all the cover charge goes to the
musicians, everyone who enters the Pharm is a "phriend," and there is no
guest list. So I guess everyone paid, and he only had to make up a few bucks
from the till.

But still.  I wish there had been more people there.  From a career
standpoint, it was a discouraging event.





Friday, October 12 - Fisherman's Wharf, Pompano Bch FL

Okay, this is the way it's supposed to work!  I was scheduled to play between
sets by Crazy Fingers, in this weird little triangular room between the bar,
the dining room and the patio. I joined the band for most of the first set
and was very well-received by the audience. The band mentioned my name
several times, too.

We had a lot of momentum by the end of the set, and I was a little worried
about the general hysteria level when, after a three-minute break, I went
back out there alone, facing into the patio.  I baited the hook with "Down to
Eugene," and watched with pleasure as one by one, people stopped their
conversations and tuned in to what I was doing.  By the time I reached the
space-and-time-travel sequence at the end, each new venue mentioned got a
nice round of applause.

I followed with Masterpiece, which drew more people in. Before the applause
died down, I launched into the Grand Sequence that starts with I Bid You Good
Night.  I had a loud, crowded room (actually three rooms, and occasional
glances back over each shoulder showed me that I had listeners in the bar and
the dining room, too) to conquer, and conquer it I did.  People were dancing
to IBYGN; between verses, I soloed over a solid B-minor groove, using the
digital delay and overdrive to create a much more sizzling sound than I have
been able to deliver before.  It was almost Kimock-esque!  I didn't lose
anyone during the energetic "Like a Dog" that followed; when I got to
"Terrapin," people started coming back into the "room" to follow what I was
doing. The seque into "River and Drown" was good, and although I didn't play
what I consider flawless enough solos, I did keep the groove up and the
audience enthralled. I opted for "Me and Bobby McGee" to end the medley.

Someone had requested "Mr Tambourine Man" before I took the stage.  I said
something like, "Since y'al are being so quiet and attentive, I'm gonna take
a chance and play a mellow song for you.  By Bob Dylan." Several people came
right up to the front to sing along -- nice!  I stuck "Born to Be Wild" in
between the third and fourth verses, and announced that it was dedicated to
CF drummer Peter Lavezzoli, who rode to the gig on his Harley that once
belonged to Robert Hunter.

As I was saying I had one more song and then I'd be down front signing CDs,
someone called out "Who Killed Uncle John!" -- a perfect choice.  Target
obliterated.

After my set, people lined up to buy my CDs. Even after the band started
playing again, eople were coming up to me to buy 'em.  (I did sit in with the
band in teh second set, but I was offstage a bit, too). I woulnd up selling
TWENTY CDs last night.




Saturday, October 13

Tonight's gig is a private house concert at the home of Steve and Kay
Fernandez.  Steve is the brother of my friend Jerry, and Steve has been at
most of the MagnoliaFests and Suwannee SpringFests. When the rain started
pounding down during my mainstage at the last SpringFest, Steve stayed out
there through the whole thing -- you gotta love that!

I wasn't sure what to expect.  I guess I was picturing a large living room.
What I found instead was a five-acre lot fronting on a lake -- Tomocaglia, is
it? When they told me the name, I said, "Sounds like an Indian name that
turned Italian in the middle" -- furnished with the same live oaks and
Spanish moss as the Spirit ofthe Suwannee Music Park.  Steve and Kay named
their place "Twisted Oak."

The announcement read, "Admission $10 and a covered dish."  The clientele was
mostly "Schwabbies," colleagues of Steve's from Charles Schwab. Nice bunch of
people, and quite a few kids, from grade-schoolers to teenagers.

The opening band, 4:20, who also provided the sound system, invited me to
join them for a Dead jam at the end of their set, which wound up being
Scarlet Begonias->Eyes of the World-> Fire on the Mountain.

My own set went well.  There were 30-40 people there, I guess.  I couldn't
see very many of them, and in fact I asked the audience to move closer. Some
of them obliged. There were two bright spotlights, mounted on trees, on each
side of the house, shining on me, and there were some white Christmas lights
wound around those tree trunks to provide a little more illumination.

I didn't get much feedback from the crowd at first, and I had a little
trouble finding my own groove.  I strung some songs together, deliberately
breaking up my standard sequences and trying to feature my own stuff. After a
while people started talking back to me, which made it a more comfortable
atmosphere for me.  Got a request for "Sugaree." Got some nice laughs with
"Normal," and I made some serious noises on "Psycho Killer."

Only sold one CD, though.
  

    

P.S.  The potluck was excellent!
  

    
Cool, a current report!  Glad Florida is going relatively well for you.
  

    





These are probably going to turn out to be the last gigs of 2001:


Thursday, November 8:  Moxie's Cafe, 128 Broadway, Chico CA.  $5.
530-345-0601
J
Thursday, November 15, 9:30pm:  Chez Ray's, 44 W. 10th, Eugene OR.  $5.
541-344-1530

Friday, November 16, 8pm:  Opening for eKoostik Hookah at Berbati's Pan, 210
SW 3rd Ave, Portland OR.  $8/$10 day of show.  503-248-4579

Saturday, November 17, 8pm:  The Wheel Company presents Dark Star Orchestra,
Big Brother and the Holding Company, and David Gans.  Fox Theater, 2215
Broadway, Redwood City CA.  $19 adv., $22 day of show.  650-368-9225.
http://www.thewheelcompany.com


The schedule is always up to date at http://www.dgans.com/gigs.html



I want to thank all the people who attended my shows this year; the writers
who previewed my appearances and reviewed my; the broadcasters who played my
stuff on the air; and all the great players it was my privilege to play and
sing with on the festival stages and in the clubs.  It's been a great year!

If I didn't make it to your neck of the woods in 2001, it's not because I
didn't want to!  You can help expand my touring horizons by contacting your
local promoters and asking them to bring me in.  It's especially important to
do this for festivals, where a guy like me can build an audience without
having to worry about selling out a show all by myself.

Also: SPREAD THE WORD.  If you like my music, tell your friends.  Word of
mouth is everything in this business.  Urge people to visit the web page
(http://www.dgans.com), and to check out the sample audio at
http://www.dgans.com/perfectible.

If you're interested in tapes of my performances, solo and with other bands,
most of them are available via ganstrading@yahoogroups.com -- thanks
especially to Charlie Miller, who has turned vast numbers of people on to my
music.  (Set lists are posted at http://www.dgans.com/ganslists.html)

I've got some interesting things in store for 2002, too.  Woo-hoo!

- DG
  

    

On Saturday, December 15, I'll be opening for the Trichromes
at the Last Day Saloon, 120 Fifth Street, Santa Rosa CA. 707-545-5876
  

    

Bill Kreutzmann's new band!

What time?
  

    
Showtime is 9 pm, I am told.
  

    


 David Gans (solo)
 12/15/01  Last Day Saloon, Santa Rosa, CA
 opening for The Trichromes


 jam->
 I Bid You Goodnight->
 Like a Dog->
 Lady With a Fan->
 Terrapin->
 River and Drown->
 Within You Without You->
 In Another World->
 Blue Roses->
 Brokedown Palace



It was like any other opening set at a club.  No one knew what time I
was supposed to play or for how long.  I got on stage at 8:40, with a
couple dozen people in the room.  The opening echo/loop jam felt like
about ten minutes, but I'm sure it was shorter than that.  The sound
guy didn't get my tape started til later, so we'll never know.

Everything worked for me, musically and vocally.  Having assembled my
new live performing rig in my office and practiced for the last two
days, I was in command of my tools and the muse was in the house.  The
transitions were inspired, my vocals were solid and expressive, my
playing was dynamic and inventive.  I went into it knowing what I
wanted to accomplish in general, but there were some surprises.  I knew
I was going to end "River and Drown" on an E jam instead of a C ballad
(as has been my custom for the last couple of years), but I didn't
think of "Within You Without You" until the moment I got to the end of
"River and Drown."

I did abbreviated versions of things -- one verse of "Within You," one
chunk of "In Another World" with no repetitions, one verse of "I Bid
You Good Night" at the start.  It seemed succinct, not rushed; the
music between flowed up and down nicely.  I felt very much in the zone
throughout my performance.

I think I ended after about 35 minutes.  It felt right to complete that
one continuous musical gesture and leave the stage.  Now, a day later,
I wish I had played "Down to Eugene" and "Who Killed Undcle John?"  But
I am satisfied with what I did.

This new format, invented spontaneously three shows before the end of
my October tour, features a lot of rhythmic jamming with the digital
delay, looping of rhythms and melodic accents, and soloing across the
top of these beds with overdrive and digital delay.  This is a lot more
fun than stacking up two-and-a-half-minute songs and making the lyrics
do almost all of the storytelling; now the guitar can carry some of the
narrative -- and that takes me closer to what "jamband" music is
about.  It also completely changes the energy level and pacing of my
show, in a much more unique and attractive direction.
  

    

Right now I am working on someone else's music: a CD titled POSTCARDS OF THE
HANGING: GRATEFUL DEAD PERFORM THE SONGS OF BOB DYLAN.  We have ten live
tracks fo the Dead playing Bob Dylan songs, and the eleventh track is Bob and
the Dead rehearsing in June 1987.  Release date is March 19.

I have been wanting to do this project for several years, and it's a thrill
to be in the middle of it right now.  I'll post more about it as we proceed.
  

    


From the February calendar of the Ashkenaz in Berkeley:

From the ASHKENAZ February calendar:


 Thursday, February 14
 WAKE THE DOG
 It's a Valentine's Day dance as well as world debut of a new band whose
 name is a take-off on Albany singer-string player Danny Carnahan who last
 year introduced his popular Wake the Dead band  who sang and played
 Grateful Dead songs in medleys with traditional Celtic fare. Forget the
 Celtic and Grateful Dead for Wake the Dog as Carnahan teams with fellow
 songwriter David Gans, and Eric & Suzy Thompson (of California Cajun
 Orchestra, Aux Cajunals and Bluegrass Intentions) on fiddles, guitars and
 accordions; plus Mika Scott on drums and Kurt Ribak on bass. Their music
 is a mix of well-known and original dance tunes from a whole heap of
 styles.
 Doors at 8:30 pm; Show at 9:00 pm
 $8



More info at http://www.ashkenaz.com
  

    



On Valentine's Day, Thursday 2/14,  I'll be appearing at the Ashkenaz
(1317 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley) with a band called WAKE THE DOG.  Me
on guitar and vocals; Danny Carnahan on guitar, octave mandolin, and
vocals; Eric Thompson on mandolin and vocals; Suzy Thompson on fiddle,
accordion and vocals; Kurt Ribak on bass; Mika Scott on drums and
vocals.

WAKE THE DOG will play live on KPFA Wednesday, February 13, at 10:30,
if you'd like to hear us before committing to a night out.

The Ashkenaz has a brand new dance floor -- check it out!
  

    

Tune in TONIGHT at around 10:30 Pacific Time.  WAKE THE DOG! will play for 40
minutes or so.  KPFA 94.1 FM in northern California, www.kpfa.org or www.kfcf
.org for high-quality online audio.
  

    

Four and a half stars in the All Music Guide!  (I hope that isn't out of a
possible 10 or 15 stars!)


http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=Aa9b1z84a3yv3