(Dave Nachmanoff). Music & Words by Dave Nachmanoff.
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Dave writes and appears with
dragging along enthusiasm and passion,
bringing Rock'n'Roll energy in conjunction
with thoughtful lyrics.
Performing and sharing music is Dave's
appointment. He's more than just familiar with
giving dynamic performances for people:
"Cutting across lines of gender and race
and age and finding common ground,"
for him the essence of music.
Dave is living this conviction since he wrote his
first song at age 9 - the year he met the legendary
Elizabeth Cotton ("Freight Train," "Shake Sugaree")
who invited him to accompany her on stage
under the Monument in D.C.
Many years later, in 1997, he would dedicate
one of his most famous songs to her,
'Kindred Spirits' (on CD Candy Shower).
We played Freight Train on the Monument lawn With the statue of Abe looking over us Over seventy years apart But we were singing from the heart Like two kindred spirits in the night. |
So Dave had performed for large audiences already at an early age.
Growing up in the active folk scene around Northern Virginia
and in the D.C. area in the 1960s and 70s, Dave's musical orientation
was coined by a variety of traditions. He was inspired by Pete Seeger
and Arlo Guthrie at his young age, probably the
first artists he saw live, and was impressed by
"the way they were able to involve people, to get them singing along.
They just drew you right into the music. I thought, I want to do that."
A year after he graduated from high school, Dave and his family moved
to England for a couple of years where he went to college (Oxford).
In London, Dave joined a flamboyant theatrical folk group:
"Playing in 'Kristo Hughes' taught me that acoustic music doesn't have to
be wimpy. lt taught me to play out and sing boldly and with conviction."
He's carried that experience through bands he put together in the
1970s and 80s in England and also in New York City and California.
He studied music and philosophy at Columbia and
Oxford universities, earned a PhD in Philosophy from
the University of California, Davis 1997, and promptly retired
from academia to dedicate himself to music in full range.
Dave paid his dues playing at bars and coffeehouses 
and also as a backing musician, unfolding his talents
on a wide variety of instruments which include not only
anything with strings but also harmonica, accordion
and piano (nevertheless his piano and vocal master piece
"Dry River Valley" he had already written in his
early twenties, nowadays on CD Candy Shower).
Dave became a regular fixture at folk and music festivals
from coast to coast, where he has been able to fill
a diversity of roles as a soloist performing his own songs,
as a roving house musician providing accompaniment
for other scheduled performers, and as a facilitator,
leading songwriting and performing workshops
for people of all ages.
As a performer, Dave is full of energy, personality, and fun.
His shows are 'family friendly' and appeal to people
of all walks of life. Drawing from the best of his East Coast
folk heritage, he has a knack for transforming a roomful
of passive listeners into active participants.
With repertoire of several hundred original songs covering a broad spectrum
of topics and musical genres, Dave is able to tailor each concert to his listeners.
He backs his songs with virtuoso playing on acoustic guitar and other
instruments, and intersperses his concerts with stories of the road
and the occasional philosophical insight.
| You should know that I would play all night Just to see a smile upon your pretty face Till my fingers bleed and my voice becomes A whisper in the darkness I would throw my soul to the wind And let the music have its way (Play all night) |
His songwriting has gained nationwide recognition in the past decade
both in the U.S. and the UK, earning him many awards in the music scene.
In his diverse writings, Dave has created songs that are readily adapted
to both electric and acoustic contexts. The songs span many of musical genres,
including traditional folk, folk-rock, country-rock, bluegrass, blues, gospel and R&B.
Many of the songs convey the tension between romanticism and realism,
and also show a sense of nostalgia for the road not taken.
Besides songwriting and solo performance,
Dave presents an emphasis on touring with Al Stewart:
"As a teenager, I had been a big fan of Al Stewart,
the king of historical folk-rock," Dave says.
After learning many of his songs, Dave met Al's long-time collaborator and guitarist,
Peter White, in 1984. In 1994, after a show in San Francisco, Dave got the nerve up to
ask Peter if he'd jam with him. That fateful night led to an audition at Al's home.
A few years later, Dave found himself touring the US and the UK as Al's sideman -
for Dave a dream has come true. Just Al sometimes wonders if nowadays
a musician really needs to be a philosopher to interprete his songs well ...
Dave has also trained his two brothers Michael -
a lawyer - and Jeffrey - an ascending, much-in
demand film script author in Hollywood - on
drums and bass: Whithin only a few hours of
family reunion, they wound up cutting ten tracks
near their home town Arlington in 2003,
recorded the CD Threads of Time,
without really having planned that before.
Dave put out several album-length recordings
on tape and has released a whole bunch
of CDs within the past ten years.
But before that, his first recording Down at the Soundfarm was
a virtually-live electric project done with a band that was called
"Dave and the Generators" including Dave's wife Jennifer as a bass player.
Dweller on the Threshold, the second recording project, is a collection of
thoughtful songs, recorded live with Dave's baritone vocals and acoustic guitar.
Candy Shower became Dave's first CD, it is a solo effort with some
renowned special guests including Rick Lotter, Joe Craven, Alice Stuart &
Prune Rooney and Natalie Cortez on various instruments and vocals.
Dave plays a variety of instruments on this CD.
A typical impression of the energy and fun of a Dave's live concert, with
Dave involving the audience into his music on the spot, is his live CD Snapshots
which was released in 1998. It was recorded at the former location of the
Palms Playhouse in Davis, CA - the community where Dave, his wife Jen
and their young daughter Sophia live in the company of dog "Fender"
(yes, keen on guitars ...), cat "Gulliver" and Jen's selfmade ceramics.
Both these CD albums, Candy Shower and Snapshots, met with
critical acclaim and have received honors in national songwriting
competitions and airplay on commercial, public, and grass-roots
community radio stations, nationwide in the States.
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Since Dave had wanted to do an instrumental CD for years, in
2005 project with his wish to pay tribute to Al - a man who has
greatly influenced Dave's songwriting and guitar style.
This led to Wordless Rhymes, a recording of an instrumental
re-arranged version of some of Al's songs who was supportive
of the idea and even appears on one of the songs.
Dave has built up an active mailing list of several thousand fans.
The year 2006 led him to his fans in the UK and Ireland again
where he presented his new album Time Before the Fall,
followed up by his first tour to mainland Europe at numerous concerts along with Al Stewart.
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Affiliations:
Dave Nachmanoff is a member of the North American Traveling Musicians Union (Local 1000 AFM AFL-CIO) and the North American Folk Alliance, and is a BMI writer/publisher affiliate.
Discography:
Time Before the Fall (Round Spider Music, 2006), Strong collection of sophisticated songwriting, rich instrumental expression and top-notch singing, with some contemporary themes of maturity, wistfulness and loss of innocence
Wordless Rhymes (Troubador Records, 2005), Dave's instrumental CD, featuring songs by Al Stewart, rearranged and highlighting the Dave's acoustic lead guitar playing
Threads of Time (Troubador Records, 2004), recorded together with Dave's brothers Jeffrey & Michael Nachmanoff, featuring some songs by Pete Hamilton
Another Big Day (Naked Goose Records, 2002), Family CD, written and recorded with Ben Decter
Holy Smokes! Ice Cream for Breakfast (Troubador Records, 2002), Songs from the Davis Elders Song Project
A Certain Distance (Troubador Records, 2000), Studio recording CD, produced by Don Conoscenti, featuring a lineup of musicians including guest appearances by Al Stewart and Ellis Paul
Snapshots (Troubador Records, 1998), Second CD release, Solo live recording at former Davis location of the Palms Playhouse
Candy Shower (Troubador Records, 1997), Solo studio recording, first CD release
Dweller on the Threshold (Troubador Records, 1994), Solo studio recording
Down on the Soundfarm (Troubador Records, 1993), "Virtually live" studio recording, with "Dave and the Generators"