Myspace

I've really grown to enjoy Myspace. I resisted for awhile but Amanda finally persuaded me to start a page. Well, a few days ago I searched for people I went to high school with and actually found quite a lot. It was nice to get in touch the people I was really close with then. Anyway, looking through their profiles, I found even more people. Two of those, were Dave Madden and Dave Stein, who had music pages. On their pages, you can listen to and even download their music. Both are solo acoustic guitar acts. So, if that kind of music interests you - check it out.

Dave Madden

I remember meeting Dave in junior high. I was in the band room after school playing the piano, probably trying to show off for a girl or something. Dave came over and completely showed me up by playing the theme to Peanuts and handful of other songs that I don't remember. Well, he ended up at the Berkeley School of Music where I heard he studied quantum mechanics and particle physics, just as he always had wanted.

Anyway, he's in Austin now but he tours around the country with just his guitar in hand (his trusty Taylor... wish I had one). You can go to his myspace page and listen to the music, and even download it if you want. I like every track he has but Anything Goes has been stuck in my head for days. I just keep singing the "woo-oh-oh-OH-oh" part over and over again.

Dave Stein

I meet this Dave in high school through Brian (Bryan? I forget) Fenn. Eventually Brian, Dave, another Dave (Dave Meyer), and I started a band called Justin Fields. We spent hours and hours in Meyer's basement rehearsing (oh and I remember his sister being really hot). I can't believe that his parents didn't seem to mind.

I remember at at almost every gig we were booked, the majority of the crowd thought we were a guy playing acoustic guitar named "Justin Fields". Oh well, such is life. Together with Jimson Weed, we were the only rock bands in the school. Everyone else seemed to do metal or some kind of hippie emo/punk crap. We did a mix of covers and originals, primarily written by Dave Stein. The ones that stick out in my mind were Horizon and Yellow. I still have a tape of Horizon that we recorded with a computer microphone. The quality is absolutely horrible and the drums sound like the crap but I love to pull it out every once and awhile and listen to it. Those were good times and I can't believe Meyer's parents never seemed to mind that we practiced in the basement well into the night and long after they had gone to bed.

I really dig his style, just as I always have. There is such like soft, delicate feeling to his playing, that I've never been able to reproduce. I especially love the harmonies he does. They remind me of Aztec Two-Step, a duo acoustic group that Dave had introduced me to. Unfortunately, I lost the CD a year or two ago. I think I may have to fix that problem.