Today's Country Magazine
January 14, 2010
Hello Dave Industry Showcase
By Jeffrey Curtis
HELLO DAVE SHOWCASE
Tuesday January 12, 2010 @
The Rutledge in Nashville, TN
Photo Credit: Julie King
Nashville is a music town as is evident by the nickname the town has of "Music City." The common misconception however is that it is a country music town when in fact music from all genres finds a place amongst the city limits of Nashville. For Chicago based Hello Dave, they roll multiple genres together and let them all shine on Nashville as they played to an industry based crowd at the Rutledge that has watched the quick rise of the debut single "Golden" race its way up the charts recently.
As the band kicked into their quick 25-minute set they wasted no time showing the crowd what they are made of as they rolled out a southern rock flavored, honky-tonkin', brand of country and rock that can best be described, just as they did with their opening song as, "Chicago Twang."
The crowd was entranced with the band and quickly jumped on board as they continued to roll through their set that introduced the crowd further to their diverse and unique sound.
Songs like "Waterville" brought forth a Mellencamp type Americana branded sound as they took you on a journey through small town America, while "Biminy" gave the crowd a chance to warm up with its summery island feel.
They wrapped up their set with the single that put them on the country music map when they played "Golden" and had the crowd singing and bouncing along with the mid-tempo song that you can't but help feel good while listening to.
Hello Dave hasn't been strangers to Chicago music fans, but they didn't get their start in country music, but rather in the rock world. It was a gig at Country Thunder that made them realize that the country fans are in fact their crowd and they gradually progressed into the modern country sound that they put on display on this night. Their live energy and their ability to write solid songs is going to be their ticket to the country music fans hearts. If this set was any indication of what to expect, then "Golden" was just the beginning for Hello Dave.
Country Aircheck Today
January 13, 2010
Dave? Dave Is Here: Mountain/Nine North's Hello Dave tested the Country Aircheck office fire codes with their "Chicago Twang" this morning (1/13). The band performed an acoustic version of their single "Golden" for staffers, and shared the story of their sound guy – you guessed it, Dave – whose attention isn't always easy to get. Pictured (l-r) are consultant Ed Gerter, publicist Nicole Pope, manager John Wanzung, CA's Lauren Tingle and Chuck Aly, HD's Mike "Magoo" McGohan, Big Al Wetzel, Peter Bauschke, Marty Williamson and Mike Himebaugh, CA's Erin Duvall and Mary Forest Findley and Nine North's Tom Moran.
Today's Country Magazine
January 14, 2010
Country radio is an open playing field right now as far as styles and topics of songs go. There are plenty of songs that focus around heartbreak, loss of a loved one, lessons learned, etc… but there aren't a lot of songs that just make you feel good when you hear them no matter what. Chicago's Hello Dave seems to be on a mission to change that with their debut single "Golden." They take their style that combines elements of country, rock, and southern rock that can best be described as "Chicago Twang" and offer up a song that doesn't shy away from the realities of life, but doesn't glorify the negative either. You see everyday life through the eyes of the narrator, in this case lead singer Mike Himebaugh, as he sings about traveling on the train to work every day including a Saturday and seeing the folks around him, that coincidently he can't blame for being depressed, but not him. Rather he feels good where he is at as the simple wonders of the world keep on happening around him and he is in complete realization that they are all out of his control so he just stays on the positive side and as he states in the hook of the song, "I feel alright, like the morning I am golden." Though Hello Dave progressed into country through the rock scene in Chi-town, it was a simple progression that has seen them able to add rock based elements to their country vibe to give them a unique yet familiar feeling in their style and who couldn't use a feel-good song like this one these days.