Mr. David named one of CD Baby’s Best Independent Musicians
August 20, 2007 on 3:09 pm | In Mr. David, music for sale, family music, Jump in the Jumpy House, Mr. David's Music | No Comments
CD Baby sent us a very nice email last week telling us Jump in the Jumpy House would be featured on their homepage. Here’s what they wrote:
We love your "MR. DAVID: Jump in the Jumpy House" CD so much I’m going to feature it on the FRONT PAGE of CD Baby for a few days.
We’re *really* picky about what goes on the front page. We get about 200-250 new albums a DAY coming in here now, (about 190,000 total), and yours is one of the best we’ve ever heard.
THE DATE: Sunday, August 19th 2007
OUR REVIEW
If Jonathan Richman were to make an album for kids, I imagine it would sound something like this. With a lyrical approach that is sharply stream-of-consciousness and keeps tongue planted firmly in cheek, these songs are bizarrely appealing, unassumingly witty, and never dull. With a loose and jangly (in the best way) approach to songwriting, these tracks are rooted in both new wave pop and the uncompromising ethos of punk. The melodies are sly and catchy, feigning non-existence until they creep into your subconscious and become buried in your head. On the surface, this could be perceived as a fun-time train of non sequiturs, but upon closer inspection, you’ll see these songs are as calculated as they are nutty, only straying off track when it makes perfect sense. With a voice that is able to righteously pull off high pitched squeals (the title track) and a passable version of Johnny Cash ("Them Devils"), there’s ample variations of wackiness on this one for the kids, and plenty of hummable tunes to keep the grown ups locked in and listening.
So there you have it. Mr. David is one of CD Baby’s "Best Independent Musicians" Yeeaaahaaaa! We love CD Baby 
Go buy your copy now!
Community Change is Good
August 14, 2007 on 1:40 pm | In Uncategorized | No CommentsThis is kind of random, but I like to spread the word about great ideas. One of our local credit unions in the Bay Area, Tech CU, is running a contest where they’ll award $1,000 to someone who comes up with a great idea for a project aimed at social or environmental change. Anyone, any age can submit their idea, as long as it’s not self–serving. Click here for more details and to enter.
If you’ve ever had an itch to do something for your community, here’s a chance to get money to support it!
—Mr. David.
Mr. David, Jump in the Jumpy House and iTunes
August 14, 2007 on 9:10 am | In family music, music for sale, Mr. David's First Album, The Great Adventures of Mr. David, Jump in the Jumpy House, Mr. David's Music, New Children's Music, Uncategorized | 1 CommentIn answer to an inquiry we got about my music on iTunes . . .
Yes! It’s available! You can get all my albums on iTunes. You can also download songs from my MySpace account. Jump in the Jumpy House hasn’t been posted yet because it takes anywhere from 4 weeks to 3 months to get your songs up, if you’re not with a huge label (which we’re not). So, be patient for that one. The others are already there. Here are the iTunes links.
The Great Adventures of Mr. David
Here’s the MySpace link: Mr. David on MySpace
My albums are also available on other digital music site, like eMusic, etc.
Thanks!
Mr. David
Jump in the Jumpy House CD Release Concert
August 12, 2007 on 5:01 pm | In family music, live events, Concerts, Jump in the Jumpy House, Uncategorized | 1 Comment
Join Mr. David and The Buckwild for the CD Release Concert of Jump in the Jumpy House
When: Saturday, September 1 @ 7:00-8:00 p.m.
(Come early to get your seat.)
Where: Santana Row Park Valencia
(In front of Maggiano’s)
Here’s a direct link to the event listed on the San Jose Mercury News page:
Come early to get your seat–around 6:30 pm–we think this one is going to be full.
Everyone is invited to come, and its free. Bring a blanket or lawn chair (low ones please) and enjoy an outdoor concert in the Santana Row’s Park Valencia (in front of Maggiano’s). It’s going to be great fun.
We’ll be giving away prizes, including signed copies of the new CD, t-shirts, Mr. David balloons and more! We’re also donating 20 percent of all CD sales during the launch party to a local nonprofit for kids (we’re still finalizing the details on this, but will let you know).
Jump in the Jumpy House goes on sale August 25th at CD Baby, Amazon.com, MySpace, The Pokey Pup, and other retailers. Visit www.mrdavidmusicworks.com for a complete listing. We’re already starting to get reviews rolling in . . . and they’re great! Here’s the first from CD Baby . . . read more.
If Jonathan Richman were to make an album for kids, I imagine it would sound something like this. With a lyrical approach that is sharply stream-of-consciousness and keeps tongue planted firmly in cheek, these songs are bizarrely appealing, unassumingly witty, and never dull.
Sweat Pea Festival 2007; Mr. David Goes to Montana
August 12, 2007 on 12:11 pm | In Concerts, Touring and Festivals, Mr. David's Music | 1 Comment
Lightning lit up the sky, clouds ring out their towels.
Suddenly, Montana feels like a stormy island with raging oceans all around, then sunshine.
It was a beautiful two days in Bozeman, Montana. We open our first show August 4th at 2 o’clock sharp. It’s the Sweet Pea Festival everyone has been waiting for all year, a 30-years strong celebration of the arts, with multiple stages of live music, dance, theater and a mix of arts and crafts.
Wind chimes sway and thunder strikes. A flash of lightning kisses the mountains, then disappears into Montana’s BIG SKY, and what a BIG SKY it is—an open space everyone in needs to experience at least once. I know it’s hard to get out when jobs hold us down. I felt so thankful to be doing what I love, working on the road as a musician in one of the most beautiful states in America.
The Buckwild was right there backing me up. My new bass player Jason Covey is only 19. He’s got an old soul, a beard, long hair, shoots wild life photography and reminds me of Kurt Cobain. His humble persona makes him perfect for the band. The photos you see here were taken by Jason while we were in Bozeman.
Chad Elrod is on drums. Ahh, I am so thankful to have this guy backing me up. He’s truly is a great drummer who loves to yell out loud and lift me off the ground. His favorite thing to say is, “Yeaaaa!!!” and “Let‘s rock . . . whooooow!” Chad was born in Minnesota, and he started playing at the age of 9. He’s lived in Colorado, Wisconsin, Washington (Seattle), and just moved to California (San Jose). He graduated from Montana State in Bozeman, and so gave us a tour of the place. He brought us to a crystal lake behind some green and gold hills. “Come on Mr. David, you better go swimming. Be one of us.” I saw the fish flapping and splashing around, then jumped in. Jason hit the water next, then some old black lab walking off the road. It was so nice to cool down after our first show. It was our first moment to relax in ages.
When you wait all year for a festival like this one, there’s no holding back. This was a cool concert. The kind of children’s show everyone’s head bangs to. We open with “Jump in the jumpy House,” and everyone got up and jumped like crazy. This wild rowdy audience gave us even more reason to play our best. Kids were out there shaking to “The Stars Are Grains of Sugar” like hippies at Woodstock, with purple and blue water color on their hands and face.
“There’s a Grizzly Bear Behind You, Run!” was another big hit—probably because bears are a big deal in Bozeman. (There’s a local population in the mountains.)
We played outside, under unpredictable weather with no stage cover. It was a mix of bolts of lightning, sunshine and thunder. At the last go round of our set, it began to rain during “Reach Up,” and “This Land is Your Land.” Rain was dripping down on our amps and small children’s arms (but they didn’t care; it added to the excitement). The sky got ominously dark in the distance. Moms and Dads were still smiling like the rain was just a temporary breeze. That was another admirable thing about folks in Montana: they really loved their weather. It was dramatic and beautiful and changing by the hour. It definitely added a mystic touch to Sweet Pea Festival 2007. Mark your calendars for next year. Bring a fishing pole, and be ready to drive 1,053 miles.
Thank you to all the folks in Bozeman for being such great host, especially to Laura Prindeville and her family (Laura is director of the Children’s Museum of Bozeman.
I’d also like to point you to another great artist who was at the festival with me, Kuniko Yamamoto. Kuniko is a gifted storyteller who uses magic, mime, music and much more in her performances. She’s well worth seeing, if you ever have the opportunity. Here’s what the festival says about Kuniko in her write-up.
Her work, based on folktales from Japan, is a combination of storytelling, song, original masks, origami, highly-stylized movements and just a touch of magic. The wonders of the East set the stage as Kuniko shares heartfelt stories from ancient Japan.
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