>>PREVIEW
DAVE SIMPSON
Tuesday, February 13
Ironwood
Calgary singer/songwriter Dave Simpson continues to offer simple pleasures on his second release Live at Karma (Independent). The album was recorded live during the fading days of the beloved Karma Local Arts House, where he hosted open mic nights during the venue’s final year. The 13-track disc spotlights Simpson at his lucid best, just his voice, guitar and songs onstage, uncluttered by artifice.
Although Simpson has spent but a brief time on the Calgary music scene, the respect shown for his talents is obvious by the fact that respected blues musician Tim Williams turns up on a track, and Lorrie Matheson produced the disc. Listen to songs like the knockout "Drive" and you’ll know why. By the second time around, you have a picture of the motoring protagonist etched in your mind, and you lean in and listen for lines like "The highs and the lows fall like raindrops on the windshield."
Simpson is clear on the evolution between this album and last year’s recovery-themed charmer, So, Sober. "In terms of the difference between the two records, I’ve always known that the first one was completely personal and emotional, and knew that that wasn’t necessarily how I always wanted to write. It would get to be too much and I would end up going crazy and selling stolen handbags downtown. But they were songs that I needed to write in order to write anything else. I would have always been bogged down by those ideas and feelings if I hadn’t gotten them out. It was nice to take a step back and write a little more story-oriented songs for this record."
In the year between albums, Simpson has devoted himself to music full-time, including a weeklong tour of the East Coast. This year’s plans encompass recording a studio album with Matheson and transitioning away from Calgary. Some of the most positive feedback he received last year dealt with his no bullshit musical stance. "The most rewarding things that I have heard about the first record were all from other people in recovery who related or were moved by some of those songs, that kind of feedback definitely helps validate what I’m doing now." |
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