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December and the old train keeps rolling down the tracks. Hope you are well and not getting stressed or depressed with the holidays or weather. I know it’s hard waking up in the dark and going home in the dark. I leave the house for a 7pm gig and it feels like midnight!

I started an email list and I hope you will join! The form is on the home page and I will personally send one email per month with inside information on events and music. Let’s create a strong community outside of social media.

Three December shows down the Jersey Shore and I’m staying busy recording new music too. I hope to have my album ready to go later this winter or early spring. Speaking of music I tried to use a “music playlist” promoter and it got one of my songs “Horizontal Line” removed from Spotify! You can still hear it on all other platforms, lesson learned.

I hope to see you at a gig this month please come out for a real good time! The calendar is up to date as is Instagram. Stay warm!

November and I’m looking forward to playing a couple of live dates and working on more new original music and classic covers. Hope everyone is finding some time to de-stress and enjoy their time before the busy holiday season begins.

If you are down the Shore please come to Icarus brewing on 11/16 for a night of acoustic Grateful Dead and beyond, start time is 6pm. Then the following weekend I’m back at Halfmoon Point for a mellow night of eclectic covers, it’s a cool little bar, 7:30 till last call. I have a busy December schedule as well!

I’ve been slowly finishing up some more new original songs too. The band is also scheduled to record this month as well. Hopefully I will have songs that I really love to share over the winter or spring.

Thank you for listening to Grateful Dave on streaming platforms and you can also call your local college radio stations and request Grateful Dave! See you down the road. Peace, Dave

It’s fun how fast time can fly by when you are busy. Sometimes fun, other times stressful it all somehow speeds up when you have lots going on. I can’t help but look forward to the next shows. When I’m playing music time seems to disappear along with a lot of the daily struggles and worries. In the moment, playing music, is the best for me.

Very excited about Harvest Fest at Toms River Brewing on Saturday, October 5th! We have a great day of vendors, the band, a food truck and of course seasonal brews. The band and I start at 4pm and we hope to be outside, feel free to bring your own lawn chairs as seating is limited.

If we need to play inside the tap room we will hopefully pack it full of kind people grooving to the Grateful Dead! The vendors will be in the brew room. Either way it’s an exciting start to the fall season.

The following Saturday I’m playing solo acoustic at Icarus Brewing Company. The new location is big, loud and a lot of fun! Join me from 6-9pm for set of Dead, Floyd, Phish and a few other gems I’ve been learning.

A couple other dates of note this October: Friday 10/18 at Half Moon Point, 7:30 till last call and the following day in Lavallette at Soups of the Shore Festival Saturday 10/19 11-2pm, it’s a Jersey Shore Soup Contest with local restaurants. Come taste and vote!

Oh yeah about Hallowe’en I read that it used to be a day of fasting and prayer ahead of All Saints Day in Christian religion. So funny that now it’s about costumes, candy and for some wild parties. My guess is there is also some older tradition that these fun activities are drawn from, I guess I will look into that next October!

The live gigs slow down a bit as the nights get longer and colder November through March. Looking forward to recording more new music and hopefully sharing it over the winter and spring! Peace, Dave

Autumnal Equinox is almost upon us, another season and another reason to enjoy these moments as we pass through this cosmic journey. Summer was great and I’m looking forward to some new original music and several fall live shows.

“Walk With You” single release date is 8/31/2024 and will be live on all streaming platforms. It’s mellow and although not the best thing I’ve ever done, the lyrics ring true to me and were written after reading a songwriter book by Andrea Staple over the summer. I was able to apply some external and internal details that make the lyrics a little bit more interesting than others I’ve written. This is my fifth single since 2023 release of “The Way”.

Grateful Dave is streaming on all platforms including Spotify and Apple.

If you live in New Jersey or are up for a visit I have several live shows scheduled for September through December including Icarus Brewing, Half Moon Point and our first ever “Harvest Festival” on October 5th at Toms River Brewing featuring our full band and many local artisans.

As always thank you for supporting indie music and I will see you soon! Peace, Dave

When I was a kid playing in my first band, that actually got paid to play, we had to learn covers by other artists. At the time I hated it because I was sure our original songs were amazing or we should maybe cover Phish and that was it. Among the many songs we would cover that really were a lot of fun like “L.A. Woman” and “Alive” was the Neil Diamond classic “Sweet Caroline”.

I still don’t know how we all know to sing the ad lib “oh oh oh” and “so good so good” but as a teen it was enchanting. To see people young and old affected by music and to full commit to singing along, much like watching a bar room floor slowly fill up with dancers, was enchanting. Looking back I’m so glad that I gave playing cover songs a chance, not only has it given me a career in music but helping other people have fun is one of the most rewarding parts of being a musician, from covers to broadway musicals I’m thankful for Neil Diamond and his album Hot August Nights!

This August join me for four solo acoustic gigs! Friday, August 1 at Icarus Brewing in Brick, 7:30pm all Grateful Dead show! Saturday, August 10 at Toms River Brewing (hopefully outdoor in the beer garden) 6pm. Friday the 16th I’m playing a wide variety to classic songs at Half Moon Point (amazing dinner menu) 7:30pm till last call. Then Saturday the 24th a mellow cafe gig at A Thyme for All Seasons, music starts at 5:30pm (I hear the Mac and Cheese is great). All the details are on my event calendar and Instagram. See you soon “So Good!” Dave

Hey there! Hope your summer is off to a great start. Went to the grocery store today and bought some corn on the cob and I’m not sure how it’s possible “Jersey Corn” is available. Growing up in Michigan the mantra was “knee high by the Fourth of July” so how is this corn ready? My guess it’s southern corn in disguise! Anyway… join me for a few great nights of acoustic music. I am enjoying the weather and playing often in July with Uke & Drum as well as solo acoustic Grateful Dave gigs.

Half Moon Point, Point Pleasant NJ Saturday 7/6/2024 at 7:30 pm

A Thyme for All Seasons, Toms River NJ, Saturday 7/20/2024 at 5:30 pm (BYO)

Icarus Brewing, Brick NJ, Friday 8/2/2024 at 6:30 pm (new location)

Is there any month finer than June? It’s special for me in a personal way and also just the best weather down the Jersey Shore, where I live. The ocean is still freezing cold but everything else is just about perfect. Hope you have a great month, I am back at live shows in July! Follow on Instagram for all the latest events. Recording some new Grateful Dead and Phish acoustic covers for YouTube soon!

I have recently joined bandcamp to make my songs available for download directly to fans. You can support me and other indie artists and it only costs $1 per song. Please take a look, it’s pretty cool for both fans and artists. The link is: https://gratefuldavemusic.bandcamp.com

I’m writing this post a few days early because June is going to be super busy with live shows and events. My other project Uke & Drum has a lot happening all month long. If you are interested in a different vibe that is also close to my heart check out Uke & Drum on Instagram.

Peace,

Dave