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The Grassroots Oasis & Dave Howard Present: FATE RUMBLED Album Release Listening Soiree
The current socio-political climate in the U.S. and the madcap adventures of the Tweeter-in-Chief will certainly be documented in books and blogs for years to come. But can a local songwriter deliver a potent and captivating concept album that puts it in the artists perspective? If youre Dave Howard, the answer is Yes, its ready.
Fate Rumbled is the latest recording by San Diego singer-songwriter Dave Howard who describes the album as a fake rockumentary about a fictional time and place with characters that could never possibly exist. The song ideas and lyrics were developed and written during the 2016 presidential campaign in the months leading up to the election. They were my observations and reactions Howard says, to what was happening, what was incubating, what was deteriorating. I was shocked and riveted by the craziness that overtook the press, the candidates and the electorate. It was like seeing a wreck on the highway and being unable to look away.
Without naming any names, Howard vents his frustration and shares his lens on the personalities and events that are unique to the new normal And while Howard has been typecast over the years as a balladeer of love songs, Fate Rumbled shows off this veteran songsmiths diverse musical palette, sharp lyrical edge as well as his studio chops at the controls.
This time hes playing all the instruments, singing all the vocals, producing and recording. For the last year I had these lyrics but no music. he says. I got so wrapped up in my straight corporate gig that I abandoned all artistic output. It ended up nearly killing me. Eventually I went on a leave of absence and ultimately resigned and I had time to actually pick up my guitar and doodle on the keyboard. I started recording some tunes that were in my bag from the last few years. As soon as I did that, the music for the songs on Fate Rumbled just poured out. One by one I would write music, record parts as they came to me, then move on to the next song. As I went on, the bones of a cohesive story started to emerge. Things moved really fast.
Howard wrote and recorded all the tracks during the month of June and finished mixing at the end of July. His wife Terri watched him go out to his garage studio and disappear for a few hours then come back in and say Check this out! Howard recalls, She had never seen me work like that in the studio before. She was surprised at the pace of my process.
The album is comprised of nine songs, coming in at just over 37 minutes. Its not an opera. I dont want to force a whole storyline into peoples heads says Howard. I read some interviews Pete Townshend gave around the time Tommy was being finished. He had several ideas about how the blanks between the songs could be filled in. I feel the same way about (Fate Rumbled). Thats a playwright or screenwriters job. It would be cool if someone actually felt like doing that. I didnt want the album to run too long and have the listener disengage.
There are some clear building blocks to the story behind the story. For starters, the album artwork features a Soviet-style propaganda poster with a group of workers, all wearing U.S. flag lapel pins, standing proudly arm in arm in front of a red flag that says in Russian Make America Great Again. The question is, Howard says, grinning did we join them or did they join us?
The lead off track, Gather All the Fables takes direct aim at the current battle between the press and the government and differing ideas about what is true and what is fake. Oh today my friends were safer than weve ever been is the hook that evokes a town crier whistling in the dark for the masses. The supporting cast is drawn in broad strokes in the second verse Barking orders at the queens, poking fun with generals. Let the lawyers out the cage, your daughters out the kennels. The song evokes a sort of Depeche Mode vibe with some heavy guitars for texture, the title being whispered in between verses.
Two other key tracks are Daddys Silver Spoon and Five and Dime. The former is a scathing, Clash-sounding op-ed about the main character and his self-entitled disregard for anything other than his own agenda and his climb up the family ladder. The latter tells the story of a former executive, now a homeless man with a sign in front of a store who lost everything in an economic downturn.
But theyre not all caricatures says Howard. There are a few songs that are more personal to my own life challenges and how I developed the world view that shaped the rest of the album. Listening to Crazy days, Dangerous Ways we get the Dave Howard story in condensed form. Listen closely and you can see the outline of his youth in New York, his move to California, his experiences in the music scene and moving into middle age and raising a family. The album closer, Suffer for a Dream is a song about letting go and moving on without regret or resentment. The story goes the way it goes. he says. No matter how it ends, were all going to wake up and do our thing the next day.
There are a few bright spots also. Quasar and That Little Something are two upbeat pop songs that show light at the end of the tunnel and express a more hopeful point of view. Quasar in particular shows the wide range of idiomatic tools at Howards musical disposal. The production sounds like early Steely Dan with lyrics by Elvis Costello.
Fate Rumbled is probably my favorite track Howard says. It has a simple song structure. Theres nothing sophisticated about the music but the mood is set with the instrumentation; grand piano, guitar, bass, drums, strings all build to an big crescendo then crash and start over again. Its just like what were seeing on the news and social media.
Check out the first video for "Gather All the Fables" here: https://youtu.be/sPCYk7CoWA0
For more Info: www.davehowardmusic.com
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LocationThe Grassroots Oasis (View)
3130 Moore Street
San Diego, CA 92110
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: No |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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