Full circle at the Straightaway
By Mark Vanderhoff, Staff Writer
Black Mountain News Thursday, March 4, 2010, Page B3 By many measures of success, Dave Turner had a good thing going as an advertising copywriter in Atlanta. "I'd be a lot wealthier if I hadn't decided to return to the Asheville area and pursue my dream," he said. But dreams are hard to shake, especially when they involve music. Turner still works as a freelance copywriter, carrying his laptop with him to telecommute while on tour, but he's also a pianist singer-songwriter who has cut two albums and has been touring as far away as New York City. He plays regularly at the Straightaway Cafe, where he'll perform at 6 p.m. Saturday, and he's joining other local musicans at the second Help Haiti Heal benefit March 13 at the White Horse Black Mountain. On a music scene rich with acoustic roots and guitar-driven rock, Turner stands out as a solo pianist. He's come a long way from playing in his house as a teenager, growing up on Riceville Road at the edge of Swannanoa and Asheville, and listening to Elton John, Tom Waits and the Beatles. He saw musicians like David Wilcox at the Town Pump when it was called McDibb's, and he briefly attended Owen High School before transferring to Asheville High, from where he graduated in 1980. He worked in Atlanta for 13 years before moving back to the mountains with his wife and three children. And now here he is, watching his eldest child get ready to leave the nest, preparing to record his third album, and getting ready to drive to Dallas for a string of gigs in the oil town and several points between. The songs for his next album are written, and now he's formulating the instrumentation. "I really want to try to push the creative envelope with this album," he said. "I have these Appalachian roots, but as a pianist, I don't have the instrument that connects me with Appalachia in most people's eyes. Maybe there's a way for me to do that. I've always been a fan of acoustic instruments. If I can feature those kinds of instruments, maybe I can connect with my Appalachian roots." Turner has been speaking with banjo player Kevin Scanlon, another Straightaway regular who's played for several Asheville musicians and bands. In the past, Turner has recruited members of Stephanie's Id and Floating Action to provide a backup band. He also values stripping down the music. "The songs have a different vehicle being played solo versus with a band," he said. "Sometimes I think the storytelling aspect comes through more effectively when played solo. It's more laid back. You can talk about the story before you play it, frame it differently." Asheville, Marshall, and west of the Mississippi
For those of you across the country, watch for some performances I'll be announcing shortly for late March along the road from Dallas, TX, back to the Carolinas (and if you'd like me to perform in your town between those two points, please send me an email with suggested venues). And I'll be rescheduling recent Maryland and Washington DC area shows that were canceled due to snow for May and June.
This week in the Southern Appalachians: OK - the weather forecast looks good for getting out of the cabin and healing the fever here in Western North Carolina, so come on out for some live music if you're in the area. I'll be playing two free shows:
All the best, -Dave www.daveturnermusic.com Full Calendar Listing: www.daveturnermusic.com/calendar.cfm British born artist Rupert Wates to bring ‘Joe’s Café’ show to Asheville
To be joined on Tressa's stage by local performers including Dave Turner, Valorie Miller and Peggy Ratusz
  Rupert Wates, a British born singer-songwriter based in New York City, will bring his captivating show “Joe’s Café” to Tressa’s and will be performing it with an array of local singers and musicians including Dave Turner, Valorie Miller and Peggy Ratusz. March 19, 2010 Tressa's Downtown Jazz and Blues 28 Broadway Asheville, NC 28801 828-254-7072 www.tressasdowntownjazzandblues.com 8 pm, admission $10 at door About the show The latest project from the award-winning Wates, “Joe’s Café” is both a traveling road show and a new full-length CD. It features fifteen original songs based on true stories, each with an American theme and set at an epochal moment in America's past, from the Civil War to the dust bowl Depression, the Second World War, Vietnam, and the struggle for civil rights, all the way to the present day. Wates, writing from the viewpoint of a cultural outsider, recasts in song the stories of ordinary American people; and through them, he traces the history of America itself. In live performance and on the CD, each song is performed by a different singer. The impression is created that each person is telling his or her own story, and that they have all come together to share their stories in a place called Joe's Cafe. Whenever “Joe’s Café” comes to a new town, the ensemble for the show is recruited from singers and musicians local to the venue. The theme of the album is community, and pooling collective local resources as the staging method is a continuation of this theme. The audience provides the last link in a circle of friends entering the warm and welcoming atmosphere of an all-night cafe, always open to anyone with a story to tell. About Rupert Wates Rupert Wates was born in London and has been based in the USA since 2006. Previous releases include “Sweet Or Bitter Wine” (2005) on the Mainstem label, and “Coast To Coast” (2007) and “Dear Life” (2008), both recorded for Bitemusic Limited. “Joe’s Café” and all albums are available for purchase at www.rupertwates.com and on www.cdbaby.com. Media voices “Truly gripping lyrics with great themes and troubling, witty messages. An inspirational artist.” (Leith FM Radio Scotland) “Every cut's a gem, completely absorbing, enthralling, and thus we have a new and unique songwriter/musician already in the front ranks by dint of timeless work.” (Folk And Acoustic Music Exchange) “A delight to listen to...These are songs crafted with care and imbued with sincerity and conviction.” (Britsound Radio New Jersey) “A songwriter of the very highest quality.” (Online Musik Magazine Germany) Contact Rupert Wates and Bitemusic Limited | 206-354-4122 | bitemusiclimited@hotmail.com Audio and images download www.sonicbids.com/joescafe Free song + this weekend in Black Mountain (and beyond)
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