Education and Training:
My formal music education started with private piano lessons as a child. Later I studied many instruments at the Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD and then after that, Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. Although I'm also proficient on drums, keys, mandolin and vocals, bass is my primary instrument.
Goals and Dreams:
Like most musicians, my goal has always been to take my music as far as it can go. Early on though, I became intrigued with the idea of being one of those guys who, in addition to writing and and performing my own music, plays on other people's records. For the past 20 years, that's exactly what I've been doing.
I love being able to contribute to other artists' music. Increasingly, these are people I never get to meet in person (but Skype gets us pretty close!). Whether it's tracking 10 songs for an indie CD or a 30 second cue for a network TV show, I get to absorb myself in new music and help someone else achieve a goal of their own. Pretty cool!
Experience:
I've played on countless CDs and singles for independent and signed artists alike. These recordings have included some A-List players like Frank Gambale, Oz Noy, Brett Garsed, TM Stevens, Larry Fast, Matt Halpern as well as members of Tower Of Power, Blood, Sweat & Tears, the Buddy Rich Orchestra and the Allan Holdsworth Band. I've also written, performed and recorded three CDs in the popular drum instructional CD series - "Turn It Up and Lay It Down" which consists of bass loops and full songs optimized for drummers to use as a practice tool. These CDs are distributed and sold nationally at Guitar Center and other fine retailers.
About 18 years ago, I began doing session work for a national music licensing firm whose clients include Viacom, HBO, MTV, FOX, Columbia, Tri-Star, Dreamworks, Paramount and many foreign TV networks. I've composed and/or played on tons of DVD trailers (the upcoming attractions you see when you rent a DVD), as well as providing the theme or background score for films, reality TV shows and video games. Some highlights include:
- Pitbulls & Parolees (A&E)
- Life Below Zero (National Geographic)
- E! True Hollywood Story
- MTV's Punk'd
- NBC's "Parenthood": Perchance To Dream episode
- Rob Zombie's remake of "Halloween"
- CBS's "Cold Case"
- Numerous ESPN shows and segments
- HBO's "Six Feet Under" and "Point Pleasant" DVDs
- Grand Theft Auto IV video game
- ACC Basketball
- NBC's "Coastal Dreams" (web-only soap opera)
- "Arthur and The Invisibles"
- "Wild Things IV"
My primary band Crack The Sky is signed to the Carry On Music label and we're preparing our 21st CD release! Between tracking for a client or recording my own material, it seems I'm always working on my "studio tan".
Prior to Covid, I was averaging 180 shows per year with a variety of bands & artists. I'm choosing to look at the downtime away from gigging as a chance to restore balance in my musical life by doing even more recording and composing. I've also recently begun homeschooling my 7-year old daughter!
Dave's Tao of Tracking
Biography
Photo: Joe Amey
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