Dave Nachmanoff

August 1998:

He may sing about being a square peg in a round hole, but a Dave Nachmanoff recording fits perfectly in anybody's music collection. His latest, "Snapshots," is quite simply a work of art.

It's a safe bet that we won't find anyone who doesn't like this disc. One of the reasons for its easy appreciation, among other things, is that it bridges so many gaps. Whether he's joking about love on-line ("Sometimes I Wish that You Could Spell"), anomalous weather phenomena ("Blame it all on El Nino") or how his new-found dog has changed his life ("He Threw Himself into Our Lives When He Threw Himself Into Our Car"), Dave's wit presents itself gently enough for everyone to understand, yet with a not-so-subtle sophistication that allows you to process it at your own pace.

Recorded to a packed Palms this past April -- it seemed like the whole town was there, until we realized they were turning folks away -- the disc also taps Dave's softer side, with some beautiful tunes about life and love, topped by "Thing of Beauty" and "I'm From Nowhere."

Of course, having a doctorate in philosophy certainly helps explain how he's able to present his ideas and weave those thoughts with such good music. Often hailed as a cross between Bruce Springsteen and Arlo Guthrie, it doesn't take but a moment to realize that Dave could open for James Taylor, Judas Priest or Ray Charles on any given weekend.

And the way he's going, he just might...
- The Davis Enterprise

Singer-songwriter Dave Nachmanoff looks at the philosophical side of life and he shares that with us through music and song. I liked the expressive lyrics delivered in a kind of free-style by this modern-day troubadour. He sings your songs and my songs -- everyday people songs.

One sure thing about this CD is that Dave is easy to listen to. His voice is smooth and mellow, and he has a turn of a note that adds a lot of interest to the verses. He receives my blessing as these are real folk songs and real folk singing without the muss and bluster that seems to accompany a lot of folk artists who try to impress and end up over producing.

Dave has lots of emotional images. Lyrics like "A fresh cup of coffee in the morning. That's a good thing ... The way we can talk with our eyes. That's a good thing." He makes an ordinary morning scene become an intimate experience.

I like the subjects in his songs as well: a husband and wife sharing coffee in the morning; another couple where one stays home and tends the cat while the other's on the road too far away; friends who are no longer in his life; an old man who lives with the ghost of his wife.

The last track reminds me of protest songs of the '60s. It's a political tune that could become a non-violent battle cry. "In a country as rich as this one don't you think it's almost time/That nobody should have to fly a sign." Flying a sign, he explains, is slang for "standing out on the roadside with a cardboard sign offering to work for food or money." Maybe those with heavy pocketbooks won't be able to appreciate the immediacy and intimacy of emotion that is expressed in some of the songs. Then again, everyone understands loneliness and that's a recurring theme on the CD, as well.

The arrangements feature guitars, bass, some violin and piano. One interesting cut gives credit to musician/producer Don Conoscenti for playing the wine bottles, brushes on lyric sheets, and finger taps. The triangle, too.

This came in a great CD case. It's folded like a brochure and the back page of the lyric book is pasted to the middle section so you're not going to lose it, the CD sits in the third section, and a sturdy cover keeps it all together. Its design means easy storage and retrieval and long-lasting quality.

Thirty-nine minutes and fifteen seconds is probably just right for this. At least in my busy life it is. I had to stop and spend time creating a relationship with this one and my usual M.O. is to play music while doing other things. I think, however, if you have the time to spend with this type of folk music, there are nine vocal tracks and two instrumentals here that deserve your attention.


[ by Virginia MacIsaac ]
Rambles: 18 May 2002
- Rambles

By David M. Meyers

The family business thrives.

Davis-based singer/songwriter Dave Nachmanoff has taken the stage at The Palms many times, but when he walks out there Friday evening, April 30, he'll be surrounded by family members.

"For this show, I'll be backed by my two younger brothers, Jeffery on drums, and Michael on bass," Dave said, during a recent interview.

"Jeff is coming up from L.A. just to do this show, and Michael is flying all the way out from Virginia."

This family reunion is hardly a coincidence, however, since Dave scheduled the show to coincide with the release of an album they all recently recorded, "The Threads of Time."

Dave and his family - wife Jen and daughter Sophia - graciously opened their home to The Enterprise, to discuss the upcoming performance, and how their lives as new parents have affected this musical family. Affectionately titled Nach Village, the East Davis property is complete with a pottery studio and display shed - along with her work as an environmental consultant and occasional bassist, Jen is an accomplished potter - and fully equipped, self-contained recording studio.

As we ambled out to the studio, Dave, who earned his philosophy degree at UC Davis, explained how the idea of playing this show with his brothers came to be.

"We were all back in my hometown this past December," Dave began, "and Michael had this idea to go into the studio ... just for fun ... to record a few songs. We weren't planning to make an album."

Actually, as I quickly discovered, the seeds of this album were sown many years before the family reunited on this particular occasion.

"Dave started playing music when he was 5 or 6 years old," said his father, Arnie. "When he was old enough to realize he needed backup - at about 12 or 13 - he taught his one brother how to play the bass, and the other how to play drums."

"They always were very good," added Dave's mother, Susie. "And it was fun having a band in the house."

"Now they say that," joked Dave.

The philosopher/musician continued the saga: "So we had played together years ago. We even played at each other's weddings. Also, back when we lived in London, we played with a guy named Pete Hamilton, who's just a wonderful songwriter, and we used to play Pete's stuff a lot.

"So we all talked about it, and decided for this project to do about half of my stuff and half of Pete's stuff, which he never recorded."

"The idea was just to goof off and see what happened," Dave continued with a mischievous grin, "but as we got closer to going into the studio I thought, 'if it comes out well...' OK, so maybe I had an agenda."

Recording an album can take months of studio time, however, and given the short amount of time the three brothers would be together over the holidays, Dave wasn't convinced that he could turn this project into anything more than a memory of some brief bonding time. And the three also had to overcome an anticipated barrier: breaking away from the family.

"We booked six hours of studio time," Dave sighed. "And the wives and family didn't want us to rehearse the whole time we were supposed to be visiting everyone, so we went into the studio completely unrehearsed.

"It was a really good recording studio, one of the best in the area. But we took forever to set up. Nothing was ready for us when we got there, and we had the most laconic engineer I've ever met ... I don't even remember his name.

"It took us an hour and half just to set everything up, and you're on the clock from the time you walk in. Our original intent was to play live, with me on the acoustic and singing, Jeffery on the drums and Michael on bass. They were in two rooms, and I was in another.

Warming to the story, Dave gets technical: "When we first started, I wanted to play with a click." A "click track" is a metronome sound that a musician hears during the actual recording of his individual part, to insure that he plays at the same tempo as the other musicians. The engineer subsequently synchs each individual part to create a final mix.

"Jeffrey, however, is a screenwriter, and hasn't played drums much recently. Well, it wasn't happening with the 'click,' so we tossed it out. I said, 'We're not recording a record, we're just having fun.' So at that point, we didn't stop to listen, and we didn't take a break. We just kept going."

The results were a pleasant surprise.

"It's amazing how much we were able to get done in such a short amount of time," Dave said. "Michael learned some of the songs right there in the studio. I'd show him the basic changes, and he'd just run with it. We even had time to record the first song I ever wrote, 'Spotlight of the Sun.' I wrote it when I was 9 years old.

"By the time we were done, we had 10 songs."

"They share a common language in music," Jen observed. "Sophia and I got to the studio just as they were finishing. When the three of them get together, there's no revvi - The Davis Enterprise

Singer-songwriter Dave Nachmanoff looks at the philosophical side of life and he shares that with us through music and song. I liked the expressive lyrics delivered in a kind of free-style by this modern-day troubadour. He sings your songs and my songs -- everyday people songs.

One sure thing about this CD is that Dave is easy to listen to. His voice is smooth and mellow, and he has a turn of a note that adds a lot of interest to the verses. He receives my blessing as these are real folk songs and real folk singing without the muss and bluster that seems to accompany a lot of folk artists who try to impress and end up over producing.

Dave has lots of emotional images. Lyrics like "A fresh cup of coffee in the morning. That's a good thing ... The way we can talk with our eyes. That's a good thing." He makes an ordinary morning scene become an intimate experience.

I like the subjects in his songs as well: a husband and wife sharing coffee in the morning; another couple where one stays home and tends the cat while the other's on the road too far away; friends who are no longer in his life; an old man who lives with the ghost of his wife.

The last track reminds me of protest songs of the '60s. It's a political tune that could become a non-violent battle cry. "In a country as rich as this one don't you think it's almost time/That nobody should have to fly a sign." Flying a sign, he explains, is slang for "standing out on the roadside with a cardboard sign offering to work for food or money." Maybe those with heavy pocketbooks won't be able to appreciate the immediacy and intimacy of emotion that is expressed in some of the songs. Then again, everyone understands loneliness and that's a recurring theme on the CD, as well.

The arrangements feature guitars, bass, some violin and piano. One interesting cut gives credit to musician/producer Don Conoscenti for playing the wine bottles, brushes on lyric sheets, and finger taps. The triangle, too.

This came in a great CD case. It's folded like a brochure and the back page of the lyric book is pasted to the middle section so you're not going to lose it, the CD sits in the third section, and a sturdy cover keeps it all together. Its design means easy storage and retrieval and long-lasting quality.

Thirty-nine minutes and fifteen seconds is probably just right for this. At least in my busy life it is. I had to stop and spend time creating a relationship with this one and my usual M.O. is to play music while doing other things. I think, however, if you have the time to spend with this type of folk music, there are nine vocal tracks and two instrumentals here that deserve your attention.


[ by Virginia MacIsaac ]
Rambles: 18 May 2002
- Rambles

by Michael Dashiell

       With nimble fingers plucking guitar strings and a voice lifting to the heavens, guitarist Dave Nachmanoff turned an ordinary song-writing workshop into a spiritual frenzy last week at Sequim's Pioneer Memorial Park.
       Nachmanoff was on his way to play the Juan De Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles last week and scheduled the workshop sponsored by the Sequim Church of Religious Science. He used his Jewish background to elaborate on the theme of the workshop: spiritual songs.
       "Songs are communal," Nachmanoff said. "We can share them, and it keeps people together."
       Singing lines like, "They tried to kill us, but we won, so let's eat," Nachmanoff had the audience laughing and thinking.
       "You can see how we can use humor to make a serious point," he said.
       Nachmanoff gave the audience a brief lesson in music history and even broke down the ingredients to a song, like a bridge — "It's where everything changes," he said, "real tough on the bass player."
       Asking for suggestions, he wrote down several spiritual topics for spiritual songs, including gratitude, relationships between God and each other, healing, celebration, peace and serenity. What developed was something of a mix.
       As Sequim resident Karla Bristow beat on a hand drum, Nachmanoff and the audience collaborated on lines that not only spoke of God's spirit, but of Sequim itself. "Deer in my orchard, elk on my lawn, coons in the pond and the koi are gone É just like the cactus grows in Sequim, thorns are a part of God's great plan," he sang.
       Nachmanoff visited Sequim last year but didn't do a workshop. He said workshops fit perfectly into his touring and performing schedule.
       "They are part of my bag of tricks," he said. "Workshops complement my other work, add dimension, and it means I'm on the road a little less."
       He played for the church's service Sunday. The Rev. Lynn Osborne said he was well received by the 51 attendees.
       "He's great, we just love him," Osborne said.
       Nachmanoff played the song created at the workshop. "They liked it," Osborne said. "It wasn't too crazy."
       Nachmanoff, 35, lives in Davis, Calif. He's played with every level of musician and in venues including schools, churches and nursing homes, as a solo artist or with bands, beginning at age 9 in the '70s to the present day. A folk singer with influences from many genres, he said his influences are too varied to pin down.
       The question most people ask him, he said, is whether he writes lyrics or music first.
       "I often write them simultaneously and tweak the elements later," he said.
       Nachmanoff encouraged the workshop audience to write on a specific theme or topic with their own unique relation to it.
       "General (topics) usually winds up a nice sentiment, but it's boring. There should be some level of detail," Nachmanoff said.
       Rhyme isn't necessary, he said, but is a good tool for making catchy tunes.
       "Rhyme helps people learn your songs, (but) remember, words don't rhyme with themselves!"
       Nachmanoff has been playing music since the age of 9. He plays piano and banjo as well as six-string acoustic guitar. His albums include "Candy Shower," "Snapshots," and his latest, "A Certain Distance." His Web site is www.davenach.com. Nachmanoff is playing several dates in mid-June in California. The shows are sponsored in part by a grant from the Davis Civic Arts Commission and have been dubbed the "Davis Elders Songwriter Project."
       Nachmanoff was surprised he had such a fun time with just one song.
       "If we can get in there and in half-an-hour come out with a song, that's great," Nachmanoff said.
- Sequim Gazette

by Michael Dashiell

       With nimble fingers plucking guitar strings and a voice lifting to the heavens, guitarist Dave Nachmanoff turned an ordinary song-writing workshop into a spiritual frenzy last week at Sequim's Pioneer Memorial Park.
       Nachmanoff was on his way to play the Juan De Fuca Festival of the Arts in Port Angeles last week and scheduled the workshop sponsored by the Sequim Church of Religious Science. He used his Jewish background to elaborate on the theme of the workshop: spiritual songs.
       "Songs are communal," Nachmanoff said. "We can share them, and it keeps people together."
       Singing lines like, "They tried to kill us, but we won, so let's eat," Nachmanoff had the audience laughing and thinking.
       "You can see how we can use humor to make a serious point," he said.
       Nachmanoff gave the audience a brief lesson in music history and even broke down the ingredients to a song, like a bridge — "It's where everything changes," he said, "real tough on the bass player."
       Asking for suggestions, he wrote down several spiritual topics for spiritual songs, including gratitude, relationships between God and each other, healing, celebration, peace and serenity. What developed was something of a mix.
       As Sequim resident Karla Bristow beat on a hand drum, Nachmanoff and the audience collaborated on lines that not only spoke of God's spirit, but of Sequim itself. "Deer in my orchard, elk on my lawn, coons in the pond and the koi are gone É just like the cactus grows in Sequim, thorns are a part of God's great plan," he sang.
       Nachmanoff visited Sequim last year but didn't do a workshop. He said workshops fit perfectly into his touring and performing schedule.
       "They are part of my bag of tricks," he said. "Workshops complement my other work, add dimension, and it means I'm on the road a little less."
       He played for the church's service Sunday. The Rev. Lynn Osborne said he was well received by the 51 attendees.
       "He's great, we just love him," Osborne said.
       Nachmanoff played the song created at the workshop. "They liked it," Osborne said. "It wasn't too crazy."
       Nachmanoff, 35, lives in Davis, Calif. He's played with every level of musician and in venues including schools, churches and nursing homes, as a solo artist or with bands, beginning at age 9 in the '70s to the present day. A folk singer with influences from many genres, he said his influences are too varied to pin down.
       The question most people ask him, he said, is whether he writes lyrics or music first.
       "I often write them simultaneously and tweak the elements later," he said.
       Nachmanoff encouraged the workshop audience to write on a specific theme or topic with their own unique relation to it.
       "General (topics) usually winds up a nice sentiment, but it's boring. There should be some level of detail," Nachmanoff said.
       Rhyme isn't necessary, he said, but is a good tool for making catchy tunes.
       "Rhyme helps people learn your songs, (but) remember, words don't rhyme with themselves!"
       Nachmanoff has been playing music since the age of 9. He plays piano and banjo as well as six-string acoustic guitar. His albums include "Candy Shower," "Snapshots," and his latest, "A Certain Distance." His Web site is www.davenach.com. Nachmanoff is playing several dates in mid-June in California. The shows are sponsored in part by a grant from the Davis Civic Arts Commission and have been dubbed the "Davis Elders Songwriter Project."
       Nachmanoff was surprised he had such a fun time with just one song.
       "If we can get in there and in half-an-hour come out with a song, that's great," Nachmanoff said.
- Sequim Gazette