Caught in the Carousel

Dave Gleason

By Alex Green

Dave Gleason

Like a poet or a painter, Dave Gleason understands the beauty of midnight, the thrill of the radio on a late drive down the coast and the loneliness of a bar glowing neon blue under the moonlight. In Dave Gleason's world, those three things are the main locus points for where magical things happen: nostalgia lives in those bars, romance courses through the currents of midnight and love, loss and the profound understanding of the self can be found left or right of the dial.

A perfect blend of cascading country rhythms, roots rock jangle and heartfelt Americana, Gleason's new album Turn And Fade marks a career highpoint for the California singer/songwriter. A stunning song cycle about how getting older can make you understand what it meant to be young, Turn And Fade looks back at the road disappearing in the rear view mirror with a perfect blend of poetic sentimentality and intellectual comprehension. But Gleason doesn't bemoan the loss of time, he mourns the loss of its signature emblems, like the purity of radio or the swoon of a country song ringing across a bar. Not that those things are gone, but the specific ones that Gleason sings about, the ones that populated his life and marked themselves permanently on the map of his heart, are memories now and memories, as we all know, are the knives with the sharpest blades.

Dave Gleason

But if memories cut deep, then the songs cut even deeper: "Radio 1965" is an upbeat number with lilting overtones of emotional longing; the title track is awash in aching nostalgia and "Wait For The Rain" is a thoughtful mediation about memory and "where you see what's behind you." Elsewhere, the instrumentals "All Morning Long" and "The San Joaquin" are commandeered effortlessly by Gleason's trusty guitar; "The Neon And The Wine" is a doleful ballad doused in regret and "Blue Side Of The World" is a dreamy number that gets more done in under three minutes than most bands do in three albums. But nothing is as riveting as "Tonight" a slow and crushing track that finds Gleason declaring, "this guitar is never tired."

For that, we are the lucky ones.

On the road to Nashville, Gleason let CITC keep him company:

Caught In The Carousel: First of all, congratulations on what I think is the best album of your career. Can you talk a bit about the writing of this record?

Dave Gleason: Thank you so much for the compliment! I really appreciate it. I am quite happy with this new record. Writing it...well, I've had "Blue Side Of The World," "If You're Going Through Hell," "The San Joaquin" and "Pale Blue" laying around for a few years. I have about 200 songs laying around the house waiting to find a home! But those I mentioned were at the top of the list to be recorded. The rest of the album was written in one weekend, where I stayed up late and just sat down and wrote a bunch tunes. I knew ahead of time the players I would be working with: Justin Smith, Rich Dembowski and Jason Chesney from the great band Old Californio, so I chose the tunes that I thought would come across real well with their style and feel.

CITC: How has your songwriting process changed in the last ten years?

DG: Songwriting has gotten to be more and more fun over the years. When I was first starting, it was certainly more stressful and of course I would concern myself with what people would think...the usual stuff. But I have gained confidence over the years and with that confidence writing became a fun process, something to look forward to doing. As far as a process though, not much different really...sometimes I will sit down and write 10 songs in a weekend, other times I will not really feel like it, and won't write for a couple months. When I will get in a writing phase, I can feel songs brewing in me and I know I need to get it together; take some time and let them out.

Dave Gleason

CITC: What were you listening to during the writing and recording of this album?

DG: Well, just kind of my usual stuff I listen to, I guess! I am always listening to the Classic Country music I have loved for years: Buck Owens/Merle Haggard and all that great Bakersfield Sound material. I always like to listen to that '60s/RCA Waylon Jennings material, as well as the Everly Brothers' later '60s/Warner Brothers recordings. And I am always listening to any and all recordings of the great Clarence White; whether it is The Byrds albums with him playing electric guitar or the Bluegrass recordings with the Kentucky Colonels. Buffalo Springfield and Kaleidoscope LP's are always on the turntable at home as well, as are Bob Dylan albums. I have also been in a MAJOR Hank Williams Sr. phase lately.

CITC: I love the record you did with Neil Hamburger—how did that come about?

DG: Ah, yes...The Country Winners record! That was a REALLY fun album to put together. Basically, the great Neil Hamburger is an old friend of mine and we share a common interest in records, among other things. And we both are big country music fans. We both decided it would be a fun project to put an album together. So, Neil started sending me lyrics he had written and I, along with Neil and Atom Ellis, put them to music. We also chose a few cover songs to do as well: "The Hula Maiden" by Mark Eitzel, "Jug Town" by Billy Ed Wheeler...the next thing we know we have an album ready to go! We lucked out and had Atom Ellis playing bass guitar with us as well as Bay Area legend and drummer of The Tubes, Prairie Prince, who wanted to play drums with us. Neil called the band 'The Too Good For Neil Hamburger Band'! We cut that album in three days in San Francisco, and it was released through Drag City Records. We did a West Coast tour as well and shot a live DVD in Los Angeles. The DVD also came out through Drag City. We have been loosely discussing doing another album together in the future.

CITC: What is your proudest professional moment?

DG: Proudest professional moment...One that is always in my mind was the first time I got to share the stage with guitar legend Albert Lee. Albert Lee has been a favorite of mine for years and years, and I have followed his career a long time. Love his playing/ideas, love his voice and all of his albums, including the numerous albums with him doing session/lead guitar work with Rosanne Cash/Ricky Skaggs/Dave Edmunds/Jann Browne/Patty Loveless/Rodney Crowell and so many more. Anyway, I first met Him in Ventura, playing a show at the Ventura Fairgrounds. It was arranged that Albert would come and sit in with a band I was playing guitar in for a while—Johnny Dilks & The Country-Soul Brothers. It was a life-changing event for me, as I had admired Albert Lee for so long. To share the stage and trade guitar parts...luckily there were plenty of pictures taken or I never would have believed it! Albert and myself became fast friends, and he ended up playing on my third album Just Fall To Pieces.

Dave Gleason

CITC: I love "Radio 1965"—what can you reveal about that one?

DG: 'Radio 1965"...I'm glad you like that one. That song is the reflection of my first two or so years of moving to Southern California and playing out in the clubs and honky tonks of L.A. and beyond...Bakersfield/Joshua Tree, four and five nights a week sometimes, driving all over the place, doing shows of my own as well playing guitar for a lot of other singers/songwriters. And basically just the feeling of always going somewhere--packing up and leaving the gig late at night, driving home and doing it again the next night...or day...or both! I'm usually skipping through the radio dial, as late night radio can be very interesting.

CITC: How about "Wishing I Was Here Tonight"?

DG: That song was written the same night as 'Turn And Fade' and 'Radio 1965'...as well as 'Wait For The Rain" and 'Tonight." A weekend I was home by myself with the odd feeling of Glad To Be Home and Have A Little Time Off, mixed with So Used To Being Out Playing Somewhere...that I kind of didn't know what to do with myself, with this downtime! Very confused and bit melancholy, which I find to be a good place to write from. Especially late at night!

CITC: Was it a natural choice for the album closer?

DG: 'Wishing I Was Here Tonight' I first thought would be an acoustic song...but then I often think that, as that often is the writing process: sit down with your acoustic guitar, etc. Natural choice for album closer…not really. But I believe it was the last tune we recorded, and it seemed to feel like a good exit. Justin Smith brought so much energy and great drumming to that song that what I thought was a mellow kind of song turned into something that insisted on turning up the guitars...and trying to really dig in. The acoustic outro was an afterthought.

Dave Gleasn

CITC: What's your take on Nashville?

DG: I am in Nashville as we speak! I love Nashville—it is a really great city. All of the business/industry/New Country kind of stuff that folks speak of...is behind closed doors here. There are some of the best players I have ever heard playing clubs all day, every day here. Very educational. We were at The Station Inn last night hearing The Time Jumpers, a local Western Swing/Country outfit. Vince Gill was playing mandolin and guitar and singing IN the band and Gene Watson was in the crowd, so they got him up to sing a couple tunes. Very small place, thrilling to watch Vince Gill in a bar. These situations are a regular occurrence in Nashville. Seems to be a great indie rock scene here as well, some great record stores and a lot of very cool venues. I like Nashville!

CITC: Here's a dilemma: would you ever let your music be used on a show like The Hills?

DG: I will be honest with you...The Hills or anybody who would want to use a song of mine—I would love it! That is how musicians can actually make some money these days. I would be thrilled to have that exposure.

Dave Gleason

CITC: What are your plans for the next year?

DG: 12 month plan...keep playing/touring wherever I can; I also plan on starting work on an acoustic Bluegrass style album later this summer.

CITC: Do you have a personal philosophy?

DG: Hard work and determination is the driving force that has gotten me where I am. Go with your gut feeling, always trust your instincts.

Turn And Fade is out now on 326 Records.

Internet:www.dave-gleason.com