As you can tell by my calendar I stay pretty busy, splitting my time between Kalamazoo and St. Joseph, Michigan. This year my Saturday Special Events and Private Parties take me as far away as Bloomington and Chicago, IL and as near as your backyard. There are many advantages to working without an agent all these years, the biggest being that I decide where I perform and who my audience is. It's the reason I haven't had a bad day since 1982!

 

I began working on "The Tales Of Frodo Baggins" (a musical version of the Lord Of The Rings) in 2001. For six years I have concentrated on the lyrics and created fifty songs that tell the story of the Trilogy. Since 2007 I have been putting the words to music and completed ten melodies, four that I believe are the anchors to the piece. Writing for fourteen instruments and a string quartet is proving to be quite a challenge. I spend much of my "free time" in my home studio writing and recording. I had once thought that this was going to be a five-year project. I think it will take eight years to complete instead (good thing I don't have a day job.)

 

In 2002 I began the Need To Read Foundation (http://www.needtoread.org/) in an effort to inspire reading in our youth. Over the years we developed a unique reading program suitable for middle school and high school students alike to encourage (not teach) them to read. Funding from area businesses became available in September 2007 to further our efforts. In July 2008 one of the 57 Michigan Intermediate School Districts has decided to use our program in their curriculum and is slated for release in the second semister of this school year. To say the least, we are all very encouraged.

 

Over the years the CD "Bilbo's Great Adventure" found a level of popularity, especially since it's banner was featured on http://www.theonering.net/, director Peter Jackson's Fan Club website. In February 2004 I was invited to perform the music at one of the Lord Of The Ring's Oscar Parties in Hollywood, CA. My "fifteen minutes of fame" turned into a weekend to remember!

 

Also in 2004 I had a brush with greatness. Greg "Fingers" Taylor (of JB's Coral Reefer Band) and I worked together as a duo for a Summer Parrot Head Party. He flew in from Texas that morning, took a nap on my couch and we raced off to Harris' in St. Joseph, MI where an intimate crowd of JB fans enjoyed an evening with Greg and I. We recorded it for posterity and then decided to release it in the WWMC Store. Rest in peace, Dave.

 

Two years ago I formed a band with my friend for many years Jeff Mueller (band leader and bassist for Sideways West) to play for Ted at Shakespeare's Pub in Kalamazoo on St. Patrick's Day. Since we built the band for that one night (Mike First brings his violin and Tom Offkus plays drums), he called us "The One Night Stand Irish Band". The name stuck and we play Irish and Irish-flavored music only for Ted at Shakespeare's Pub and only on St Patrick's Day each year. Nobody wants to change the name of the band. 

 

A year ago I started a new band, or should I say a band started with me in it. Jeromy Timmer (finishing up the summer leg of his world tour right here in Kalamazoo) plays electric guitar and Aaron Miller (of Whisky Before Breakfast and Harvest Home Band fame) plays the congas. Jeff Meuller is our band leader, bass player and second vocals when duty calls. Together we are the newest version of the Warm Weather Band, playing what I play solo, only amped up.