Dave Anderson

FAST FACTS

Release: Wish It All Away
Date: July 1
Hometown: Perth
Resides: Sydney
Genre: Acoustic, Rock, Pop
Influences: Epicure, David Ford, Damien Rice, Pearl Jam

Mailing List: As of Dec 08 = 400 Peeps
Website: As of Dec 08 = 299 Unique Visitors per day

Significant Timeline

'02-05: Played first gigs in random London bars and cafe's.
Dec 05: Moved to Sydney
Jun 06: Opened for Epicure - Peninsula Lounge and Newtown RSL
Jun 06: 200+ People to Debut Gig in Perth @ Mojo's Freo
Dec 06: 2 x 100 People Sell Out at Jazz Cellar, Kings Cross
Mar 07: 120+ Headlining the Vanguard, Newtown
July 08: Debut Album Released on Itunes!
July 08: 250 People at Hyde Park backroom
July 08: 160 People to Vanguard Album Launch
July 08: Juan Alban from Epicure supports Melb Album Launch (100 people)
Sep 08: 3.5 Stars Sunday Telegraph
Oct 08: 4 Stars Sydney Morning Herald

About Dave

With so many bands and songwriters harboring unrealistic ambitions of being celebrity rock stars, Perth born songwriter Dave Anderson is refreshingly unphased by the cut throat music industry and the gloomy future for full time musicians as he prepares for his debut CD launch tour.

So much so, that he has self produced and is promoting his debut album, "Wish It All Away" without a manager, a booking agent or a record company. "I'm not alone in that so many songwriters are out there doing what I'm doing. I'm just trying to do the best I can with what I have, whilst making sure that my number one priority is to simply enjoy it."

Playing his first gig in a London bar to a few barflies and his flat mates five years ago, Anderson an MBA graduate and marketing professional was a late starter in music. It was his cricketing cousin Stuart MacGill who, whilst on tour during the 2005 Ashes Series in England, came to a gig and convinced him that he should relocate to Sydney and record an album. "Stu has been a great support. I often use him as a sounding board to test out new songs which has worked really well cause he'll always tell you exactly what he thinks!"

His self funded independent debut album titled "Wish It All Away" reflects his emotive writing style. "I write what I feel, which has helped me deal with the sadder moments in my life." His genuinely emotive acoustic balladry and warm aching voice has a certain honesty to it that would sit well with fans of David Gray and Pete Murray. So much so that Anderson once stumbled across a note that was scribbled on a table after one of his jazz cellar gigs that read "He's really good, but he sounds like Something for Kate/Pete Murray". "My girlfriend tried to cover up the note, thinking I would be offended. I just laughed, because comparisons to artists like that means I'm doing something right."

Anderson's three city tour that takes in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, has already sold hundreds of tickets. His show at the Vanguard in Newtown is a near sell out and guest support from Epicure's Juan Alban is an added attraction for the Melbourne gig.

"The album took me a year to record. It was a lot more stressful than I actually thought with some very late nights and long weekends in around my full time job. I am thrilled with the outcome and am chanting at the bit to play the first show at home. It's been a long road, and for me, it will be a celebration with a sigh of relief all rolled into one".

Anderson has relied on the support of a number of his musician and marketing colleagues to perform on the album and tour, as well as assist with everything that goes into making an independent release on a shoe string budget.

"You have to benchmark yourself against a major, which means you rely on a lot of supportive people. It's a lot of work, so you have to enjoy the journey, because the beauty with music is there isn't an end goal."

His touring band of musicians and professionals includes lead guitarist and actor Rupert Reid, pianists and event manager Vanessa Seymour-Lee, bassist, forensic scientist and record producer Simon Struthers, drummer and recruitment consultant Chris O'Brien, and viola player and marketing consultant Bourby Webster.

An avid reader of music press and an active blogger, Anderson loves nothing more than tinkering with his website, connecting with other musicians, going to gigs, and browsing the local record store. "It's a cliche these days, but you have to be online. It's kind of exciting because you learn something everyday."

Nothing more than writing his heart out and playing to anyone prepared to listen.

Labels: Bio

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