
I'd learned about David Dondero through an interview I'd done with Conor Oberst back in 2001 for Heckler magazine. I can't remember exactly how his name came up, if it was becasue of the song they had recently recorded, or if he was talking about his early influences... either way, the second I hung up the phone I went straight to the internet looked up David Dondero and fell in love.
Over the years I got to spend a decent amount of time with David traveling across America. I remember sitting with David in Iowa City, eating lunch on the curb when he asked me if I wouldn't mind listening to a new song he was working on? "Of course"I said, so we picked ourselves up and made our way up to the balcony of the small club. David told me that this was the first time he's tried to play the whole song and that it may take a while. for at least 15 minutes I sat and watched David clumsily worked his way though the song, the entire time with goosebumps covering my entire body. The song was called " The Price of William Sound" which eventually became the lead off track to his 2007 album "Simple Love".
I think this video was taken 4 or 5 days later in Columbus Ohio when David tried to play the song live for one of the first times on the "Get Tropical Tour" in 2006.
David has this way of showing his nerves. When he's comfortable he takes his time.. and when he's not, he plays faster and faster until he eventually just ends the song half way though (like he does in this video)
In the summer of 2012, David came through Vancouver and asked if it would be alright if he stayed with me for a few days before he started another solo tour across the county. I did my best to make David feel at home. Somewhere between the beach, dinners out, punk rock shows, fancy drinks, draft beer and long walks home from the bar, laughing and talking about what we were going to do next with our lives, David played an amazing show at the Electric Owl and finished off a new song....
This is the first time David played "Punching Against The Guns" live.
What's rad for me about this track was that David finished it in the back room at The Shop Vancouver one night while we had an epic dance party! Blasting 90s hits like Mariah Carey, DMX and maybe even a little bit of Shaggy tossed in for good measure, David sat in the back room until 3 or 4 am working on this song, which he played for me at the end of the night.. asking "Does this sound right ? Bramage? Which David explained as "muck inside your brain making it hard to get things out, like a clogged drain."
Then titled "Punching Against the Guns" was a response to the shooting in Colorado at the Batman Movie premiere that had happened a few weeks earlier.
David (complete with broken hand) talked about being sick of hearing about these kinds of instances, and how the first thing you hear after they happen is someone sticking up for gun laws. When he heard the news about the shooting he actually broke his hand on the bar when he slammed his fist on the bar saying " when is this sort of thing going to stop?"
The track was later titled "Boxers Fracture" and found its way onto his 2013 release "This Guitar".
Today I saw via Instagram that David is out on tour supporting his new album "Inside The Cats Eye" do yourself a huge favour and be sure to check out Davids show, buy an LP, CD or Shirt and support this wonderful human.
04.11 Chattanooga, TN @ JJ's Bohemia
04.12 Nashville, TN @ The Basement
04.13 Knoxville, TN at WDVX Blue Plate Special
04.15 Cincinnati, OH at The Listing Loon
04.16 Dayton, OH at Blind Bob's Bar
04.17 Columbus, OH @ Tree House
04.19 Akron, OH @ Hive Mind
05.07 Montreal, QC @ Casa del Popolo
05.15 Portland, ME @ Apohadion Theater
05.16 Winooski, VT @ Monkey House
06.07 Corvallis, OR @ Interzone Coffeehouse
06.08 Arcata, CA @ Miniplex
06.19 Flagstaff, AZ @ Firecreek
06.20 Phoenix, AZ @ Trunk Space
06.26 Eugene, OR @ Old Nick's Pub