David Moore

For those who don't know, today is a very important day for music. A day I have been waiting for for the greater part of this decade, this millenium in fact. Today we have been blessed with a digital EP by David Moore. I can say with complete and total confidence that David is my generation's most under-appreciated singer-songwriter.

Ten years ago marked the release of "The Moon My Saddle" by Chamberlain, a band fronted by Moore. The album changed my outlook on music and has been my overwhelming pick for best album of all time. At the time I was a senior in high school, into the hardcore and punk rock scenes. One of the bands I listened to was Split Lip, a band typically catogorized as "emotional hardcore." They released "For the Love of the Wounded" in 1993 which actually stands out in my mind as having one of the greatest instrumental tracks from an indie band, ironic as Moore's bands are known for his voice and astounding lyrical abilities.  

It was 1995's "Fate's Got a Driver" that became a landmark in the hardcore scene and was the beginning of many changes in the band. In 1996 the band remixed and rereleased "Fate's Got a Driver" under the name Chamberlain, an obvious sign of their maturation, both as people and as a band as a whole. Things would only continue to mature as The Moon My Saddle released to critical acclaim in 1998. As Split Lip and then Chamberlain released material between 1993 and 1998 you could literally hear Moore grow into his own voice, a powerful, earthy baritone dripping with emotion.

At this point, let me be sure to mention Adam Rubenstein, the guitarist and composer for both bands. Chamberlain wouldn't work without Moore's vocals, but Rubestein's song writing supplies the base for what is accomplished by these bands.

I'm not sure what type of inner strife was going on behind the scenes when Exit 263 was released independently in 2000, but the band soon called it quits and went their seperate ways. Drummer Charlie Walker joined Jonah Matranga and members of Texas is the Reason for an all-star band of sorts (New End Original) that only managed to last long enough for one album. Rubenstein released a solo album under the monikor Adam Dove, and Moore, well, I'm not sure what happened to him. His bio speaks of him selling his equipment and becoming a time share salesman. The idea of this still makes me cringe. It'd be like Pablo Picasso deciding to work in construction for awhile, definitely not the way the universe would want it.

During this time a double CD retrospective (Five-Year Diary) was released independently consisting of a couple of never before heard tracks, live versions of previously released songs, and a section of songs released on The Moon My Saddle recorded at Big Brown, a log cabin tucked deep in Brown County, Indiana. This recording session also produced a large portion of Exit 263. The album was something to be clutched tightly by Chamberlain's most loyal fans as this was expected to be the final chapter in the storied history of Chamberlain.

At some point in 2004, Moore joined some friends to form the The Chevy Downs Band, recording a stripped down album influenced with everything from gospel to bluegrass. Two songs on the album, Small Details and One Hundred Proof were written by Moore giving us an idea of where his musical stylings were headed. It may have been a totally different band, but you couldn't miss Moore's trademark lyrics. He hadn't skipped a beat. I personally missed this album for months so discovering the fact that new material was available was both amazing and excrutiating as I couldn't find it anywhere online and had to wait a week for it to arrive by mail. A long wait to say the least.

Finally, in the winter of 2005, Adam Rubenstein paid his old friend a visit and sold him on the idea of a solo album. He'd even take guitar duties for the third time in Moore's musical journey. News of this upcoming album was reported nearly 18 months ago on Moore's MySpace page, but the weeks of waiting quickly turned to months and soon an entire year had passed. Fans waited anxiously for any news of this mysterious album. The comment section of Moore's MySpace page is littered with inquires as to when the album could be expected. Updates were slow to say the least, but fans were kept in anticipation by an uploaded demo track every couple of months. The fact that new music existed and had been recorded could only be seen as a promising sign.

During the wait I was able to find a live set from CBGBs posted deep in the recesses of Chamberlain's Yahoo fan page (insomnia has its advantages) and there was a Live@FYI set by David and Adam. We were even treated to a live track from Moore's SXSW performance and another track from when (gasp) Chamberlain got up for an impromptu reunion set at the same festival. This fact practically left me in tears as my wife and I have sad many times that we'd fly anywhere in the world for a Chamberlain reunion regardless of the price. The only catch? I HAVE TO KNOW ABOUT THE REUNION!! Heartbreaking to say the least.

As time progressed, the demos on Moore's page turned to studio tracks, the updates came quicker (if only by just a bit) and we were treated to a new MySpace header claiming Moore to be the legit musical entity that he is.

This all brings us to today. The wait has begun to pay off as we've been treated to new music from Moore for the first time in years. After all this waiting am I disappointed by what I hear? Not in the least. Breaking You Down has been on Moore's page for some time so it's a well known tune for me by now, but I can finally claim it as my own. As Moore himself sings on the track, "You can not hold on to what does not belong to you."  To be able to finally hold on to these tracks and to be able to listen to it away from my computer is worth the cost and then some. "Corner" is a new tune that was part of Moore's Live@FYI set and in my opinion may outshine the title track. The song has that type of catchy chorus you'll find yourself singing to yourself no matter where you are. Prepare for some strange looks as your caught singing by your peers. As if both songs for a combined total of 99 cents weren't enough, purchasers may be surprised to find a third download, a live video of Breaking You Down filmed at the Cutting Room. As of today, there is no sign of this download on iTunes which I can't see being by design. Two songs for a dollar? Awesome. Two songs plus a live video for a dollar? Unbelievable!  Advertising this fact could only increase downloads and let's be honest, at this point of his career, it's only right for Moore to become a household name. He deserves every bit of fame, of recognition, of appreciation that comes his way. It's time for the world to stand up and appreciate David Moore for what he is. One of the greatest songwriters of all time.

The News. Yuck.

So I'll admit it up front. I do not understand our fascination with 24 hour news. I can't begin to comprehend why anyone needs more than 13 seconds of news a day let alone twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. First of all, it's never good news. Never. Even if you think it is, they'll turn on you so quickly that you won't know what hit you. From cute furry squirrels learning to water ski to "This just in. It seems that the Plague has resurfaced in America. Details after the break."
Secondly, these are strangers. So a woman in British Columbia got her purse stolen during last nights Bingo. So what? Most of us couldn't even point to British Columbia on a map if we were asked. (hint: it's not quite driving distance from Great Britain.)
I bring this up for a reason. You see, it's actually getting worse. 24 hour news is quickly turning into every single second news. Just this morning I'm getting ready to start a data training at work (that's what I do now, take pretty simple products and services that we offer and teach them to people who like nothing more than to take simple ideas and complicate them beyond belief. But that's another post). So anyway, one guy shows up a couple of minutes early and as we wait for the others to arrive, his BlackBerry starts to vibrate. He looks down for a moment, looks up and says to me, I kid you not:
"Some 15-year old kid got buried under hot asphalt in Canada." I'm not making this up. I'm not even exaggerating. At all. I guess he's signed up for some kind of service that alerts him to when teenagers are buried under hot asphalt in Canada? Are you serious? Why would anyone feel the need to have this information immediately sent to their mobile device? God forbid we have to wait for the evening news to hear about today's tragedies. We want tragedy now! Constant tragic reminders! I'll pay the twenty cents for the text message, just send it! We've even have CNN setting up their own Twitter page. Can you imagine?
2:12pm: Person dead.
2:33pm: Person almost dies.
2:38pm: Getting ready to wash the mobile camera van.
2:42pm: Someone shoots someone else. Dead.
Depressing. Can someone please please please explain this to me? Quickly, before some other teenager gets buried under hot asphalt. Cause you never know, this time it could be in the US! Gasp!

Friday

So yesterday sucked.  I spent the night and half of the morning in the bathroom cursing Pizza Hut’s lunch buffet.  I’m not positive that the pizza was the culprit, but being that I haven’t had their buffet in years, and now all of a sudden I’m debating moving my pillow and a blanket into the bathtub, they’re getting the blame.  Deal with it.  So yesterday was a wasted day.  I ate a bunch of saltines, drank some Ginger Ale, and promised never to eat a pizza buffet ever again.

Today, however, is going to be a productive day.  I will mow and edge the yard, get a hair cut, take the dogs for a walk, and begin some preparations for tomorrow’s Buffett party!  That’s right, tomorrow is the second annual Bechtel Buffett Bash!  My main job is to prepare for the Cheeseburgers in Paradise.  They’re going to be slider style, nice and small with some big flavor.  Gotta find lots of small buns as well.  Kristen’s going to be getting all the other food ready since she’s a crazy party planner.  I’m not kidding, the girl can throw a party!  It should be a good time.  I’m hoping for two things, it’s not ridiculously hot, and it’s not raining.  75 degrees and partly cloudy would be just about perfect.  We’ll see what we can get.  

I suppose it’s time to start on the lawn.  I have two dogs.  Which means mowing the lawn is a two-step process.  Gross.

Lunch

So I still don’t really have anything witty to say. Now that I’ve started this blog I can practically guarantee that I will never ever in my life have another interesting thing to say. It’s pretty sad really. I mean, I guess after a while I’d get used to it. If you look around, most people you see are completely wit-lacking. I guess I’d join their ranks. There’d be a lot of us, practically a witless army if you will. I guess it wouldn’t be that bad, I’m still pretty neat even if not witty so perhaps I could lead this unfunny army. We could change the world, me and this sub average motley crew. Soon I’d be famous. And forget the paparazzi and all that mess, no one wants to follow around someone with nothing interesting to say. I’d end up a rich, powerful celebrity who still enjoys his private life without interruption. I think I like this idea. So yeah, nothing witty to say. My apologies.

Oh yeah, lunch. Joined some coworkers for the Pizza Hut lunch buffet. But don’t worry, my gym clothes hung out in the locker room the entire time. That’s gotta mean something right?

So um... Hello?

I created a blog.  Here it is.  I don’t have anything witty to say at the moment, but sometimes I do and then I think “boy, it would be cool to have a blog,” but I don’t, so nothing gets posted.  Now I have a blog, so I have no excuse the next time I think of something cool.  Anyone want to make bets as far as how long it takes for me to think of something cool?

Listening: Underoath - Desperate Times, Desperate Measures