News
February 24, 2004. Here�s the latest news on my recovery from shoulder surgery. The first week after surgery I was flying high and my only worry was that I�d have to go back to work much sooner than anticipated. That worry quickly dissolved after visiting the doctor and having the stitches out last Wednesday. Apparently I had underestimated how much relief the �pain pump� had provided, because that night, shortly after the pump was removed, I went into a period of time that will henceforth be known as the �The Night From Hell�. My thinking was that the FIRST WEEK after surgery would be the WORST WEEK. Boy was I wrong.
I realize now that the marcain, that was being pumped into my shoulder joint, was doing an excellent job of numbing the nerve endings. Until it came out, I wasn�t sure it was doing anything at all! I know better now.
Now I feel like I thought I�d feel after an operation, and it HURTS!! But enough of my whining. Thanks to all of you who�ve sent me cards, and called and kept me in your prayers. It�s nice knowing that people care about you and, believe me, I truly appreciate it.
I�m using the time to work on some new music. There�s nothing ready for the recorder yet, but some good ideas are in the works. I�ll keep you posted.
February 16, 2004. This morning I was suprised to find a message at my dmusic site congratulating me on being "runner-up" at the Internet Battle of the Bands'(IBOB) Valentine's Day Love Song Contest. Although I know people like this song at dmusic, I didn't really expect it to do that well and I forgot to even check the results of the contest when they were announced.
I wish I could say that "Come Fly Away With Me" was a popular choice (as well as the judges' pick) for runner-up, but in truth it was played only a handful of times compared to a few of the other entries. The version I submitted (in F#) was one I recorded on a whim with my daughter, Katie, singing a very pretty descant over the second verse. Production-wise it's full of flaws, but Katie's beautiful voice makes up for a lot of them. Anyhow, I'm thrilled to be able to say that the song was judged worthy of being a top contender. It's a great honor.
You can see the announcement at IBOB.....and to answer the question that's burning in everyone's mind: no, there isn't a prize for "runner-up". Oh well.....maybe next time!
February 11, 2004. Thank you to all my well wishers. Surgery was successful and I�ve already begun physical therapy to regain range of motion in my left shoulder. I did have an unexpected overnight stay in the hospital however, due to some problems with controlling the pain in the recovery room. The pain issue was quickly corrected but I encountered another issue that keep me up most of the night - going to the bathroom. It was quite an experience going to the bathroom since my right arm was connected to an I.V. and my left arm in a sling and my shoulder connected to a device that continually iced the area of surgery.
It seemed like I had to pee every fifteen minutes, which required buzzing the nurse station, having someone disconnect the ice hose, unplugging the I.V. from the outlet, trying to get out of bed in a sling with my hospital gown falling off, cramming everything into the bathroom, trying to lift up the toilet seat while the gown is falling into the toilet, and then reversing the procedure to get back into bed. Meanwhile I had a roomy named Matt who was trying to sleep through all of this. Sorry, Matt.
At one point in the middle of the night I decided to take matters into my own hands. DON�T EVER TRY THIS. I accomplished what I set out to do, but created an unbelievable tangle of slings and tubes and Velcro in the process. Fifteen minutes later I had to pee again and just called down to the nurses - who put everything back the way it was supposed to be.
On a music note or two: I noticed that I had twenty-two song plays and four downloads on SoundClick yesterday while I was at the hospital. That�s a pretty good day all things considered. I also noticed that �Come Fly Away With Me� is back in the overall dmusic top 20 - which is remarkable. And, even MORE exciting: I see that someone, other than George Dubya, left me a message on my new tagboard. Thanks to all who have taken time to listen to my music!
February 1, 2004. Good news for all you Misfit Toys fans - we've added a great bass guitarist to the band. Dick Detwiler jammed with us twice this past week and I think we all felt he was a natural fit. So now there's five of us and the group is complete. The set lists are extensive so it will be awhile before we're ready to hit the road. In the meantime we're talking about a press kit, a new demo and a website. Also, it seems there are other "Misfit Toys" out there, so a name change may be necessary. Anyway, I'm excited that performing live is in the near future for us.
More good news....I just finished recording another new song, Carolina Breeze, which puts me closer to releasing my second CD. You can listen to it here.
Now the bad news.........on February 10th I'll be undergoing surgery on my left shoulder to release adhesions that have limited my range of motion over the past couple of years. The recovery looks to be quite painful and it will probably mean a couple weeks of band practice where I just sit there and and play my harmonica...boo hoo :( ...... But don't feel too bad for me. I should be feeling pretty good by the time my Myrtle Beach vaction rolls around in April, and I might actually be able to swing a golf club again!
January 23, 2004. As you probably noticed, I've actually added a couple of new features to this site....it's just the kind of guy I am. The first feature is a gift from my good friend Mary Hastings. Mary sent me the code for a "countdown calendar" that gives me a way to see just how many days I have to endure until I can retire from my first career and begin my second career in earnest. You can see it on the home page at the bottom and rejoice with me as I get closer.
The second new feature is a tagboard, which serves kind of as a guest book for me. There's a link for it on the main page. My dream is that two people would actually visit this site at the same time and have a conversation on it. It could happen. If you are reading this and want to make my day, go to the tagboard and leave a message. You can make up a fictitious name if you want, and you don't have to fill in the box for email or url address.
January 10, 2004. I'm very exited to say that links to this website and to my music are appearing on the websites of more widely known indie artists.
My good friend and loyal supporter, Jennae, has just started a new website promoting her own alternative music as well as the music of other indie artists like me. She updates it daily and keeps it jam packed with great info and good links. Her daily journals alone will make you a regular visitor. It's really a greatsite. Please check it out at Jennae . You'll be glad you did!
Also I'm excited to say that "Come Fly Away With Me" is "song pick" of the day for January 2nd on Serena Matthew's website (Serena's Songbox). Serena is a very talented folk singer with more fans than I'll ever dream of. Please check out Serena's Songbox and then go to her main page Serenamatthews.com . It's another great site - especially for people who like folk music.
On the music scene, I'm still learning new songs with my new band, The Misfit Toys and enjoying every minute of it. Frank, Laurie, and Chris are wonderful muscians and all around great people to be around. We're still lookin' for a fifth "misfit" and are close to filling out the band. This means we have yet to play out any where, but that's okay since I'm still pretty ragged on quite a few songs.
I've been spreading my original music out a bit. One of the major music sites, mp3.com, closed its site down in November so I've added my songs to a couple other sites. Visit my "links" page to check them out. My good internet friend, Jennae (check out her link), has been instrumental in connecting me with people in the music business, and through her I may have an opportunity to have some of my songs published. Keep your fingers crossed!
Happy New Year,
Dave
The News Archive:
March 2004 ~ September 2004
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The contest was judged by Rick Iantosca, an independent record producer from the New York City Area. The "first" first prize went to, "I Really Did Love You", by D.S. Sully, who actually owns the site. He, of course, disqualified himself paving the way for
96 Decibles (an internet collaboration) to win the contest with, "Set Me Free", in turn making way for "Come Fly Away With Me" to come in second place
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"I hereby certify that Dave has survived surgery"
Dr. Thomas Hansen
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September 2004 ~ May 2006
August 2007 ~January 2008
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