Matt Connarton Unleashed: Dave Strong

0:00 Speaker 1: I love that. I absolutely love that. That is called being around and that is Dave Strong, who we have here with us live in studio. Let me get that that mic up there. How's it going, Dave?

0:11 Speaker 2: What's up? How you doing good?

0:13 Speaker 1: I can hear you. Mike's working. That's all the that's all the battle. Really nice. Dave Strong is with us live in studio. He brought his guitar. He's gonna gonna play for us. And uh, and you brought your friend, uh.

0:26 Speaker 2: Tyler, Yeah, that's my son, Tyler.

0:28 Speaker 1: Well, that's your son. Hello. You don't look old enough to have us really Wow, that's incredible. Are you also a musician, Tyler Goudon pull that micup?

0:37 Speaker 3: No, but I come from a musicianist family.

0:40 Speaker 1: Okay.

0:43 Speaker 2: Tyler actually has done some of the artwork, my digital releases and stuff. He I'll take he took a picture and he makes like, you know, the things that go on Spotify and Apple Music. Yeah, that's say what like what I am? Says Dave Strong? Like being around on? He does that stuff.

1:01 Speaker 1: Oh very cool. I can't do much of music, but I can do like the art. Well, that's that's important. I mean, that's a huge part of it, especially in the era in which we live, you know, yeah, the visual aspect of it. Also before we get rolling here for those watching online, let me try to get this on the camera here for those watching on online. So Dave brought so this is vinyl that we talk about vinyl a lot on the show. So this is your self titled album.

1:28 Speaker 4: Yep.

1:29 Speaker 1: When did this come out?

1:30 Speaker 2: I came out about a year and a half ago.

1:32 Speaker 1: Very cool.

1:33 Speaker 2: I'm working on releasing my second one soon.

1:35 Speaker 1: Okay.

1:36 Speaker 5: That one's going to get outed to the office.

1:38 Speaker 1: Yeah that's that's yeah. Yeah, that's awesome.

1:41 Speaker 2: I come bearing gifts.

1:42 Speaker 1: Yeah, thank you. Yeah, no, that's very cool. Copyright now, Oh is one of these a uh oh? One of these is the Ramones cover and one is yes, so what so most of these are originals? Correct?

1:56 Speaker 2: Yeah? Eight of the ten are originals okay, yep, ones of our own song and one's Eddie Cochran.

2:03 Speaker 1: Very cool, very cool, So thank you. Yeah, that's that's excellent. And he brought you brought us pins too, yep. Probably can't see these as well on the camera, but no, that's great, thank you. Yeah, this is and this was released on Fameless Records.

2:19 Speaker 2: Yes, small little label out of Philly.

2:21 Speaker 1: Oh, no kidding, how'd you how'd you get connected with them?

2:25 Speaker 2: I've been playing music for a little bit now, and I have pitched a few ideas to Tim who runs the label in Philly, and you know, we just got talking through social media and like he liked what I was doing solo. Yeah, he goes, you know, now's a good time to put it out. So I said, all right, let's do it.

2:46 Speaker 1: Yeah that's awesome, And so I assume it's also available on CD and yeah, that'd be weird to just do a vinyl release.

2:53 Speaker 2: Streaming. Yeah, those ten songs are streaming, plus another ten songs on like Apple, Music, Spot, Amazon, Deezer, all those.

3:02 Speaker 1: Okay, is this your only full length album? Because I noticed just looking online it looks like you put out a lot of singles.

3:10 Speaker 2: Yeah. I do a lot of singles. So when I started, I was doing just band camp singles. And then like I said, my buddy was like, yo, we can maybe do a compilation like CD tape record maybe, And that's how that happened. And that's the first ten songs that I put out. And since I've just I've been trying to be consistent with my singles. But there is a plan probably in December. Loosely December is when the next ten songs will go off to press to be like the Dave Strong second album or whatever. I don't know the name of it.

3:51 Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, it'll be like a blue one or something. It'll be cool. And we almost sold out of those. I think we pressed three hundred and we're about to sell out of those, and we're going to repress that one too, which is really cool.

4:03 Speaker 1: No, that's amazing. Good for you, man, Good for you. How do you uh? Everyone always says this question, but how do you describe your music for someone who's never heard it? Because pretty eclectic stuff. Like I listened to a lot of a lot of your music online in addition to the tracks that you sent me. It's really eclectic and hard to uh. I mean, I wouldn't know what to tell somebody. Like if somebody said to me describe Dave Strong, I'd be like, I don't know. I mean, there's definitely you know, there's a punk vibe there.

4:29 Speaker 1: But but a song like uh or be Around, it's like just I just love that so much. By the way, I love the lyrics, you know, but I mean, how do you clever?

4:40 Speaker 2: Yeah?

4:41 Speaker 1: What's that?

4:41 Speaker 2: It's a clever song?

4:42 Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah, Like how do you How do you describe your music to people who've never heard it?

4:46 Speaker 2: Usually, so in general, I'll say it's like Green Day meets Weezer meets the Ramones or something like all all kind of stereotype three popular bands that someone might have heard, you know. But it depends on who I'm hanging out with. If if like a bunch of punk people are like, what do you sound like, I'll be like, I sound like I'm punk. I'm really punk, check me out. Or if like my mom or her friends are like, what what do you sound like? I'll be like, well, I sound like the Beatles, like a little faster, or like Eddie.

5:20 Speaker 2: I do an Eddie Cochran song, which is like from the fifties, you know, So like I'll be like, yeah, maybe I'm like Geene Vincent on speed or something like that, you know, because some of the songs have upright bass. So I grew up listening to the Beach Boys and Oldies and the Beatles. I love harmonies and stuff like that, you know, And then then I got into like Nirvana and Ramones, so I keep it rock and roll, but yeah, like catchy poppy rock, I guess. Yeah.

5:50 Speaker 1: And so now do you always or do you usually play with a band or do you do a lot of because I think you had mentioned too you had recently done a solo show or last night you had done a.

6:00 Speaker 2: Last night I did a full band show at O'Brien and that was awesome.

6:06 Speaker 1: That's a great room.

6:07 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was great. There was a lot of people at it too. It was cool. Parking stunk well yeah yeah, yeah, but very supportive, great bands, really cool place. But I try to play live with a band as much as possible. If somebody asks me to play, I always ask my band first. Yeah, but you know, my drummer lives in Western mass my second guitarist lives in Connecticut, and my bass player lives in Barrington. So we're all like in different states.

6:39 Speaker 1: Oh wow, Yeah, it's not like gas is expensive or anything.

6:43 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean we are. We are going to Germany too, Yeah, no kidding, I mean the big shows when it matters. I mean I think every show matters. But when when push comes to shove and like it's a Saturday night packed place, they're going to be there, yeah with me, Yeah, you know. But I'm playing next Saturday night in Portland, Okay by myself at spring Hill Tavern, Okay. And then I'm playing the week after the fourteenth at Gino's in Portland with a full band.

7:13 Speaker 1: Nice.

7:13 Speaker 2: So you never know, you never know what you're gonna get. I like to I don't like to say no to shows. Yeah, so like if a show is on a Wednesday night or something, it's gonna probably be just me right right, It's like a Saturday night, you know, it's gonna probably be the band.

7:29 Speaker 1: Portland's a great scene. Is that? Is that where you're because you're from Maine, right, yeah?

7:33 Speaker 2: I live pretty close to Portland, maybe like thirty minutes from Portland.

7:37 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah yeah, people who don't know, I mean it's it's kind of Portland's a lot like Boston, I feel, in terms of the scene and the diversity of it, a lot of different kinds of music there. Do you play? So are you playing? It sounds like you play a lot every weekend.

7:54 Speaker 2: Do you have shows? I've been trying Yeah, yeah, yep and good.

7:58 Speaker 1: And then when you go to Germany, is the full going with you?

8:01 Speaker 2: Yes? A variation of the band. My buddy Bernie, who plays bass for us, is gonna stay home, but Lee, who plays guitar. It's funny. Lee plays drums on a lot of this, a lot of the studio stuff. He's like my right hand man almost when it comes to this stuff. He doesn't play every show. Sometimes we play a three piece, but he always helps out in the studio, especially on this new album. He's gonna play bass in Germany and my drummer Jared is gonna is gonna come and play drums, so we'll do a three piece.

8:33 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'll have a full band in Germany.

8:35 Speaker 1: Okay. It's nice that you have that kind of flexibility where you can, you know, you can kind of just make it work, you know, and change the configuration as you go if you need to. So that's pretty cool.

8:45 Speaker 2: Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's stressful as well.

8:50 Speaker 1: How many how many dates are you doing there?

8:53 Speaker 2: We're gonna be there for six days and I think we're gonna play four of them.

8:58 Speaker 1: Okay, have you been to Europe before?

9:00 Speaker 2: I have been. I've played with my friend Jeff before over there. Yeah. We flew in to Spain, played two or three shows in like Madrid, Leon wow. And then we flew to Amsterdam and played Amsterdam and Rotterdam. Yeah so, and I think that was like in eight days. We probably played four or five shows and eight days. Wow, no kidding, that was about five years ago. That was really fun.

9:28 Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, very cool, very cool. Oh right before the pandemic, right before yeah yeah, yeah, good thing. It wasn't four years ago. You would have would have been able to go.

9:37 Speaker 2: Yeah.

9:39 Speaker 1: Now, so okay, so I have to ask you this, So you've got to I've been dying to ask you this question. You've got a brand new single that just came out, which we're not going to play today. Now. We love to play new stuff on the show. The only reason we're not playing this is called I Hate Joe King's roommate. And the only reason we're not playing it the usual. I make a radio edit if a guest has something and I want to play it, you know, and if they don't have a radio edit, I'll make a radio edit. I just go in, I reverse where all the swears are.

10:09 Speaker 1: And I don't mind doing that. You know, it takes me five minutes. I'm pretty efficient at it. But I was listening to this track and by the way. I love the song. It's a great song, but I thought there's so much here there would have to be reversed and it would kind of wreck the song. So I was like, I don't just artistically, I don't think I should mess with this one. But here's what I'm dying to know. I want to know. There has to be a story behind.

10:33 Speaker 2: This, right, sure is?

10:35 Speaker 1: And who is Joe King? And why is his roommate upset you?

10:40 Speaker 6: So?

10:42 Speaker 1: Because I can't tell, Like, we learn a little bit about Joe King's roommate from the song. We learn that he's apparently a very upsetting person. But I don't know, I think, but I don't know exactly, And I don't know how about you can divulge, but I mean, I have to ask. I'm very curious. The song made me very curious.

11:04 Speaker 2: All right, I'll be as forthcoming as I envy. Okay, So I wrote that song with my friend Pete Curtis, probably in like nineteen ninety seven, Oh, okay, nineteen ninety eight. I was in high school and he We were in a band called the Illegitimates. The Portsmouth punk scene was kind of cool and going on. There was a place called the Elvis Room. I think there was one in Portland too, honestly, but it was it was thriving. There was great bands coming in and out of it. And you know, he was in a band. I was in a band, and we just ended up playing in a band, yeah for a bit, and we wrote that song I hate Joking's roommates.

11:44 Speaker 2: So Joe King is the singer of this band, the Queers. Okay, they're like a popular punk band from New Hampshire. Yep, they tore everywhere. They're pretty famous now.

11:55 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah.

11:56 Speaker 2: I mean he's written songs with like Joey Ramone, and you know, he's played a lot. He plays a lot, he makes money off of music and he you know, I love the Queers. I was listening to him on the way home last night. You know. They were like one of the first punk bands I ever listened to. In my eyes, They're like the Ramones for me. Yeah. So I always looked up to Joe. A couple of my friends played in his bands and stuff. And Mitch, who is Joe King's roommate at the time, he was like this. I don't know if he was an army vet or if he was just like a hippie type dude, but he had he always had like a green long army coat and long orange chair.

12:40 Speaker 2: Scruffy dude. To be honest, really nice, Like usually he was very polite. He was like, hey man, how are you? That's all you would say, or like hy man, you know that's it. He wouldn't he wouldn't like try to get in conversations. He wasn't mean or anything. And we were just like always trying to hang out with Joe or try to talk to Joe and this guy was here and he'd be like, hey man, we hate Joking's roommate. Yeah, you know, he lived above Series Street in Portsmouth. Like we thought we were the coolest people hanging out with these guys.

13:18 Speaker 2: Yeah, but that's pretty much the story. Man in a nutshell.

13:21 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, So did he hear the song?

13:26 Speaker 2: Or Joe has? Joe has heard the song? I sent him copy of it and we actually did a music video and everything. He's not in it, but I mean he says he likes it. I don't know, he hasn't reposted it or anything, but yeah, he knows about it. And I don't know how to hollow would even get a hold of Mitch or anything. But a couple of people have asked me about it because Joe has had tons of roommates.

13:54 Speaker 1: That's that gives you plausible deniability because if Mitch ever turns up and he's like, heymen, which I assume is how he would open the conversation, right, hey man, kind of hurt my feelings. You can just say Joe King's had tons of roommates, why do you think it's about you?

14:12 Speaker 2: Right as you talked about it on the air.

14:17 Speaker 1: But then you can say, well, yeah, but he's you know, Mitch is a common name. He probably had. It was probably somebody else named Mitch who was Joe King's roommate. Why do you think it's about you? Don't be a narcissist, Mitch.

14:29 Speaker 2: Why is everything about you? Mitch? I hate you that ye see?

14:34 Speaker 1: So it all comes full circle. Oh that's that's great. Okay, Okay, Yeah, I was hoping there was a story. I was I was actually afraid of asking you that it was going to turn out to be some you know, the fictional thing that you just made up to be funny. So I'm glad there's an actual story.

14:50 Speaker 2: Oh, it's real, real life. It happened a long time ago. But yeah, yeah, you knows.

14:58 Speaker 1: Oh that's great. So here's what I think we should do. I'll play another studio track, and then while that's playing, if you want to grab your guitar, and then when we come back from that, I'm dying here, you play live? What should I? Uh, let's see, because you sent me a few things. We played Being Around, which again, I just I love that song so much. That is so fun.

15:19 Speaker 2: One Good Reason sort of like that one. It's a little kind of Coyle punky or like I don't know, I didn't want to say hic punk, but like a little more on the country punk side.

15:30 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, yeah, we'll play that one.

15:33 Speaker 2: Yeah, the twangy guitars. It's sort of like sort of like being Around the closest one to it at least.

15:37 Speaker 1: Okay, all right, cool, So we'll give this a spin. This is uh, this is Dave Strong. This is called One Good Reason, And then when we come back, Dave's gonna play live for us. So check this out.

16:10 Speaker 6: He said, she wants away with me all the way the kids by you go with the met of therapy.

16:16 Speaker 4: I don't know who I'm gonna make it to the night. I buck ain't kids in my school, and nothing ever turns out.

16:22 Speaker 1: Ri gave me a good mush.

16:32 Speaker 3: The house messed, dishes, schedules tall as.

16:35 Speaker 6: I as Diane and chosen to crying, holds down in every wall.

16:39 Speaker 4: Sometimes wonder if it's something.

16:40 Speaker 3: I get in ye me decides to trow.

16:45 Speaker 4: Ve me one give me so.

16:52 Speaker 3: I'll be working every day trying to make a leading me a very gay away.

16:56 Speaker 6: But when I get home and that something just get around,

17:23 Speaker 6: I think said she wants a way with me?

17:25 Speaker 4: All we ever two years fidy, you go win them to a demophy.

17:29 Speaker 7: I don't know.

17:29 Speaker 4: I'm gonna make it to.

17:30 Speaker 7: The nut, but nuts the back.

17:32 Speaker 3: Yet kids at my school, nothing never turns out right any wonder than raise.

17:40 Speaker 4: Any wonder ras give me wandered raison.

17:52 Speaker 1: I'll tell you what, Dave, your songs are short, that's right, that's right. If you're just joining us, we have Dave Strong with us live in studio. Dave's gonna play for us. I'm dying to hear you play. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna this is a new one that you're gonna do.

18:09 Speaker 2: Yep. This is my newest release. It's going to be on in a seven inch EP that should be out next month. Oh okay, there are free orders up for it, but like you know, they should be in hand by the beginning of October at the latest. Okay, it's called I Hate Joking's Roommate. The the EP is called I Hate Joking's Roommate. It will it'll have that song. It's funny. I'll tell you a story about that after. Because it was supposed to be a children's EP. Oh really yeah, because the third song is called puddle Hop, which isn't released yet, and I wrote it for my kids.

18:42 Speaker 2: Oh but the guy that put it out really like Joking's Roommate and that I mean, we're just talking about how many swears were in that. So yeah, yeah, through the children's story right out of the window.

18:54 Speaker 1: Oh, I can see where that would be a problem.

18:57 Speaker 2: Yeah, but it's kind of a good me And there'll be three really awesome songs. This is probably one of my favorite ones I've ever written. And you know, all right, what a song about? I want to hear it? Yes, here it goes. The song is called I want to Know.

19:14 Speaker 3: If you could possibly leave a message and I we'll get back to you quickly.

19:21 Speaker 2: I want to know what's on your mind.

19:23 Speaker 3: You'll come out, Yes you did. When I saw you, I had to go by. There was something that catches my eye. Want to know what's on your mind?

19:36 Speaker 7: Go come out.

19:40 Speaker 3: I see you win the corner in the middle of the night. My heart catches up because you're so out of sight. I know in the morning it'll be all right. Do you wanna go over than that? I woke up, you wore over my shoulder and I I'm so glad that I bothered you.

20:00 Speaker 2: Stop on that.

20:00 Speaker 3: Corner the night you were there to come out, and I knew we'd be in the ever and nothing can keep us from each other.

20:12 Speaker 2: Smile on your face tells me things. Your coogar come out when I say you were in the corner in the middle of the night. My heart just because you're so out of sight, I know whur it? In the morning it'll be all right?

20:29 Speaker 4: Or for it?

20:29 Speaker 2: Do you wanna come over than that? All arrive? There you go.

21:02 Speaker 1: That's awesome, that's awesome. Thank you for playing that.

21:04 Speaker 7: Man.

21:05 Speaker 1: If you're just joining us, we have Joe Strong with us. I'm sorry, Dave Dave Strong, Dave Strong I'm thinking of joke. I'm in my mind I've created an amalgam of Joe King and Dave Strong.

21:16 Speaker 2: I bet, I bet.

21:21 Speaker 1: But if you're just joining us, Dave Strong is here with us, alive in studio on the Saturday morning. We should talk about that track. One good reason because you were telling us a little bit about it off air, and those pretty interesting.

21:35 Speaker 2: You were.

21:35 Speaker 1: You were talking about how quickly it came together, and yeah, yeah.

21:42 Speaker 2: So most of the songs on that record right there are done by myself, my friend Uri, and my friend Terry who plays upright bass, And for this one, it's gonna either be the first or second number on the new record. And it was a whole It was almost a full different band. I had my buddy Luke was playing drums on it and Lenny Lashley was playing guitar. And Lenny Lashley is like a famous Boston musician. I mean, yeah, he's super cool. He plays in bands called Darkbuster and the Street Dogs, and you know, it was cool.

22:30 Speaker 2: I just recorded it up in New Hampshire and I sent him the track and by the next day he had all those awesome guitar riffs in there and stuff, and you know. I I thought it was really cool of him to do, you know, because he's a really cool established musician, a really cool human being, and you know, he didn't have to play on my stuff and it was really awesome for him to do it.

22:54 Speaker 1: Were you surprised at the turnaround time on that, like how quickly he got those back here?

23:00 Speaker 2: That was pretty amazing? Yeah, I mean he's a true professional for sure. Yeah.

23:04 Speaker 1: Yeah, No, that's fantastic. Are there other people you've worked with that you'd kind of put in that category where you're like, Wow, this is this is amazing. This is one of my heroes.

23:15 Speaker 2: Uh, so far, I've I've worked with a couple of people. Kurt Baker out of Spain. I mean he's actually from Portland, Maine. He lives in Spain. Now he's on Wicked Cool Records, which is like Little Steven from Bruce Springsteen's bands label.

23:35 Speaker 1: Yeah, he's in Spain now, that's a big move.

23:40 Speaker 2: Yeah, he's doing really well. You know, he's put out a bunch of records and you know, he kills it every time. That When he was in a band called The Leftovers out of Portland, Maine and then he got signed to that guy from Bowling for Soup, Jarrett Reddit, okay, name the lead singer of Bowling for Soup and guitarists. You know, Kurt Baker I kind of look up to because he's from Maine. He's local dude, down to earth. He's a friend of mine now and he's just kind of like done it, you know, keeps doing it and doing it good.

24:14 Speaker 2: He writes awesome songs and he gets recognized for the awesome songs. Even though he's a friend, I still really look up to him, you know. It's like, ah, oh, shoot, moment every time.

24:26 Speaker 1: No doubt, no doubt. Where do you record?

24:29 Speaker 7: It?

24:30 Speaker 1: Sounds like you've recorded in a lot of different places.

24:32 Speaker 2: Yeah, I haven't. I haven't found a place where like I can say, is going to be my new spot, you know. But I recorded that whole album that I gave to you, the Dave Strong LP or whatever, the self titled one. I recorded all ten of those songs at the wood Shop in I don't even know. I don't even know, Like Ken'sington, New Hampshire is somewhere around there, Okay, it's called the Woodshops Studio up there.

25:05 Speaker 1: I feel like I've heard of Kensington yeah, is it north.

25:10 Speaker 2: So it's sort of near like Haveril.

25:14 Speaker 1: Oh okay, you know it's like on that it's like, oh, it's on the border, right.

25:17 Speaker 2: Get on four ninety five for a second. Yeah Atkinson. Okay, that's exactly studios in Atkinson.

25:23 Speaker 1: I know exactly where that is. Okay, yeah, okay.

25:26 Speaker 2: So I've recorded those ten songs from that one, and then I recorded two more like the one that we just listened to and I'm all these lips, which is are like Basolene's cover but Nirvana pretty much made it popular.

25:40 Speaker 1: Yeah.

25:40 Speaker 2: Yeah, those those two songs will probably be on my next record, Okay. And I and I thought I had a groove going there, but it seems like now that I think about it, it was more like perfect for that time and the band that I was playing with.

25:58 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, like.

26:01 Speaker 2: So I just thought, maybe, you know, I'm doing a new record, I'll move to a different place and check it out like that. So we did four songs in Salem, mass which we recorded with Tom Hamilton, who recorded Hate Your Friends the Lemonheads first album. Yeah, and that's kind of why we listened to being around. We were like, we gotta do something with Tom like even though he didn't wasn't a part of engineering that song. Yeah, he was a part of engineering one of my favorite records ever. Oh, just Hate Your Friends by the Lemonheads.

26:33 Speaker 2: I love that. I love even Dando and I love the Lemonheads.

26:36 Speaker 1: Yea.

26:37 Speaker 2: So I was like, I gotta, I gotta somehow tie this Lemonheads connection in right, and I recorded I'm Late Where I should go that Lemonheads being around the song. I think that's it. Oh, and I Hate Mondays. I did a song called I Hate Mondays okay, you know, which is kind of like I Hate Joking's roommate every.

26:57 Speaker 1: Other words that Ford gotcha, gotcha.

27:00 Speaker 2: I'm not that angry really, Yeah, I just get it out artistically.

27:04 Speaker 1: Right, Well, that's I mean, that's the best way to do it. Yeah, that's the best way to do it. Create something absolutely. Do you have a favorite place that you've recorded so far?

27:13 Speaker 2: They just keep getting better. I mean, so the last three songs, I Hate Joking's Roommate, puddle Hop, which isn't out yet, which I wrote, you know, it's like a kids type song, and then I want to know the one I just sang. I recorded up in North Conway at my friend Ryan's house. It's like a makeshift studio. They call it Platypus Records, but yeah, it's just like it's it's on his land. It's a garage, you know that they've turned into a studio. It's like the size of this room really cool, you know, just a really chill type vibe, you know, and like, yeah, so far that's been my favorite place.

27:58 Speaker 2: I'm going back with another band next weekend to record up there again. Oh okay, So the plan is eventually I'll find my home base, right, you know, but until I'll keep trying these awesome places and they keep getting better and better.

28:13 Speaker 1: Yeah, you know that's good. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There's so many options to record now and so many places.

28:19 Speaker 2: You know.

28:19 Speaker 1: It's interesting too. There. It seems like there was a point where people, you know, as technology evolves and becomes more accessible to everybody, you know, people make all kinds of predictions about what technology is going to start to go away, or how things are going to change, or and what technology is going to stick around. And like, for example, vinyl records. You know, decades ago people said, you know, CDs would be the end of vinyl and vinyl you know, still thrives, but with recording studios.

28:47 Speaker 1: You know, I remember years ago people saying, now with all these capabilities to just record on your own, recorded at home and whatnot, you know, recording studios are going to go away. But it didn't happen, and if anything, there's probably more of them than there were ten years ago, because you know, people like having all kinds of different options in terms of how they create their music. You know, some some people only want to be able to just do it at home, plug everything in, use pro tools, use ant modelers and all that, and you know, not have to go to a studio.

29:20 Speaker 1: Some people thrive on being in a studio and love and I find too, And I'm curious if you're like this. A lot of the people who seem to really thrive on being in a studio as you appear to really like having that, you know, like having an engineer or recording engineer there who also very often, you know, it happens organically becomes sort of a de facto producer, you know, and even even though maybe that's not why you're there necessarily, but they have input, they have ideas, and of course they know how to get the best sound with their equipment, Like do you find that and does that factor into because you've recorded a lot of different places, does that factor into your decisions on where to go?

30:00 Speaker 2: You're exactly right with that. I mean I've recorded at this place in Waltham, mass called Willie Mammoth Studios. I've heard of that a few times with my buddy Jeff who I went overseas with and played the Spain shows and stuff, and the main producer in that, I mean the one we worked with. I don't know. There's probably a couple of people that run the board there, but I've worked with them a couple of times now, actually I think I did. I did this documentary called Stick It to the Man there where we did a live session.

30:34 Speaker 2: Yeah, I've worked on a couple of times. It's Dave Minihan is his name. He's from that band The Neighborhoods.

30:43 Speaker 1: That name has come up on the show a bunch of times.

30:46 Speaker 2: It's a rock star. Yeah, he's in the replacements now and isn't isn't he?

30:50 Speaker 1: Is he Kirk Minihan's brother.

30:52 Speaker 2: I don't know.

30:53 Speaker 1: Kirk Minihan the Kirk Manhane's a sports broadcaster from Boston.

30:58 Speaker 2: You know, you could be right. I never even put the connection together.

31:00 Speaker 1: But and even even if they're not brothers, they have to be related something. Minihan's not a naming here all the time. But I think I think that they're actually brothers. But but but yeah, Dave Minahan, that name's come up, have you America, I think mention them. I don't know if you know them, Boston band, They've been on the show.

31:15 Speaker 2: I think they.

31:16 Speaker 1: I think that's the first interview where I heard that name was from those guys. I think they recorded there.

31:22 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's a it's a heck of a place, man, It's He's so. I think. So Rhino Records does this like best of the New York scene, best of like you know, Boston a compilation with has the cars on it, the real kids on it, and the neighborhoods is like the first song on it, you know, yeah, mission a Burma like all those classic punk songs, you know. Yeah, So just that alone was like whoa. But but he also adds a really cool like vibe to the room, like he knows what what to what to look for. You know. Yeah, at first I was kind of nervous meeting him to tell you the truth human like us, and yeah, of course, and they he does a lot of real to real you know, really no kidding.

32:12 Speaker 2: Like there's another guy, there's Mike, Mike, Mike Kennedy from the All American Rejects. That's a huge band, huge famous band, and my buddy just went and recorded with him weekend. You know you kind of. I think a lot of people are doing that now, you know, on their part time, like you get you go there for the talent and the vibe and like, you know, it's cool, it's a cool feel.

32:40 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well it also makes sense too, I think if you're you know, if you're in a big band like All American Rejects for example. You know a lot of bands aren't. They're not touring as much now because it's gotten so expensive to travel. So you know, to be able to do something like that, you know, work with other bands, whether it's whether it's at a recording studio, bill hoilding that or or or getting into some other aspect of the music business that helps you know, younger up and coming talent, you know it only, which probably also is very fulfilling for for a lot of these folks too.

33:12 Speaker 1: To be to be able to do that, you know, to help the next generations that are coming up. And uh, you know once you know, once they've already got their fame, you know, why not pass on that knowledge and experience and those resources. But also too, it gives them something to do because you know, like I said, I mean, who was it that there was a band, a pretty big band recently that actually canceled their tour because of low ticket sales and they just said, it's not what was it the Deftones, They just said it's not it's not worth it, whereas it's not gonna We're not even gonna bother, you know.

33:43 Speaker 1: So I mean, I don't know if those guys are doing anything to help help other bands, but but maybe they are. But but it's great to make those connections.

33:51 Speaker 2: And it goes both ways too. Sometimes. I mean, like as far as Dave Minihan was everything I expected and more. That guy's like a top top shelf. Yeah, you know, he knows his stuff and he's been in some of the coolest bands, you know, like Billy Joe Armstrong from Green Day did Coachella with the Replacements, he like hopped on their tour. They didn't like ask him to do it. He came up to them and was like can I play?

34:17 Speaker 7: Yeah, like.

34:20 Speaker 2: Imagine that, you know, like holy crap, the stories, you know. But then I was like so stoked to go work with Tom Hamilton because the Lemonheads connection and the guy was sort of a mess, you know, like really the songs came out great, they took like four or five months to finish, you know. And I'm not going to talk to her anything. I'm not going to talk trash or anything.

34:45 Speaker 1: Sorry, We're we're on. I caught it.

34:48 Speaker 2: I'm not going to talk that. But yeah, sorry, but he he wasn't what I expected, you know. So that's what I meant. It goes both ways. Sometimes you work with your idols and you love it. Sometimes you work with your idols and you learn a little bit, you know, of humility and like they're not exactly what you think they are. Yeah, And sometimes you just you work with your friends. Yeah, and for you know, you pay a lot of money to work with someone that you don't know and you don't get what you want, or you pay almost nothing to work with one of your best friends and you make something together.

35:20 Speaker 1: Yeah.

35:21 Speaker 2: Yeah, and then someone else here is and then like, where did you go? Oh, you didn't go to a five hundred dollar an hour studio. You went to a twenty buck an hour studio, Right, Can I go there? Sure? I'll call Ryan and see if he can do it, you know. Yeah, that's what it's about nowadays. For me, at least, I'm trying to get the next I'm trying to make memories and make music with like up and coming people, new people.

35:43 Speaker 1: Yeah, no, that makes sense, That makes sense. We should clarify too, for anyone who's listening who's confused. Obviously not the same Tom Hamilton from Aerosmith. No, in case anyone thinks, you know, there's probably a million.

35:53 Speaker 2: I thought it was him for the longest time, did you.

35:55 Speaker 1: Yeah?

35:56 Speaker 2: I did. I thought maybe when I walked into his house it would be the bass player of Varus Smith.

36:01 Speaker 4: Yeah.

36:02 Speaker 2: Yeah, that's how.

36:03 Speaker 1: Much I know you're You're probably going there thinking, I wonder if I ask him, will he play the bassline the sweet Emotion? Yeah, Tom Hamilton's probably there's probably a million Tom Hamilton's out there. Those are both such common names, Tom and Hamilton. But yeah, well that's too bad that that he wasn't that great. But you know, yeah, they say don't meet your heroes, but then again, you know, some of your heroes turn out to be pretty awesome, so you know, that's that's the risk that you take.

36:28 Speaker 1: But but it sounds like you've had a lot of positive experiences and got to work with some great people. So that's awesome.

36:34 Speaker 2: Absolutely, that's awesome.

36:35 Speaker 1: I mean, have you have you had moments along the way where you just kind of go, I can't believe. I can't believe I'm getting to do this and and work with this person and have this opportunity. You ever kind of just pinch yourself and go Wow.

36:47 Speaker 2: Absolutely. I mean there was a long time that I thought I deserved it more than I did. Really, it's been very humbling lately. You know, I've made a lot of changes, and I think I'm on the right path where I can acknowledge everything that's happening in a good way. I've learned, Yeah, which is you know, it's the light.

37:11 Speaker 1: Yeah. Was there was there anything specific that that kind of caused that? Or is that more just a gradual thing over time where you just kind of grow and evolve.

37:22 Speaker 2: And I mean, I I guess I drank a little too much when I was younger, and like, you know that that might have put a stint on it. You know I would I'll put it like this. You know, I thought I was entitled, you know, like, oh, I know how to play the song you have? You should really bring me. I'm on the record, you know I deserve this. No like blah blah blah, instead of you know, a hundred other people could be coming on this, right, you know, you brought me instead of one hundred different people. I'm grateful, like getting off the bus and being like where's the bar instead of like how can I help you carry something?

38:02 Speaker 2: Yeah, just little things like that that, you know, thinking back at it now, it's like, oh, just just do the next right thing now and you'll be good. There you go, There you go the past and the future is unknown.

38:17 Speaker 1: So yeah, exactly exactly. No, I like that. Let's play another track. Let's see we should play because we played we played Being Around, and we played reason. Oh what's this one?

38:34 Speaker 2: Oh?

38:35 Speaker 1: I would I really like this one?

38:36 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, this is a really cool pop song.

38:38 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, let's play this. If you are just joining us, we have Dave Strong with us here in studio and let's see. Yeah, this is a good one. This is a track called I would. We're going to give this a spin and then we're gonna come right back and talk with Dave a little bit more. But here we go, We're about to go. Here we go.

39:19 Speaker 7: Please tell me.

39:20 Speaker 4: It's God's true.

39:22 Speaker 6: There's something in this worse than I would ever do something a greenote girlser If I.

39:29 Speaker 7: Could go back and changed the bells for you, I would.

39:37 Speaker 4: If I couldn't for you, I.

39:43 Speaker 7: Would. If I could, then I would.

39:46 Speaker 4: Here everybody says now the same, maybe.

40:10 Speaker 3: You alone in the rain, but maybe I'm going to lam if I could go back and jag to that.

40:19 Speaker 7: For I would, if I could, I would, if I could, and I could, then if because then if because if I could, if I could for you, I for you?

41:34 Speaker 1: That is I would. That is Dave Strong, who is here with us alive in studio. Dave, So you were saying off air something really special about that track.

41:44 Speaker 7: Yeah.

41:45 Speaker 2: That was one of the first songs I ever recorded solo. I recorded all the parts myself on it, of the drums, the bass, the guitar. I went to the Atkinson studio well with my not my self, my daughter came with me, and she sang all the harmonies and sang all the backups. So that's a real special one. Little girl and I would are pretty much just me and my daughter.

42:12 Speaker 1: Oh that's really cool.

42:13 Speaker 2: That's really cool, Cara strong shout out.

42:16 Speaker 1: Does she does she have music of her own too that she's doing or what's her her kind of musical trajectory?

42:22 Speaker 2: Yeah? She she hasn't released anything yet. I know she will. She's got a beautiful voice and she plays guitar really well too.

42:31 Speaker 1: Okay, very good, Yeah, very good. We are the time goes so quick. We are we're running out of time, Dave. But before we run out of time and we I do want to get this one last track and two nights in jail to end the show today. But by the way, is that based on any kind of a true story?

42:50 Speaker 2: Not particularly, I plead the fifth.

42:52 Speaker 1: Okay, that's why, Well, I didn't know if maybe Joe King's roommate had done something to get you in trouble and then you and because that would be a reason to hey him.

43:00 Speaker 2: It's got it's got a teeny back story about a scorn lover type deale. But next time we'll talk about.

43:08 Speaker 1: It understood, understood. Do you have any shows? Are you playing it all? This weekend?

43:14 Speaker 2: September seventh, I'm playing at spring Point Tavern in South Portland, Maine. Okay, that's just me acoustic, but it will be really fun. It's a great place, free parking, good food. It's in a really it's right on the water. It's a beautiful spot.

43:29 Speaker 1: Okay.

43:30 Speaker 2: And then September fourteenth at Gino's in Portland, Maine.

43:35 Speaker 1: Full band excellent, excellent and h where should people go to keep up with everything that you're doing online? Where's the best place to go?

43:43 Speaker 2: I'm Butcherman Dave at Instagram dot com. That's me, okay, and then I'm Dave Strong Music and Dave Strong. Both of those are on Facebook right now. Okay, those are pretty much those have turned into my music sites, you know.

43:58 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, excellent.

44:00 Speaker 2: And the Spotify, Apple Music all that stuff.

44:03 Speaker 1: Yeah, you're on all those streaming platforms.

44:05 Speaker 2: Yeah.

44:05 Speaker 4: And the.

44:08 Speaker 1: Is it an EP that the Joe King song is on?

44:12 Speaker 2: Yep? That's going to be a four song like forty five record?

44:16 Speaker 1: Gotcha?

44:16 Speaker 2: Oh?

44:17 Speaker 1: Really? Okay?

44:17 Speaker 2: Oh?

44:18 Speaker 1: Very cool? And when is that out?

44:19 Speaker 2: We pressed one hundred of them. We've sold probably like thirty of them so far, and it should be out

44:26 Speaker 2: probably the first day in October around Both pre sales up right now at Critical Mass Records, or you can hit me up on Facebook or Instagram and I can like get you one or something.

44:38 Speaker 1: But yeah, yeah, excellent.

44:39 Speaker 2: I'll be selling them at shows soon and you know, yeah, that'll be in hand hopefully by October.

44:45 Speaker 1: Oh, very cool, very cool, awesome. Well, in a moment, we'll play this track. But Dave, thank you so much for coming in today, Thanks for having me. This has been wonderful. Jenny, you want to plug your website.

44:55 Speaker 5: Absolutely, you can come check me out at Jencoffee dot com, j E N N F f u I dot com. And there's an actual in depth interview interview us up up right now. It's Felfe from the Midnight Creative Collective.

45:09 Speaker 1: Yes, yes, definitely definitely check that out absolutely, and we will leave you with this, Dave Strong, thank you again so much. And uh, this is called Nights in Jail.

45:19 Speaker 2: Thanks