Dave Clarke

 

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Welcome to the website of guitarist-singer-songwriter Dave Clarke

'One of Canada's most tasteful and accomplished acoustic guitarists'

Upcoming shows and events (details on all shows):

* Shearwater Bluegrass Band,  BC Bluegrass Workshop, Aug. 23-28, Sorrento, BC

 

After gigs at the Filberg Festival and the Butchart Gardens this summer, Dave and Shearwater Bluegrass bandmates Tammy Fassaert and James Whittall are gearing up for a return to the Sorrento Bluegrass Workshop in Sorrento, B.C. at the end of August.

The Sorrento workshop is a homecoming of sorts for the trio. They first played together at the celebrated bluegrass workshop in 2006.

September will see Dave in a special concert appearance with extraordinary Victoria fiddler Adrian Dolan, of Bills fame. The pair, two of Vancouver Island's most cerebral and emotional musicians, will play an afternoon gig at Grace Lutheran Church on Fort Street on Sunday, Sept. 13. More details will be posted as they become available.

Finally, Shearwater Bluegrass got a rave review in the bible of folk music, Sing Out! magazine. The review, which appears in the latest issue, salutes the band's self-titled debut album and the playing and songwriting of the trio. Among the material mentioned in the review is Dave's song Argyle Street (co-written with Lucinda Chodan), which was recently named first runner-up in the bluegrass category of the 2009 International Acoustic Music Awards. The song will be part of a IAMA compilation album. 

Shearwater album news

The first-ever Shearwater album is now out and early reaction has been very enthusiastic. Shearwater, which consists of Dave, singer-bassist Tammy Fassaert and mandolinist James Whittall, recently performed a string of concerts on the West Coast, and is looking forward to a busy season in 2009.

For more information about the band, check out the Shearwater website.

Steel Rail updates

 

Dave and bandmates Tod Gorr and Ellen Shizgal are in songwriting mode, brainstorming new material for an upcoming Steel Rail album in 2009. The band has a back catalogue of great country songs that have not yet elbowed their way onto a release, so don't be surprised to hear more material that showcases Tod's great vocals, which a music writer once described as being "as country as the hog prices or complaints about the weather." For more on the activities of Steel Rail, please visit the Steel Rail website. If you want to sample Tod's vocals -- and the trio's terrific harmonies and fiery flatpicking -- check out this cut from the latest Steel Rail album, River Song.

 

MP3   Big Sky Blues