FACT SHEET: Dave Van Dyke: “A Decade of David & Goliaths”
CONTACT: J. David Van Dyke * (574) 220-8263 * vandykerevueband@yahoo.com
Artist Name: Dave Van Dyke
Musical Style/Genre: Mostly acoustic –roots music with a splash of American Rock & Roll.
City of Origin: Buchanan, MI
Studio: Trackattack Studios
Band Member Names and Instruments: Dave Van Dyke: Vocals and acoustic guitar on all tracks, harmonica on “No Love From this Canal.” Mathew “T-Bird” Thornton: Banjo: “Evel Knievel Never Died” Drums: “Patty Hearst Got Taken That Night,” “Swimsuit Barbie Doll,” “Tricky Dick Was Bad,” “Ali” Bass: “Evel Knievel Never Died” “Patty Hearst Got Taken That Night” “Swimsuit Barbie Doll” “Rotten Sleazy Crook” “Glacier of Tears” “Tricky Dick Was Bad” “No Love From this Canal” “143 Means I Love You” “Ali” Acoustic “cat gut” guitar: “Glacier of Tears” Electric guitar: “Tricky Dick Was Bad” Concertina: “Swimsuit Barbie Doll” Mandolin: “143 Means I Love You” John Van Dyke: Violin: “Evel Knievel Never Died,” “Patty Hearst Got Taken That Night” Piano: “Ode to J. D.,” “Tricky Dick Was Bad” Hammond Organ: “Ali” Vocals: “Evel Knievel Never Died,” “Ode to J. D.,” “Patty Hearst Got Taken That Night,” “Rotten Sleazy Crook,” “Ode to J.D.” “Uncle John” Potthast: Steel guitar: “Rotten Sleazy Crook” Bo Martin & Kevin Healy: Drums & Bass: “Ode to J. D.” (A 2010 live recording with The Van Dyke Revue.)
Performance: “A Decade of David & Goliaths” will be performed in its entirety at a launch party at Chicory Café (105 E Jefferson Blvd, Ste 103, South Bend, IN) on January 31, 2014 from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00.
Previously Released: Eponymous CD with The Van Dyke Revue (2008), which charted on Gain Central Radio. “Billy the Blue Fish & Other Songs For Children,” (2010).
Press: (The Herald Palladium, The South Bend Tribune, The Chicago Sun Times) have reviewed previous releases favorably. “His blog is the only one of those listed here that has a sound track. I liked it instantly.”
-Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, 2009.
Additional Data:
-Dave has appeared live on 95.3 FM WAOR, 103.9 FM WRBR, 91.1 WGCS FM, and “In the Studio” WNIT Television.
-Dave is a founding member of The Van Dyke Revue.
-Dave holds a PhD from Andrews University.
-Dave has completed five marathons.
TRACK LISTING “A Decade of David and Goliaths”
Track 01 “Evel Knievel Never Died” 2:52
Track 02 “Patty Hearst Got Taken That Night” 5:01
Track 03 “Ode to J. D.” (A 2010 live recording with The Van Dyke Revue.) 3:01
Track 04 “Swimsuit Barbie Doll” 4:37
Track 05 “Rotten Sleazy Crook” 2:58
Track 06 “Glacier of Tears” 3:27
Track 07 “Tricky Dick Was Bad” 3:39
Track 08 “No Love From this Canal” 4:27
Track 09 “143 Means I Love You” 4:47
Track 10 “Ali” 6:22
Track 11 “Tricky Dick Was Bad” (With studio effects, just for fun.) 2:58
PRODUCTION NOTES: Van Dyke’s idea to record a concept album about the 1970s germinated while reading Evel: The High-Flying Life of Evel Knievel: American Showman, Daredevil, and Legend (Leigh Montville, 2011). He had been submitting entries to film critic Roger Ebert’s “Great Limerick Contest” and wrote one about the famous daredevil:
Evel Knievel was a stuntman
Who rode a motorcycle in the sky
He put a helmet on his head
And everybody said
“Evel Knievel’s gonna die”
Ebert had praised the eponymous album Van Dyke had recorded with The Van Dyke Revue in 2009. Dave was noodling with his guitar and discovered he could wrap chords around the limerick. He soon finished the song and decided to write a corresponding album.
“A Decade of David and Goliaths” is a departure from musical styles as well. Fans of The Van Dyke Revue (a rock and soul band) will note the same voice, but a distinctly different sound than they hear from the band. The album is mostly (though not solely) middle-of-the road folk-rock.