A Dirty Dozen with DAVID NEWBOULD – October 2019

According to a recent press release: “Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter David Newbould is set to release a new album, Sin & Redemption, on October 18, 2019 via Rock Ridge Music.  Co-produced by Chris Tench and Tres Sasser and recorded over the course of three weeks at Sound Shelter Studios in Franklin, TN, Sin & Redemption is a powerful, 10-song testament from a veteran songwriter at the height of his storytelling prowess, now eight albums deep into his upward-trending career.” We get David to discuss new music, influences, and much more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Well, we did put a lot of work into this album. It’s been a few years since my last release, so these songs are a grab bag from the last three or four years of my writing output. We went with the songs that felt like a cohesive record. When it was mastered, we heard a lot of little things in it that we didn’t hear in the mixes themselves, so hopefully there are some things that people won’t hear until they’re a few spins in. As far as nuggets, we were very specific with the way the songs ended – in particular the fades! For instance in the first song, “Sensitive Heart,” we wanted a more ‘70s/’80s fade approach – slow, and going out with either a new thing just coming in, or on a really high note. We purposefully cut out right on the highest note of the solo. The song, “Diamonds In The Dark,” we let run extra long, and double- or triple-layered me reading out of USA Today until the music stopped. There’s some in the middle breakdown too, but it’s really hard to hear. Then the final song, “Oh Katy (Just Gettin’ By)” – quick ’60s fade, song’s over, folks. All that stuff is fun.

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

It’s not exactly The Beatles on Ed Sullivan, but one night in my room I heard the song “Come On Eileen” on Casey Casem’s top 40 countdown, and that was all she wrote. From then on, it was an obsession that has yet to subside. I built a drum set and started having fantasies about being a successful drummer one day. Then when I was 14 or 15, a guy I worked with loaned me Neil Young’s “Live Rust” concert film and told me I needed to watch it. I had already started playing guitar by then, and the first time I watched that film I realized the real deep, deep power of playing music for a living. I specifically remember watching him play his solos on “Like A Hurricane,” and it was like the world just got bigger for me that day. I had my mandate, and I’ve never looked back.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

One? Well, Neil Young was the first with that kind of lasting power, where the relationship between me and his music just keeps getting deeper over the decades. I started going by his old apartment building, by the book store he worked in – it just felt like he came from where I come from – and look at the impact he ended up having. I just love the guy. And that led me to Bob Dylan, which again illustrated the power of music being able to paint a backdrop for your entire life. The worlds in his songs and records – it’s just endless. Then I discovered the deeper catalog of Bruce Springsteen – I’d previously only been familiar with “Dancing In the Dark” and all that – and something really spoke to me in a personal way that really no other artist ever had, or ever has since. His newest record, Western Stars, currently has a hold all over my soul. So I guess the first day I watched that “Live Rust” movie, leading into exploring Dylan’s catalog, then Bruce Springsteen’s first two albums and eventually all his records – those all really defined my path. And Bruce’s live show really has set the gold standard for me in terms of pushing yourself until you get the story told every damn night. I’ve always been obsessed by Pete Townshend’s playing and writing, The Rolling Stones, The Clash and punk rock, Marvin Gaye. Then when I moved to Texas, I discovered Townes Van Zandt and the rich history of Texas storytelling music, which sent me into a whole other tailspin – Lucinda Williams, James McMurtry, Jerry Jeff Walker. Lately I’ve had a Gary Stewart obsession. Obviously I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

4. Who would be your main five musical influences?

Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, and Townes Van Zandt/The Who (tie).

5. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I’d have to say Neil Young. He just swims in my blood; to collaborate with him would be like drinking from the river.   It’s got to be interesting being these guys and being part of so many people’s DNA who you’ve never met.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I’d say it’s just meant to make you feel good and dig deep inside yourself at the same time. A focus on lyrics, trying to pack a good gut punch, and I like to rock. For the one I disagreed with, um, every once in a blue moon someone has tossed the name Dave Matthews out. Not so much.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

When we rehearse it’s not like that – we just kind of show up and leave. So I’m leading the singalong. When we hang out is usually before and after shows, and everyone’s sitting with a beer. If there’s cooking, it’s me making a big pot of curry for everyone.

8. When was the last time you were star struck and who was it?

Ted Danson. I was in the little back hallway of the Bluebird in Nashville five or six years ago, and I look up and there he is. I went and followed him and his wife out when they left.. “Make sure you watch yourself on the ice… don’t slip!” “Thank you, thank you very much, I appreciate that.” He was kind.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

You structure your whole working life around inspiration, writing songs, improving on your instrument, then you get up and play the songs and it has a real effect on people. That’s the best part. I don’t have any other dream job; playing my music is the only one that was ever a dream.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I’ve always wanted an interviewer to ask what is your career highlight, and the answer is when The Boss called me up onstage to sing “Prove It All Night” with him. But that hasn’t happened yet. I’m not tired of answering any questions.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

When I finished high school in Toronto, I started spending as much time as I could in New York City. Playing clubs, putting bands together… mostly all there. When I look back, I wish I would have dedicated myself to the touring life more at that time. Had I had the vision to make that more of a priority at the time, I think I would have done myself some favors. At that age, not everyone has all of the “how” figured out yet, just the “what.” Or I hadn’t, anyway.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

Layla, A Love Supreme, Blonde On Blonde, Tonight’s The Night, Quadrophenia, Let It Bleed… All monumental moments I’d love to have been in the room for. If I had to pick one though, it would probably be Born To Run. I just don’t know that anyone ever gave so much of themselves to making a record as that one. Artistic torture out of which came timeless glory. It would have been unforgettable to watch.  To me that record is like listening to one guy and his band throwing their hardest ever pitch, after the deepest, most insane corkscrew windup you’ve ever seen.

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Category: Interviews