I admit I wasn’t that aware of Cincinnati band WHY? before last night’s show at Slowdown was announced a few months ago. WHY?’s publicist had reached out asking for coverage and I offered a Ten Questions survey, which frontman Yoni Wolf masterfully filled out. For the write-up, I listened to WHY? for the first time.
Their bio, including their Wiki page, suggested WHY? was a hip-hop project, but there was very little rapping on recent release, The Well I Fell Into, the band’s eighth studio album, produced by Brian Joseph (who has worked in the past with Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver). The record vacillates between dour heartbreak songs and more upbeat keyboard-driven bouncers, and rewards repeated listens.
Playing as a four-piece, WHY? gave new life to the album last night, providing a more lively interpretation. Wolf’s nasal vocals had a similar hang-dog style as Silver Jew’s Dave Berman or Magnetic Fields’ Stephin Merritt (and when combined with guitarist Mol Sullivan’s harmonies, even recalled Timbuk 3’s acoustic moments). The band, filled out by Josiah Wolf on drums and Doug McDiarmid on keyboards and bass, fell into a solid, relaxed groove.
After about an hour, WHY? left the stage but returned for a three-song encore performed standing in front of a single microphone, where Yoni finally got a chance to strut his rhyming skills, performing “Early Whitney” off 2003’s Oaklandazulasylum, “Fatalist Palmistry” from 2008’s Alopecia and “Paper Hearts,” off 2012’s Mumps, Etc., while a hand-clapping crowd of around 75 looked on with glee.
NNAMDÏ at Slowdown, Sept. 24, 2024.
Opener, Chicago’s NNAMDÏ performed solo backed by his laptop, singing with an auto-tune pedal Travis Scott-style. A handful of his fans stood in front of the stage and sang along to every word. The set ascended to the next level when he busted out an electric guitar and riffed over the tracks.
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It’s a trip back to ’78 tonight at The Admiral Theater as Descendents headline with support from Buzzcocks. Descendents’ current line-up is Bill Stevenson, drums, Karl Alvarez, bass; Stephen Egerton, guitar, and Milo Aukerman, vocals. While Steve Diggle is the only remaining original member of Buzzcocks playing tonight. Bay-area punk band Grumpster kicks things off at 7:30 p.m. $37-$75.
A few notes to pass along from the in-box (and other places)…
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In addition to releasing a new album with his band Cursive, Tim Kasher has a new feature-length horror film about to make the festival rounds called Who’s Watching.
“Who’s Watching is a story I first conceived way back in 2010, as I had yet to see a movie approach the stalker trope from this particular angle,” Kasher said in an article in horror film blog Bloody Disgusting. “After passing the script around to little interest, I set it aside before returning to it around 2018, realizing that STILL no one had told this story in such a fashion. A few bumpy years followed (as well as a pandemic) but we eventually got it shot in late summer of 2023, in and around Omaha, Nebraska where I was born and raised.”
The film was written and directed by Kasher, who also composed the film’s music. While it doesn’t have a release date, Who’s Watching will be shown at Beyond Fest and the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival. Can a world premiere at Film Streams be far behind?
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Has Saddle Creek Records’ high-flying act Indigo De Souza left our hometown label? In a surprise move last week (to me, anyway) De Souza released her new EP, Wholesome Evil Fantasy, via Loma Vista Recordings. If you go to the Loma Vista website you’ll find plenty of Indigo De Souza content. However, click to Indigo’s personal website and she still lists Saddle Creek as her label contact. Hmm?
The 3-song electro-pop auto-tuner-driven EP is a departure from the usual indie-rock heard on De Souza’s past Saddle Creek releases. Is this a one-off experiment or a permanent change of pace (and change of label) for one of Saddle Creek’s most popular artists?
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Post-Omaha singer/songwriter Anna McClellan announced last week via Terrorbird PR that her new album, Electric Bouquet, will be released Oct. 25 via Father/Daughter Records.
Co-produced with long-time collaborator Ryan McKeever and ARC Studios engineer Adam Roberts, the album was recorded both in Baltimore and Omaha. “While writing the album, Anna attended trade school, apprenticing to become an electrician to escape the service industry grind and secure a foundational career alongside music. Eager to break free from Omaha, she decided to take her newfound electrical skills to pursue a career in the film industry in Los Angeles, CA where she’s now based,” reads the one-sheet.
The 11-track LP includes a send-off of sorts to her hometown — “the grungy “Omaha” sees McClellan delving into her complex relationship with her hometown, navigating between identity, sense of place, and self-groundedness: ‘Wilting til I rot / Is it me or is it Omaha?’”
Check out the video for the first single, “Endlessly,” released Sept. 10…
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Tonight at Slowdown Cinci band WHY? headlines on the frontroom stage. Check out the Ten Questions survey taken by frontman Yoni Wolf before you head down to the show. Joining them is Chicago multiple instrumentalist/songwriter NNAMDÏ (Secretly Canadian Records). $25, 8 p.m.
Indian Caves achieved its highest level of dreaminess about halfway through their set Friday night at Slowdown. The fourpiece, fronted by singer/songwriter Leslie Wells, play an alt-rock-verging-on-prog style reminiscent of ‘90s bands like Smashing Pumpkins with Wells at times sounding like a midwestern version of Billy Corgan.
The rhythm section really drove their live sound, with bassist Dan Krueger taking the lead, or maybe it was just the initial mix hiding the guitars behind bass and drums. Things leveled out later in the set.
The band closed out the evening in front of a crowd of around 50 with a cover of Talk Talk’s “It’s My Life” that, again, had me wondering if it was a Smashing Pumpkins cover. Oh, to hear them try “Bullet with Butterfly Wing.”
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Tonight at The Waiting Room it’s the return of M. Ward, which has me wondering what M. Ward has been up to lately.
His last studio album was Supernatural Thing (2023, Anti-), which featured guest appearances by a plethora of indie notables including Neko Case, First Aid Kit, Jim James and Shovels & Rope (who themselves will be playing The Waiting Room this Friday night).
Merge Records earlier this month also issued For Beginners: The Best of M. Ward, and no doubt tonight’s performance will feature a collection of Ward’s “best,” such as “Chinese Translation” and “Never Had Nobody Like You.”
Opening for Ward tonight is singer/songwriter Leslie Stevens, whose recent video for single “Blue Roses” featured Hollywood veteran Jon Hamm as a gristled, cowboy-hat-wearing cooze hound. Stevens will also join Ward on a few songs during his set. $35, 8 p.m.
Tonight at Slowdown, local alt/indie band Indian Caves is hosting their album release party for their new album, The Song Becomes the Curse.
Fronted by singer/guitarist Leslie Wells (ex-Flyover Country) with Joe Ranne (Arbor Vitae, The Atlas) on guitars; Dan Krueger (Someday Stories, Fine Fine Automobiles, Coyote Bones) on bass/synths; and Kyle Moeller (Adam Weaver and the Ghosts, Saltwater Sanctuary) on drums/synths, the album pushes more toward alt than indie, recalling mid-era Smashing Pumpkins. Wells even (at times) has ol’ baldy’s snarl, especially on album standouts, “Joanne” and “Math.” In fact, the entire back half of the 7-track, 35-minute LP reminds me of Mellon Collie anthems, though Caves pushes the prog envelope on 8-plus-minute “Seeds.”
Krueger said the album was a true DIY effort, recorded in homes and rehearsal spaces throughout Omaha by edge-pushing genius Ian Aeillo. It’s a digital-only release for now, but Wells said they hope to press vinyl “down the road.”
Joining Indian Caves tonight at Slowdown’s front room are Dear Neighbor and Mild Temps, and Krueger said watch out for a special guest as well. $12, 8 p.m.
Also tonight (Friday), local indie band Bug Heaven is hosting a farewell show at Reverb Lounge because one of the band members is moving to Philadelphia. Helping say goodbye is opening band Ghostlike. $10, 9 p.m.
Tomorrow night (Saturday) is the big Built to Spill show at The Waiting Room. It’s the There’s Nothing Wrong with Love 30th Anniversary Tour, so expect to hear the album performed in its entirety (and in track order), along with random career selections as the encore (including “Time Trap”). Get there early to see seminal ‘90s indie band Quasi, who, having seen B2S too many times, is the real draw for me (Featuring ‘Birds’ is one of my all-time favorite albums, though it looks like they’re only doing “You Fucked Yourself” from that album on this tour). $30, 8 p.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend.
A small but attentive crowd intensely listened to songs and stories from wandering troubadour/author David Dondero at Ming Toy Gallery last night.
Sitting in the center of the gallery with guitar and microphone he performed tunes from his latest album, 2023’s Immersion Therapy, before diving into a reading from his novel Chaos the Cat. The night’s emcee and Q&A leader, Rob Walters, joined in the reading along with a volunteer from the crowd, backed scene-setting recording of Dondero playing acoustic guitar.
Dondero, who has been cited by a number of artists (including Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst) as a musical influence, talked about his life traveling around the country both performing music and working in odd jobs. The novel, which chronicles the people surrounding a pot-growing operation in California, is no doubt semi-autobiographical, as is most of Dondero’s songs.
David Dondero reads from his novel, Chaos the Cat, at Ming Toy Gallery Sept. 18, 2024.
The night concluded with a rendition of his song “Bacon, Eggs and Beer,” from his 2017 album Inside the Cat’s Eye – which tied directly to the novel, forming a perfect circle of sorts. A fun night indeed.
While a lot people RSVP-ed for the performance on Facebook, the turnout was disappointing, possibly because there were no pre-show ticket sales (despite a number of requests). Buying a ticket can be a sort of commitment – without one, it’s easier for potential patrons to instead stay home on their Wednesday night and finish their TV shows or YouTube videos or whatever they do to unwind. Dondero said he might return to Ming Toy for a more music-driven show, and if it happens, we’ll figure out a way to sell pre-show tickets…
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Yesterday afternoon, Bright Eyes posted on social media that the band has cancelled three upcoming record-release shows, including an appearance at Riotfest Saturday and Sunday’s show at Steelhouse Omaha.
“The warm up shows we played earlier this week resulted in Conor losing his voice and, on the advice of doctors, we’ve made the difficult but sensible decision to prioritize rest and recuperation for the remainder of the month,” the post read. It went onto say they’re working to reschedule the dates.
Youtube videos shot at the warmup shows in Cleveland and Chicago featured a froggy, groggy-looking Oberst. Hopefully he’ll find a cure for what ails him because Bright Eyes has a very busy six months ahead. The band has three dates scheduled for mid-October as well as a 9-date European tour in mid-November followed by West Coast dates in January. That leads into an enormous 34-date U.S. theater tour that kicks off Feb. 26 in Fayetteville.
The band’s new album, Five Dice, All Threes, comes out tomorrow on Dead Oceans.
The day has arrived: Tonight at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple Street in Benson, singer/songwriter/author David Dondero performs music and reads from his new novel, Chaos the Cat.
– This is a limited-capacity engagement – only 40 people will be allowed in. Showtime is 7 p.m. We’ll be there after 6 p.m. preparing the space, so arrive early and check out the art.
– There are no pre-show ticket sales. A $15 donation is requested at entry, but for $25 you’ll also get a copy of the book. A big, burly, very tough bouncer will be at the door (named Craig).
– Ming Toy doesn’t provide seating. We’ll have some fold-out stools available (courtesy of BFF), but bring your own chair if you want to guarantee the ability to sit down. Or sit on the floor. Or stand.
– The program consists of music, then reading, then Q&A (moderated by the very tall Rob Walters) followed by more music. Not sure how long it’ll last but it’ll definitely wrap up by 10.
– BYOB. We’ll have a cooler of ice water on hand.
– Check out the art! The current show is called “Vox Humana” and is curated by Mari Dailey. Here’s a brief video that explains the show. If you want more info or want to purchase anything, see me or Teresa.
Need more info? Click here. Should be a tons of fun. See you tonight!
When the project first emerged in the mid-2000s, WHY? was classified as an “alternative hip-hop” band fronted by Cincinnati rapper/singer Yoni Wolf. And there certainly was plenty of rap to go around on their 2008 breakthrough album Alopecia (Joyful Noise Records).
And while there’s very little rap to be heard on WHY?’s latest, The Well I Fell Into (2024, Waterlines), the songs’ rhyme and meter often sound like sung rap lyrics, with their tumble-on lines that could have been spoken over a thick beat instead of sung atop the often dense, bouncing arrangements (produced by Brian Joseph of Sufjan Stevens/Bon Iver fame).
In some ways, WHY? has evolved along a similar path as Beck, whose early nonsense lyrics left people scratching their heads at their meaning, which sometimes happens with these lyrics, though the album’s overshadowing theme involves moving through life with a broken heart, or as the one-sheet explains: “The new LP is an autopsy of heartbreak as it charts the ups and downs of a devastating breakup while trading bitterness for healing.”
While some tracks are slow-burn pain anthems (the forlorn “Marigold,” the downcast “Jump”), the album’s center pieces consist of more upbeat slow-burn pain anthems. At their best (“Atreyu,” “The Letters, Etc.”), the songwriting recalls Magnetic Fields or even Sufjan.
In addition to usual bandmates Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid and Andrew Broder, that album includes collaborations with indie up-and-comers Ada Lea, Gia Margaret, Finom’s Macie Stewart, as well as Lala Lala’s Lillie West and Serengeti.
In support of the Sept. 24 headlining show at Slowdown, we caught up with WHY?, who agreed to take the infamous Ten Questions survey. Here are the answers (presumably provided by Yoni himself):
1. What is your favorite album?
The Range of Light Wilderness s/t.
2. What is your least favorite song?
Some kind of loud white blues rock guitar shit that feels like it should accompany a commercial for Fireball or Jack Daniel’s.
3. What do you enjoy most about being in a band?
Sitting in a van listening to audiobooks.
4. What do you hate about being in a band?
Sitting in a van after my AirPods die.
5. What is your favorite substance (legal or illegal)?
Spring water.
6. In what city or town do you love to perform (and why)?
Omaha of course because it is objectively the greatest city in the world.
7. What city or town did you have your worst gig (and why)?
Small town in Slovenia called Murska Sobota. We played for about 10 teenage boys at a tiny rec center, or maybe a halfway house with grease-stained walls. They were making fun of us the whole time and there was a threatening air about the place. Runner up would be the time we played a Quiznos in a student center in Michigan.
8. Are you able to support yourself through your music? If so, how long did it take to get there; if not, how do you pay your bills?
Yes, I am. It only took a few years to be able to do this but I am very frugal and lived off of cans of beans for the first decade.
9. What one profession other than music would you like to attempt; what one profession would you absolutely hate to do?
I think I’d like being a therapist or a visual artist. I wouldn’t be good as a cop or anyone that works in a hospital (phobias).
10. What stories have you heard about Omaha, Nebraska
I just know about Warren Buffett, Conor Oberst, Saddle Creek, lots of steak, flatness, cows (alive), and people drinking a lot. It’s like a secular, sinful Salt Lake City.
WHY? plays with NNAMDÏ Tuesday, Sept. 24, at Slowdown. Tickets are $20; showtime is 8 p.m.
Professional musicians play music for a whole variety of reasons – whether it’s for the love of song, to meet chicks (or dudes) or to try to make a living (the true dreamers!).
And some do it for the sheer joy of sharing a moment with their family, friends and fellow musicians.
Midwest Dilemma falls into that last category. Frontman/singer/songwriter Justin Lamoureux always has surrounded himself with friends when performing on stage, all the way back to the very early days of his career 20 or so years ago. That again was the case Friday night when his band played an album release show at The Benson Theatre. There, center stage, was Justin, surrounded by 10 fellow musicians, all having the time of their lives.
Instrumentation varied from cello to flute to tuba to stringed things I didn’t recognize. Musicians either intensely focused on their sheet music or danced alongside Lamoureux as he played songs from his new album, whose style ranges from upbeat indie rock to baroque shanty tunes to folk in its purest form, all seemingly powered by their glowing smiles. While below, seated or dancing, an adoring capacity crowd shared in the joy of the moment. It wasn’t so much a rock concert as a community gathering of friends, family and fans, brought together to celebrate Lamoureux’s music.
Kyle Harvey at The Benson Theatre, Sept. 13, 2024.Brad Hoshaw at The Benson Theatre, Sept. 13, 2024.
Sharing in the evening were openers Kyle Harvey and Brad Hoshaw. Kyle brought his classic moody acoustic folk that highlights simple song structures and his brilliant voice for a collection of mid-tempo heartbreakers accentuated by his own funny between-song storytelling.
Like Harvey, Hoshaw used the show to unveil a number of new songs that, while in keeping with his knack for creating hook-filled melodies, stretched their stories beyond the usual whiskey-soaked elegies that characterize his early songwriting. The former Omahan has found new life in Nashville, no doubt to the lament of an army of Benson barkeeps.
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Head of Femur at Little Bo Backyard Bash, Sept. 14, 2024.
To my surprise, they moved this year’s Little Bo Backyard Bash from last year’s location in the parking lot and green space east of 13th Street to a blocked-off William Street west of 13th stretching to 14th. I preferred last year’s location to the rather tight confines of the caged-in street. Tents and picnic benches were crammed between the curbs overlooked by abandoned buildings, with the Omaha Mobile Stage parked on one end.
Not to be outdone by Midwest Dilemma, Head of Femur boasted seven musicians for their set, all crushed inside the tiny converted shipping container. Maybe it was the great weather or the mixed drinks or the overall camaraderie from the middle-aged hipster crowd (and their children) but it was one of the most enjoyable sets I’ve heard from Matt Focht and Company. A standout was the amazing violin that added soaring solos that lifted the entire set. Hey, who needs a lead electric guitar when you’ve got that in your arsonal? No doubt we’ll be seeing more of Femur as Focht said from stage that the band will soon be getting a retrospective box set released by a very reputable indie label, who also will be releasing new material.
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Finally, last night someone on the Friends of the Drumstick Lincoln, NE Facebook page posted that singer/songwriter Charlie Burton passed away yesterday morning.
I only knew Burton from having seen him perform at the Howard Street Tavern in the ‘90s and having interviewed him after he had moved to Austin. Though far from over, Burton reflected on his career in that interview, conducted in 1998, summing it up in this story about a run-in with a record exec following an appearance at the annual South By Southwest Festival in Austin.
From the article:
Burton sums up the festival with a story that is so good, he was afraid it would dominate the article. At first, he didn’t want to tell me, either because he doesn’t want to come off as glum or because he doesn’t want it to be a metaphor for his entire career.
“It was right after last year’s South by Southwest festival,” he said. “We played very well, and my friends from all over came to see me. It inflated my ego, stroked it, and then it was over. Suddenly it was Sunday and I had to go back to work at ABCD’s (an Austin CD store). As I opened up that morning, these lyrics just kept running through my mind — the line from P.F. Sloan’s “Eve of Destruction,” as sung by Barry McGuire: ‘You might leave for four days in space, but when you return it’s the same old place.’ It was like the day after Christmas, when you’ve opened all your presents and are already bored with them.
“So this guy walks in the store and asks for the Charlie Burton CD. ‘Do we have it?,’ I said, ‘as a matter of fact I am Charlie Burton!’ He says, ‘I saw your first 45 reviewed in Cream magazine in 1977. You sent me an autographed copy. I ordered more and gave them to all my friends. It’s still one of my favorites of all time.’
“He walks up with a copy of Rustic Fixer Upper and I offer to sign it for him. He gives me his card so I know who to write it to and the guy’s the vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. I said, ‘How come I have all these big fans in the record business and I’m starving out here?’ His response, basically was ‘You’re not 24 anymore, are you Charlie? And that’s what I’m looking for.'”
Burton sold him the CD and also sent a copy of the single “Spare me the Details,” (which will be on the One Man’s Trash compilation) along with a letter. “I realized that I had an opportunity to kiss the guy’s ass, but missed it. I haven’t even received so much as a ‘thank you.’
“I don’t know what those guys want anyway. Back when I was a kid, you either liked the Beatles or the Stones or both. Now the music buying public is so fractionalized, they want lounge or swing or urban… Yesterday’s gothic Trent Reznor kid is tomorrow’s rockabilly Dale Watson fan. The trends are run down their throats. They haven’t figured out they are being taken advantage of.”
Despite the angst, Burton knows that there’s no other kind of music he can — or wants — to play. “I still believe in myself, but the bottom line is that the industry wags know when they see a money-losing proposition. Maybe they’re right; maybe I never made it because I don’t deserve to.”
No, Charlie, they were wrong. And judging by the avalanche of loving rememberances pouring out over social media this morning, you definitely “made it.”
It’s been a quiet last few weeks in terms of college/indie music and now this weekend we’re confronted with a “midwest dilemma” in the form of multiple shows happening at the same time. Ah, decisions, decisions…
The primary log-jam is tonight. Over at the Benson Theater it’s the return of Midwest Dilemma, which is celebrating the release of a new album 13 years in the making, titled Searching for the Cure for Loneliness, which I previewed here. Expect an army of musicians on stage with frontman Justin Lamoureux – he said he hopes to have more than 12 musicians playing with him for this show. It’ll be like a full-on Benson folk reunion, as post-Omaha singer/songwriters Kyle Harvey and Brad Hoshaw will open the show, which starts at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 via the Benson Theater website.
Meanwhile, downtown at The Slowdown, Omaha indie legends Neva Dinova celebrates the release of their new album, Canary, which actually doesn’t come out until Sept. 27 on Saddle Creek Records. No matter, as the band likely will be playing it in its totality. I’ve heard an advance of this record and it already owns a place on my best of 2024 list. Opening for Neva are Omaha acts Size Queen and Mike Saklar’s The Sun-Less Trio. $25, 8 p.m.
Choose wisely…
But that’s not the end of your choices this weekend. Saturday is pretty packed as well.
Indie folk royalty Gillian Welch & David Rawlings are headlining at The Astro in La Vista Saturday night. Their latest, Woodland (2024, Acony Records) scored a massive 8.0 from Pitchfork, and yeah, it’s a beaut. Tickets are $55-$102. Starts at 8 p.m. with no listed openers.
Meanwhile, two festivals are happening Saturday.
Tomorrow afternoon from 2 to 5 p.m. the Little Bohemia District is hosting its annual Little Bo Backyard Bash. The event is located at 1408 S. 13th Street, and is one of the most chill neighborhood events I’ve attended. This year, the music line-up is first-rate with Saving Fiona, McCarthy Trenching, Head of Femur and Left Handed Country. Food trucks, beer trucks and other stuff. No cost listed, which tells me it’s free (it was last year). More info here.
Then tomorrow night at The Waiting Room its Fletchival: A Benefit for Vic Fletcher. Vic has been a beloved fixture of the Omaha music scene for decades, and this benefit concert will help raise money as she battles ongoing health challenges. Performing at Fletchival: Bryan Poole, The Mercurys, The Album Party, Bad Bad Men, Filter Kings, Damones, and Midwest Dead Coalition. $20, starts at 5 p.m.
And that’s all I got. If I missed your show, put it in the comments section. Have a great weekend!
Although born in Duluth and having lived in South Carolina and the Midwest most of his life, singer/songwriter David Dondero is something of a legend among those who grew up during Omaha’s Golden Age of indie music, circa the early 1990s.
Dondero’s first band, Sunbrain, released albums on Grass Records, a label that also put out albums by Omaha bands Mousetrap, Cactus Nerve Thang and Commander Venus, the emo act where Conor Oberst got his start.
In fact, many an astute music critic had cited Dondero’s quivering vocal style as having influenced Oberst’s famous shakey bray heard on those Commander Venus albums as well as early Bright Eyes records (Oberst also has cited Sunbrain as an influence).
Dondero’s own quivering vocal style had somewhat mellowed by the time I first saw him perform at the short-lived downtown bar/ music venue The Junction in 2002, where he played songs off his seminal solo album, The Transient (Future Farmer Recordings).
“Everything I’ve heard about him was true — he’s pretty amazing,” I wrote in a review of that Junction show. “His set, while subdued and withdrawn, was riveting. Dondero is a throw-back to classic American folk singers, taking a distinctively traditional style and placing it squarely in our time with lyrics that are introspective and rooted in the everyday. The comparisons to Simon Joyner and Conor Oberst are justified (or for that matter, their comparisons to him).”
Over the years, Dondero played at a number of Omaha venues including The Cog Factory, O’Leaver’s, and 2010’s memorable Concert for Equality held in downtown Benson, which included performances by Cursive, David Rawlings & Gillian Welch and Bright Eyes.
Dondero returns to Benson next Wednesday, Sept. 18, at Ming Toy art gallery for a performance and reading from his new book, Chaos the Cat. I caught up with Dondero last week while he was driving a lonely Louisiana highway headed to a gig in New Orleans in his Toyota Camry, which in addition to being his tour wagon is his Door Dash and Lyft driving wagon.
On the road with Chaos the Cat
For this tour, Dondero said he’s playing mainly for small crowds of 15 to 20 people in houses, coffee shops, bookstores and gallery spaces like Ming Toy for a program that consists of song performances, readings from his book and Q&A.
“I’ve also been asking for volunteers who are willing to read certain parts of the book with me,” he said. “So it becomes kind of a dialogue, both from the book and then through Q&A.” The performance concludes with more songs.
He said the tour is more conducive in these alternative spaces rather than bars. “I used to be a hardcore drinker,” he said. “I’m a sober person now for nine years. So I prefer not playing bars, but still do. I don’t want the shows to be alcohol-centric; I’d rather it be about the songs and the writing.”
According to its description by publisher, San Francisco’s Unrequited Records, Chaos the Cat takes readers on a journey into the heart of California’s cannabis legalization era, where a secluded pot farm becomes the backdrop for a clash between preservation and exploitation. Amidst this backdrop, a diverse group of characters converges, each seeking their own form of self-improvement. At the center of the conflict is a trio of antagonists whose schemes threaten the harmony of the farm, pitting greed against enlightenment. The tale is narrated by Chaos, the cat, the reincarnation of an artist deeply connected to the farm.
Dondero said the book was inspired by his time working as a carpenter on a pot farm in Mendicino County, California. “The message of the book is about people who have tried to reset their lives by getting out of their patterns that they had been in in the city,” he said. “There’s some conflict in the story ideologies, and there’s a lot going on with different people in it.”
The book already has sold out its original limited-edition casebound pressing, with the second edition now available via IngramSpark and Amazon. For the Sept. 18 Ming Toy show, entrance requires a $15 donation, but for $25, patrons also will receive a copy of the book.
Music is the Main Thing
Dondero said while he enjoys writing, he doesn’t think it’ll ever be his “main thing.”
“Music is always going to be one of my main things, but (writing) is definitely becoming one of my main things,” he said. “I’m really engaged in trying to write a short story a week and then record a sound backdrop. It’s a writer challenge for me, to keep moving with it and become a better writer.”
His last album, Immersion Therapy, reflects the loneliness and anxiety of life during the Covid-19 pandemic when it was written. Oregon label Fluff and Gravy Records, who released the album, were “like my family,” Dondero said. “We lived together and I played their house through the years, and we’d become friends, and then I ended up living in their garage studio through the pandemic.”
These days Dondero lives in Pensacola with his his girlfriend, Natalie. How has he managed to make a living playing music since the early ‘90s? “I wouldn’t call it a living,” he said. “I’ve pieced together a life of borderline poverty for my whole time, working odd jobs and playing music in between. It’s a juggle; it’s not like it’s provided a living by a stretch.”
Dondero said he set up a Patreon website in 2017 whose subscribers receive exclusive music, writings, videos and more. “It’s been a lifesaver,” he said. “It’s the only guaranteed, stable income where I know how much I’ll be making a month.”
Touring remains an important income source, and Dondero said it’s become easier over the years. “When I first started booking tours, you had to send cassettes in the mail and you’d ring up a huge debt in long-distance phone charges,” he said. “You’d be in the hole several hundred bucks before leaving for the tour. Now you can book a tour on your cell phone and that’s much easier. And you can promote much easier.”
But Dondero said the music itself has become worthless from an income point of view. “It’s like, once it’s out there, it’s out there,” he said. “It’s not really worth anything unless people choose to give you money for a record at a show or something or to subscribe. The two-year break from my habit of playing music kind of got me out of a never-ending cycle of credit card debt. I was able to pay off all my stuff during the pandemic. Now I’m back to square one.
“My goals are just to put out good work and hone my skills as a guitar player and learn how to be a better writer,” he said. “It’s kind of like the life source for me — the process of working on projects and having something to complete is what keeps me rolling, while just getting used to the idea of failure — which is 99% of the time. So when those little wins come every now and again, you can really savor them.”
David Dondero plays music and reads from his new book, Chaos the Cat, Wednesday, Sept. 18 at Ming Toy Gallery, 6066 Maple St. Capacity is limited to 40 patrons. Entrance is a suggested $15 donation at the door (There are no pre-show ticket sales) or $25 gets you in and a copy of Chaos the Cat. 7 p.m. start time. No seating provided, so bring a lawn chair or a cushion.
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