High Holy Dave
Dave Thompson began playing guitar, bass and piano around the age of 14. It quickly became his healing mechanism after the loss of his older brother. “I locked myself in a room teaching myself everything I could. Music became my escape, my salvation, my world”. There’s been no turning back ever since.
During one of our many “heart to hearts”, I asked Dave his thoughts on music, life, and everything in between.
On working with High Holy Days:
What’s it like being on the road day in and day out with the boys?
There’s a sense of brotherhood in this band, we have been through so much as people. The current infrastructure in High Holy Days is solid, we are just gearing up for the new CD to be released in a few months.
How do you find the contrast of working on solo projects in comparison to being part of a band? That’s very hard to do. I find that I play more on solo projects than I do in the band due to the fact that I play more than one instrument, so most of the time, in the band, I am playing politician, nodding and waiving while someone else lays down a part I know should be different. It’s only my perspective of course, the part they play is great. I just hear things different. Most agree that’s its better. A band teaches me to respect my place and the ability to listen to others and allow them to have a voice. Very positive, otherwise I would forget how to be a human being.
What do you guys usually do after a show?
A night in the life of…..
Rock N Roll is fun, there’s no doubt about it. Sometimes you’re partying after a show with fans, sometimes there are some cool bands in town that you can hang out with. Default were just in North Bay a month or so ago, our friend rented a limo and we drove around partying with those guys for a few hrs after their show at the Capitol. Sometimes your singer takes off in a canoe filled with booze at 6 in the morning after an “all nighter”, and gets lost for 12 hrs and ends up 3 towns away while the local radio station covers the story…So many experiences, so many amazing people to share it with. Looking forward to many more too.
On working with Leslie Carter:
How would you describe the differences between Canadian and American projects you take on? How do the industries differ?
The American projects are definitely more cutthroat, so many people vying for that piece of the pie. The stakes are higher, I am forced to raise the bar on a personal level to maintain my foothold. It’s not the music business, it’s the people business. People want to work with their friends, bottom line, so I create friendships with industry folk and they champion me for projects. It’s not as easy as that of course, and it’s not as fake. I genuinely love everyone I get to work with and they all become my friends. I ask them about their day, we shoot the shit. I don’t start peddling my wares, as it negates the human factor from the get go.
Did you ever feel pressured in any way, while working with such a high profile client?
The pressure is to maintain honesty and not be carried away with the perception of who they are. To stay grounded, but not too grounded, as I don’t want to create a sense of normalcy. I just try to be as honest as possible and that is usually reflected back at me from the artist, and in turn, the music.
Is her music completely independent to her, or has the success of her brothers influenced her style in any way?
Leslie’s music is unique to her and I. We created it all, and I created all of the music and instrumentation. I wouldn’t say it’s truly original, because I am so influenced by pop culture and it’s music. But I focus on writing great songs and musical parts that resonate with people.
How would you best describe her sound?
The sound that I was going for was like U2 Joshua Tree era meets Avril 2005. Actually, I wasn’t going for that, it just ended up that way.
Is she a pleasure to work with? How so?
Leslie is very melodic and has a great ear for music. She knows how to write great tunes, it was a real pleasure working with her actually. At first I was skeptical, as I am a rock guy and can’t do bubblegum at all. I mean, I am just no good at it. There are people who do it brilliantly, and I respect that. I am just better at rockier type music, stuff that’s darker. Leslie didn’t want bubblegum, she is quite independent of her family and is influenced by the normal things a girl of her age would be into.
On Dave – the man without the music, if he exists:
Stranded on a desert island question. 3 things.
A copy of Jeff Buckley’s Grace, a CD player and a generator.
How would your girlfriends best describe you?
They would describe me as passionate, loving, romantic, proud, thoughtful, irresponsible, selfish, funny, totalitarian, nurturing
You’re an absolute pleasure to be around. You radiate intensity and love. Where does it come from?
First of all, thank you for the statement. I think it all comes down to ideology. I want love in my life, I yearn for it. I love it reflected in those around me, It is the most important tool to create with. I have seen the absence of it at times and that scares me more than anything in this world.
Who are 3 people you’d love to have dinner with. What would you ask?
Steven Spielberg, so I could ask him why he turned Kubrick’s conceptual masterpiece AI into the Wizard Of Oz. Michael Jackson so I could concur with him that pure love is the essence of freedom and joy, my old guitarist, so I could ask him for thousand bucks he has owed me for 2 years.
And finally:
If you could leave young artists with a piece of advice, based on your experience, what would it be? I would advise a young artist to have fun, enjoy the ride, develop relationships with people and maintain them, be honest with yourself and listen to every word from your peers.
~talia
