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Chris Jones posted this review on the Eurotraders mailing list, and gave me permission to repost it here. “Life Is a Jam” was recorded in December 2009. It is available for download, and I have a few actual (pressed) CDs left from a limited run.

Chris’s review:

I’ve been on a bit of Gans binge lately and today has been ‘Life Is A Jam’ day.

When I first got this, I thought, “WTF, it’s only got three tracks on it – and they’re all the same” but, believe me, those three tracks are all absolutely excellent and all very different – despite sharing the same name.

The three tracks are all versions of David’s ‘Life Is A Jam’ song, but they’re alternate takes and have a very different feel one from another. They all start in a similar manner – with David singing his remarkable upbeat and amusing lyrics (some of the rhymes are really superb and very witty) whilst accompanying himself on guitar. But this isn’t a solo album as he’s joined by a rather talented quartet: Mark Karan on guitar, Mookie Siegel (David Nelson Band) on keys, Joe Kyle Jr (the Waybacks) on bass, and Dave Brogan (Django) on drums.

The basic premise of the song is that life is going to throw all sorts of shit at you and that you have to learn how to improvise your way through it. If you do, you’ll get that much more out of it.

The song has a very cheering rhythm to it and you can’t help but tap your feet. The lyrics kick in and the foot-tapping is accompanied by smiles. Then, after a few verses, the jams start – and pretty soon you’re just totally into the groove as the band is on fine form on all the tracks. It’s always a joy to listen to Mark Karan, and he’s really on top form here – smooth and easy, and very relaxed. In fact this band sounds as if they’re a permanent grouping, rather than a bunch of guys who occasionally play together when they’re not playing with someone else.

The downside of the CD is that with a total length of around 26½ minutes it’s too damn short. You just want it to go on, and on, and on.

Highly recommended.

CJ

David Gans with the Rumpke Mountain Boys at the Dark Star Jubilee 5/25/13. Ramblin Rob posted a video of our full set.

Ramblin Rob caught us right after our smokin’ set at the Dark Star Jubilee on 5/25/13!

Greetings on the eve of my trip to the Mountain Time Zone! I start (still in the Pacific time zone) with a house concert in Las Vegas on Saturday, and then I’m off to Utah, Idaho, and Montana for six performances in eight days, interspersed with awesome sightseeing and spiritual refreshment.

On June 21, I will play in two bands at the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley: acoustic with the Sycamore Slough String Band, and electric with Dogpatch Junction.

July takes me east twice: Buffalo and Nelson Ledges over the July 4 weekend, and then a longer trip later in the month that will include three festivals, several house concerts, and “Dark Star High School,” a midweek retreat at the Full Moon Resort in New York with the Dark Star Orchestra, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, and Betty Cantor-Jackson.

I’m still working on a few more things for late July, possibly including gigs in western New Jersey, Connecticut, and/or Long Island. Check dgans.com/gigs.html for updates.

And before we get to the complete list of gigs as it stands today, please check out this interview I did, joined by the Rumpke Mountain Boys, right after our thrilling set at the Dark Star Jubilee on May 27: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmaFkimYckE

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The schedule as it stands today:

Saturday, June 8: House concert in Las Vegas NV. Potluck dinner at 6:30, music at 7:30. Email me for info/reservations.
Sunday, June 9, 6pm: Boulder Mesa Cafe, Boulder UT
Monday, June 10, 7pm: Robber’s Roost Book Store, Torrey UT
Wednesday, June 12: House concert in Salt Lake City. Email kasidybaker@gmail.com for info/reservations.
Friday, June 14, 7pm: Alpine Wines Bistro, 15 S Main St, Driggs ID
Saturday, June 15: Live from the Divide! Peach Street Studios, 627 E. Peach Street, Bozeman MT
Sunday, June 16: House Concert at “Club Meg,” Missoula MT. Email me for info.
Monday, June 17: Symes Hot Springs, 209 Wall Street, Hot Springs MT

Friday, June 21, 8pm: Sycamore Slough String Band and Dogpatch Junction at the Freight and Salvage, 2020 Addison Street, Berkeley CA. DG will play with both bands.

Thursday July 4: House concert near Buffalo NY. Email me for info and reservations
Friday and Saturday, July 5 and 6: Grateful Fest, at Nelson Ledges Quarry Park, Nelson/Garrettsville OH

Sunday, July 14, 9 am to 1 pm: Marin Farmers’ Market at the Marin Civic Center, San Rafael CA. Free! Great local produce, etc.

Saturday, July 20: House concert in Staten Island NY. Email me for info
Sunday, July 21, 1pm: The Folk Project presents a house concert in Rockaway, New Jersey. Email concerts@folkproject.org for info/reservation. Suggested donation $15. More info here.
Wednesday, July 24: House concert at Neverdun Farm, Kennebunkport ME.
July 25-28: Gathering of the Vibes at Seaside Park, Bridgeport CT

Friday, August 2: Fletch Fest, Westernville NY
August 3-4: A Bear’s Picnic, Pennsylvania
August 5-9: “DSO High School” at the Full Moon Resort, Big Indian NY. Dark Star Orchestra, Donna Jean Godchaux-Mackay, Betty Cantor-Jackson, David Gans. Music, conversation, storytelling, and more!

Sunday, August 11: Sycamore Slough String Band at the Beloved Festival, Tidewater Falls OR

Thursday, August 15: Berkeley CA (details TBA)
Sunday, August 18: Oakland CA (details TBA)

September 7-8: Terrapin Hill Harvest Festival, Harrodsburg KY
Tuesday, September 10 (tentative): Rumpke Mountain Boys and DG at Stanley’s Pub, Cincinnati OH
Friday, September 13: Solo and with the Rumpke Mountain Boys at Pink Moon Festival
Saturday, September 14 (very late at night!): With the Rumpke Mountain Boys at The Werk Out, at Legend Valley in Thornville OH

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My performance schedule is posted at dgans.com/gigs.html – new gigs are being added all the time.

As always, I’m in the market for house concert opportunities. If you see an open spot on my schedule in your general vicinity, let’s try to make something happen! And remember: word of mouth is a gigantic part of musicians’ promotion and publicity these days, so if you like my music, please spread the word about my gigs and recordings.

My recordings are available at https://www.dgans.com/discography/

Great thanks to Jim Dunlop for providing me with first-rate strings for all my guitars! https://www.jimdunlop.com/

Thanks also to Rick Turner for creating the amazing guitar I play on tour, the Renaissance RS-6. https://www.renaissanceguitars.com

If you want to be removed from this list, please send email to david@trufun.com and I’ll take care of it ASAP.

SYCAMORE SLOUGH STRING BAND:
Sycamore Slough String Band is an acoustic quartet focusing on the music of the Grateful Dead, with other fine songs popping up occasionally as well. With me are mandolinist/guitarist David Thom and bassist Roger Sideman. We held our first rehearsals at Megasonic Studio in Oakland in January, confident that magic would be made, and we did indeed wind up with releasable music. “First Rehearsals” is available in FLAC, MP3, and CD on demand from festivalink.net – https://flink.livedownloads.com/show.asp?show=7293 and in audiophile (96/24) from HDTracks – https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=catalogdetail&valbum_code=HD063944412117

Here are two videos from First Rehearsals:
Jackaroe
New Speedway Boogie

DAVID GANS AND ERIC RAWLINS:
I’m also hawking Desert Wind, Rollin’ River, a studio recording of Americana type songs (including several originals) with my dear friend Eric Rawlins. We’ve been singing together, mostly at private gatherings, for more than 20 years. The recording was done in my living room by the great Stephen Barncard, who recorded American Beauty and David Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name…) It’s available in FLAC, MP3, and CD on demand from Festivalink
And in audiophile (96/24) from HDTracks

More info on these and other releases at https://www.dgans.com/discography/