David Newberry is truly a Canadian musician, born and raised in the east, he now lives on the west coast, and will be crossing the Prairies on tour including a stop at 5th Avenue Cup & Saucer Oct 21.
"I grew up in 小蓝视频ern Ontario in what used to be a small town, but is now a suburb of Toronto, called Sutton," he explained. "I've lived the last seven years in the west, mostly in B.C. in Vancouver, Victoria, and most recently in the interior, in Quesnel and Wells."
While most musicians come to their world through family influences, Newberry said he came to music literally by accident.
"I think I have a different beginning story than most, as I came to music quite by accident," he said. "I did play some guitar in high school, but ultimately I was working with my father, who's a carpenter, and I cut my hand on a table saw in 2001. The physiotherapist suggested playing guitar as a way to rebuild the muscles. So, I played some guitar and then, when my hand got strong enough, I started playing bass in a local punk band. That is where I 'caught the bug'.
"While the band never went beyond a few gigs in rural southern Ontario, it absolutely helped my hand and it was a lot of fun."
Newberry said he has been on something of a musical journey since his punk beginnings.
"Since starting out as a punk rocker, I've come a long way," he said. "Some older, smarter friends introduced me to folk music somewhere along the line, and I would consider myself to be a folk singer."
With the change in focus, Newberry said influences are difficult to pinpoint.
"It's hard to say what has influenced me the most, but I'm a big fan of story tellers and 'word-painters' like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young," he said. "In more recent years, I find myself listening mostly to music made by my friends on the Canadian touring scene. James Lamb, Corbin Murdoch, and Rodney Decroo have been really big influences and a great help along the way."
Today Newberry focuses just on his music.
"I've been a musician as my full time job for about a year and a half, though I started playing about 10-years ago," he said. "Personally, my most memorable shows have taken place at the Artswells Festival in Northern B.C.. I've played shows in nine provinces and one territory, and there's a lot of highlights. Along the way I've had a chance to share the stage with some amazing writers. Carolyn Mark, Rae Spoon, Fish and Bird, and David Francey come to mind.
"But ultimately I love playing music. Every show is special in its own way, and I feel really lucky to have this job."
As a storyteller Newberry said he wants to make sure the story is just right, so writing songs is somewhat painstaking.
"I write slowly," he said. "It's a lot of work for me to write a song and I don't like to consider it finished until it's perfect."
To help focus his writing Newberry said he often employs an old technology in the process.
"One trick I use is to try writing lyrics on an old manual typewriter. The act of typing is so much work that it tends to help eliminate unnecessary words," he said, adding using the minimum amount of words is almost a style for him. "If I had to describe my philosophy on songwriting it would be to not waste anything. I try not to have any filler, and that usually makes things take a while.
"So the songs from my new solo CD (When We Learn The Things We Need To Learn) probably came from a period that lasted two or three years."
Inspiration is also a fleeting thing in Newberry's world.
"It's hard to know what inspires me, but my friend David Francey gave me the best advice I've ever got on that subject, which is to pay attention to what is happening around you, and listen to people.
"The rest just comes when it comes."
The CD was recorded over a six-month period (ending about a year ago) in a studio in East Vancouver with a producer named John Wood. Some good friends helped Newberry with the vocals, including Connely Farr (mississippi live), Nina Flemming (Pawnshop Diamond) and "my sister Sioux Newberry, who is an amazing songwriter and performer in her own right."The recording effort has Newberry smiling.
"I'm thrilled with it," he said. "And, it's been treating me very well. I've been pleasantly surprised with the positive reactions."
