NYCO

Please click on this below. You'll find out more about a band called NYCO that we'll have the pleasure of sharing a stage with on St. Patty's Day, March 17th at Cubby Bear North. You'll have a better understanding of why songwriters can't help but be songwriters. Even more importantly, the value of giving something up to become something so much more.  Enjoy.

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/arts/20070206_ATKATZ_FEATURE/blocker.html

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Beep Article

Tamkin's Mixed Tape

File Under Martin Sexton, Lionel Richie

Lisa Balde | Beep Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The mixed tape. There are few other art forms so timelessly important to music snobs than the planning and careful "stop-record-play-stop" creation of said song smorgasbord. It's like heroine-via-copy/paste circa 1985. It's Hallmark for romance druggies. It's Kurt-Cobain-mourning perfection, 12 years after flannel's demise.

www.greeneyephotography.com

Here's why Dave Tamkin's music should mean something to you? He sang his first song to his seventh-grade love of his life. Yep, he's just like you.

Like, say the junior-high hottie wanted your number (which, at age 13, is code for "I wanna have your child"). Bam. "In Your Eyes," by Peter Gabriel. Did Cutie-Blondie-love-muffins dump you in public at – gasp – the local Big Boy? "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)," Motley Crue. (Close second: GNR's "November Rain").

It's effective, it's poetic, it's file sharing at its best. Thankfully its intentions stuck around.

Take Dave Tamkin, furiously busy songwriter out of Mt. Prospect whose music mirrors the roots of a heart-on-sleeve love letter born from his (wait for it) very first, grade school mixed tape.

Tamkin was in eighth or seventh grade when he gave it to her, "her" being the love of his life at the time. Packed with nuggets of Phil Collins gems ("that's as sappy as it gets," he says), Tamkin presented Her with the tape after serenading her outside her parents' front door. "I was interested in a girl," he says now, humbly and kind of vaguely, like he loves this story but is slightly embarrassed to tell it. "I just wanted to show her (how I felt), I guess."

Oh, how modest the mixed tape purveyor can be! The song Tamkin sang Her that day was one of his first, perhaps THE first he'd ever written on his own. It initiated a slew of albums and concepts full of folksy acoustic flair and the kind of lust and heartache, perchance and sidesteps that only a guy who once filled his cassettes with White Snake can create.

"I still have all of them too," he says of his mixed tape collection. Good thing, too. It's carried him a long way.

Upcoming Shows Nov. 22, Schuba's, Chicago Nov. 24, Cubby Bear North, Lincolnshire

If only She could see Tamkin now: frequenter of the Metro, House of Blues and Double Door stages, opener for the likes of Guster, Willy Porter and Butch Walker. He just started another tour around the area, hitting up Cubby Bear – Lincolnshire on Friday and the House Cafe in DeKalb Dec. 9.

She does know about his success, by the way. She and Tamkin have remained friends throughout the years, post-crush.

Has he ever told her how their seventh grade love story molded him as a musician today? Yes. "But she understands we were young at the time," he says. (He's on the phone with me now, but I'm positive he's blushing. P.S. He's currently single, ladies!)

Roll the clock forward a decade or so, and Tamkin is back in Mt. Prospect after living in Chicago during his DePaul years as a marketing major. (Perks to moving back to the town he grew up in: wade pool within walking distance.) Five years into the biz as Dave Tamkin, or as he's sometimes known – Tamkin & Co., he's plugging away at a career he built on name recognition alone.

It worked: If you've seen Tamkin (he'll be the one in blue jeans and T-shirt, wearing a Puka shell necklace), you've seen a show in the suburbs in the past five years. His tours are swift and sturdy, and they tend to thoroughly blanket the mainstream music scene.

"My audience is anyone who relates to my songs, whether they're in college or they're 40, just starting out, or if they just got married," he says.

That about covers it. Tamkin's goals emphasize the traditionally sought-after musician's mission, to make songs that people "get," whose personal experiences are relayed in chorus. Despite comparisons to Dave Matthews and Jack Johnson (not a bad compliment, he says, but not his first choices in influences), Tamkin usually hits it on the head – based on his fan base alone.

Note: Tamkin hates the word "fan." No lie. And he hates it for the most touching of reasons. "I'm really not that different than them," he explains, "except I get to do this in front of a lot of people." These people who love and listen to his songs are an extension of him, he says.

Back in his Chicago college days, Tamkin and the band played up to nine shows a week, sometimes playing two different stages a night. His schedule, pending additional gigs, looked something like this: Alumni Club on Mondays, house show at Chicago club on Tuesdays, House of Blues every other Wednesday and Friday, plus several shows on the weekend. His first year of college in Carbondale wasn't much different either. He was all music, all the time. For better, or for worse.

"That was the best year and the fastest year of my life," Tamkin says of his time as a true frat rocker at Southern Illinois University, bouncing from party to bar, club to late-night kegger. "They threw me out so fast too."

But that was his unspoken motto; it still is: Motivation – and touring to the point of combustion – equals success. Even as a kid in sixth grade, pre-mixed-tape-Tamkin made his name by being everywhere at once. He signed up for just about every after-school variety show his teachers organized. And that probably still wasn't enough.

Back then, it was his eighth grade dream to play Schubas on Southport in Chicago. He marked that off his checklist a few years ago on the night he felt like he had "made it," a feeling that would repeat itself 10-fold since then. "When I played Schubas, I felt I made it, when I played in front of 250 people I felt I made it. Park West is my next goal, but that's probably a year away."

The best thing about Tamkin is his infallible, positive attitude, never cocky and never contrived. If there was ever to be a truly human soul behind music that's meant for people who've loved and lost and loved again, Tamkin is it. When asked about his music goals and end-all-be-all dreams, the words "mansion," "money" and "record deal" never came up. No, we talked about "kids," "wife" and "home" instead.

"To be married, have kids and a house and be able to take care of all of them and be able to do what I love," he says. That's his end-all goal. Oh, and to woo the love of his life with a mixed tape, although this time it'll be more Martin Sexton than Phil Collins.

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Review by: Big Andy- Milwaukee Music Support

Jason Vinluan (VIOLIN), Brayn Sansom (DRUMS), and Dave Tamkin (VOCAL/GUITARS) will be starting some new songs to be finished by the end of the year. They'll be playing around, so keep an ear out for them.

Big Andy- Milwaukee Music Support

Shows I went to- Oct25, 27
Current mood: calm
Category: MySpace

I went to two shows this week.  The first was one that I didn't really want to go to, but my wife did.  Wednesday, yes Wednesday, we went to see Burn These Pages at Strikerz in Sussex.  It was a sort of Halloween thing, and as soon as we walked in, we realized we were the oldest people there.  BTP is a high school band that my old band Callisto did a BOTB with at Bucketworks.  Since then, Jess has been in contact with them.
I'd have to say, for a high school band, what they lacked in musical skill and equipment, they made up for in energy.  The music was heavy and had some moments of intricacy.  The singer just growled/screamed, which I only like in moderation.  The turn-out was great, and the crowd was good, which showed some good promotion on the part of the event organizers and the bands.
On Friday night, we (meaning me, Jess, Gus, Ashley, and Matt) went to the Marcella CD release party at the BBC.  This was a great show.   The opener was an incredible group from (unfortunately) Chicago called Dave Tamkin.  With just a trio-guitar/vocals, violin, and drums, this group had an incredible energy and skill that blended pop with jazz, somewhat reminiscent of DMB, but MUCH better and not overdone.  I only wish these guys were from Milwaukee so I could promote them like I do Milwaukee artists.
Marcella was incredible as well.  This was the first time I'd seen them, and I wasn't disappointed.  They pulled out all of the stops for this show, including some excellent lighting and, gasp, a fog machine.  Anna Marcella is an incredible singer with a very sultry voice that draws in the listener to every word.  The band was very tight and gave audience members the chance to "join" the band momentarily by shaking a tamborine.  I purchased a CD and am currently enjoying it.
Bryan Cherry, while toned down to the eye, was actually just as intense as Marcella.  Bryan's singing style is very unique, blending folk music with reggae.  With multi-instrumentalist Sean Williamson next to him, they created a mood that helped to wind the night down.
From now on, I'll be posting pictures from all of the shows I attend on my facebook page.  The link for my facebook can be found on my main page here in my movies section.  I'll be working on getting all the photos on photobucket so everyone can view them.
Be sure to respond to my blog and let me know what you think.  As always, if there's a local show I don't have posted, tell me about it.  I enjoy seeing new bands as well as my old favorites.
Big Andy
Burn These Pages
Marcella
Dave Tamkin
Bryan Cherry

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The Sentinel article

Kelly Bickford/The Sentinel

Dave Tamkin sings original melodies and covers for students in SUB.

Musician defines 'solo'

Dave Tamkin utilizes vocals, guitar, music pedals

by Drew Leiser | Staff Writer

A veritable melody of instruments could be heard as Dave Tamkin took the basement stage in the SUB. Armed with only an acoustic guitar and his voice, Tamkin set out to entertain and create a sound that exceeded that of one player.

Tamkin hails from Chicago, and is actively touring 8 to 9 months out of the year at colleges and assorted performance venues. He plays both solo and with groups, but as was seen that night, he doesn't need a backup band to create a seven-instrument piece.

Through modern magic, Tamkin manipulated a half-dozen foot pedals to overlap his own playing. He would start off with a piece and when he arrived at a repeating chorus or melody he would store his playing in those magic boxes and even though his fingers had stopped that same lick would continue.

Tamkin built and built on top of his own playing using different effects, so the end result would consist of more than two acoustic guitars, an electric guitar, a synthesized guitar, etc.

The night was full of original songs ("Only Traffic," "Smile," "Tuesday," etc.) but was also interspersed with cover songs. He remarked that he was once told if he had to play at colleges he needed a strong number of cover songs in his repertoire. The covers included titles from artists Jimi Hendrix, Blue Oyster Cult and the Buggles, to name a few. "But the problem is I find myself covering songs for people in the '80's," he said.

Tamkin took some time to joke with the audience and they enjoyed his stories and humor especially regarding his life touring.

The highlight of audience participation came when the Buggles' song "Video Killed the Radio Star" was played and the piece was restarted until the crowd fulfilled their job of singing the lyrics "Oh-a oh" at every chorus.

"If you like what you heard you can take me with you tonight," Tamkin said. "On CD, that is."

His records sold well as the performance ended as it was only $10 for two discs.

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EMERGENZA ACOUSTIC GUITAR HERO COMPETITION

CONGRATULATIONS TO DON CONOSCENTI FOR WINNING THE

EMERGENZA ACOUSTIC GUITAR HERO COMPETITION TRIP TO GERMANY TO PlAY IN FRONT OF 30,000 PEOPLE. HE'S A GREAT PLAYER, SONGWRITER, AND SOMEONE TO LEARN FROM.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DAVE TAMKIN FOR  WINNING A TAKAMINE TAN15C ACOUSTIC GUITAR, WITH COOL TUBE PREAMP!

PLEASE CHECK OUT THE AWESOME GUITARISTS THAT PLAYED. EVERYONE HAD THEIR OWN APPROACH, STYLE, SOUND, AND TOUCH.

"It was an honor to be in the same category as these musicians, I learned something from each one of them, I have some work to do."

   - Dave Tamkin talking to himself.

Robert Bolin

Jeff Daschbach

Rob Higginbotham

AJ Rosales

Boyan

Steven Smrha

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Pioneer Press Article

Acoustic guitarist Dave Tamkin grew up in Prospect Heights.

"As a young kid, I always had a toy guitar I would constantly play with and wouldn't put down," recalled Dave Tamkin, "then, in the fifth grade, I got a real acoustic guitar."

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southern new hampshire university article

Dave Tamkin Takes Over the Last Chapter pub
By John Bergeron

How does a song speak to us as individuals? How do we interpret the music that we hear everyday and somehow find a connection with something so abstract yet so simple?
Singer/songwriter and down right cool cat Dave Tamkin is still trying to answer this question but I think he’s found a temporary solution, “write a good song and play it well.”

        It was between classes and while meandering around the halls I noticed a flyer for a show at the coffeehouse at the Last Chapter pub on Sunday night. Looking for a change from the everyday typical nonsense that is the life of a college student and in need for a good story I decided the struggling musician route would be the best idea, so I put it into my schedule to check out this Dave Tamkin guy. Recovering from a nasty hangover and with no fluids in my system besides Sam Adams and coffee a chilled out night was the perfect solution. 

 Listening to Tamkin play is like a therapy session, you don’t know exactly what you have figured out, but you realize in the end that you feel better. He treats his guitar much like you should treat a relationship, with each song being a different woman, gently and loving, but with enough control over it that when the song is over the guitar knows who the boss is.

      All jokes aside, the intricate finger play constantly kept me watching, and Tamkin’s heartfelt lyrics and vocal prowess gave me a soundtrack to the show that was unfolding before my eyes. There is an almost controlled chaos to his percussive playing that is oh so beautiful. He is all over the place and it becomes hard to imagine how he maintains such discipline yet after a few songs I soon realized that Dave Tamkin knows what he is doing and all my subconscious confusion slowly faded away.

        With a good hour or so of playing time Tamkin managed to fit in a fairly extensive set list consisting mostly of originals but with like every virtually unknown, there were a few covers thrown in. Tamkin threw his signature label on “In Your Eyes”, the classic Peter Gabriel love song, a funky version of “The Wind Cries Mary”, but the highlight of the night for me was probably the best and only cover I’ve ever heard of “Burning,” by Blue Oyster Cult.

   Judging by Tamkin’s list of originals, it’s easy to see how he commanded the songs of others. Playing a style that borrows its sound from everything from folk to blues, Tamkin’s lyrics tell a story that you swear have been playing in your head throughout your life, leaving you asking yourself if you have heard some of his music before. With songs about everything from relationships to leaving everything behind to start again hoping that everything will come out ok in the end, I found myself taking a good look at my own situations. 
    

     I managed to sit down with Tamkin after his set, and instead of asking him the clichéd ‘where do you get your ideas’ type of questions, we ended up talking about music, nothing more, nothing less and he told me his secret to his style and his influence.
“I always liked it when a song would speak to me and I knew that I wasn’t alone in my feelings, so if I write about something that happened to me I know that when someone hears it, they can come up with their own conclusion. But no matter what it means something to them.”

     Tamkin has been playing music since about the fifth grade but has only about two years of real experience under his belt. But to me, Dave Tamkin’s big break is long overdue. With the music industry constantly bombarding the general public with the same recycled crap, finding music that can speak to you on such a basic human level can be a daunting task.

     In a world where a musician’s popularity is based solely around their ability to sell merchandise instead of pure raw talent, Dave Tamkin stands above the rest. His music speaks directly to anyone who has ever experienced life in its purest form. He demands your attention, and once he has you in his grasp you won’t want to be let go.

      So if you enjoy your music simple yet abstract, chaotic yet beautiful and lastly but certainly not least, if you enjoy music the way it was meant to be played, and that is with heart, soul and a few laughs along the way, check out Dave Tamkin. You wont be disappointed.

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Tamkin IDS NEWS article
Current mood: calm

http://www.idsnews.com/story1_modify.php?id=32835

Life on the Road with Tamkin       by Patrick Giese Back to Front   A man with two-day-old scruff on his face and self-described "Wolverine hair" has just walked into Kilroy's Sports. He carries all his gear in two hands -- a guitar in one and an effects pedal in the other. He looks tired. Maybe it's because he played a show in Youngstown, Ohio, seven hours earlier then jumped in his Honda CRV so he could make his 10:30 show at Sports. Or, maybe it's because he's clocked 30,000 miles touring since January without more than a week's rest -- and playing two shows in one day is far from unusual. Tamkin drops his gear off at the stage and melts into a booth hoping to find a few moments peace before taking the mike. He is a new kind of act. At 28, Tamkin defies the young musician stereotype. His tours aren't remembered as blurry visions punctuated by long car rides with intense headaches. For the last three years, he has handled all of the business of his career, from booking venues to posting flyers to promote his shows. No street teams. No record labels. No time for anything but music and business. And it's working. Tamkin graduated with a degree in business and marketing from DePaul University in 2001. Any other concentration would have been inappropriate for this musical workhorse, but Tamkin refuses to let business steal attention from the music. "If you put your goal on something you can't control, like selling CDs and gaining popularity, you'll always be searching for it, you'll always be looking for that lottery ticket." While he maintains that the business end is vital, he tries not to let his focus slip from what is really important -- writing and playing good music. Tamkin isn't shy when he describes the benefits and shortcomings of tooling around the country toting a guitar and a suitcase. "I have the opportunity to check out the whole country because I write songs. I'm not a tourist, I'm just passing through, so I can't choose what I want to see, the adventure is just given to me." At times, the life many aspiring musicians would happily trade for can become repetitive and lonely. "My days are pretty much the same except for the scenery," Tamkin says. He hates that sometimes he feels like he has to put a conversation or a relationship on hold -- his world set to the rhythm of turn signals and curtain calls while the people he is close to move in different directions. "I hate that I get out of the loop of what's going on with my family and friends at home." Heartbreak, loneliness, and finding happiness in a situation that went wrong are just a few of the things that keep Tamkin's foot on the gas. His process is very natural. Sometimes, his mind is a reservoir and lyrics spout on a page like a geyser. Other times, the well runs dry. "Songs are like magic. I can't force them. They come out when I need to get something out of me." In the past, that something was usually a girl. As Tamkin has matured as a musician and songwriter, his lyrics and their meanings have progressed as well. Songs don't get written during boring lectures anymore -- which is where he wrote "Prelude." Songs like "Only Traffic" and "Home" have formed from Tamkin's experiences on the road, and in remembrance of his family cottage in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Tamkin has learned; it's not enough to just write about an experience. He needs to come out of the experience with something important to say. While his writing does serve as a kind of therapy, he also hopes that his audiences can relate. "Hopefully someone else out there, sitting in their room, or driving in their car, is going to understand. We all have the same experiences and go through the same things." Of course, he doesn't mean exactly the same things. Not many of us have been on stage with other national touring acts, afraid we might vomit from nerves. This past July, Tamkin shared the stage with Guster at Old St. Pat's "World's Largest Block Party," before 10,000 Chicagoans. "Guster was a big deal to me," Tamkin says, fiddling with a CD sitting on the table in front of him. "I loved their instrumentation and their song writing. [Playing with them] made me feel like I was going somewhere with music." Going somewhere is one thing, but now, Tamkin feels like he's breaking through. "I'm getting better as a musician and I feel like I'm writing better songs. I'm getting more of a response when I play shows." Tamkin's checks from CD sales are growing, as are his audiences; but his goals and attitude are the same. "I play because I have a passion for life and music. Music is a powerful thing. When I play, people can have fun, shake their ass and forget they have to work tomorrow."

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ORDER "ONLY TRAFFIC EP" NOW!
Current mood: chipper

Just sent out the new EP for duplication. They should be ready for you in two weeks. I hope you dig it! I've worked hard on it for the last two years. Everyone in the band put a little touch of themselves into it. Wes Cichosz and I, along with Jim Godsey, spent a lot of hours recording and mixing 11 songs. We decided to put out 6 with some extra love hidden in there. We'll put out six or seven more by the end of 2006. Thanks for all your support!

PLACE YOUR PREORDER TODAY @: www.awarestore.com

dave

1. ONLY TRAFFIC

2. JULIE ANN

3. WALKAROUND

4. TUESDAY

5. BRING ME BACK

6. SMILE

+ A BONUS

12:13 AM - 1 Comments - 2 Kudos - Add Comment

Ringtones!!!!!
Current mood: anxious

download "only traffic", "bring me back" and "smile" to your cell phone for a new ringtone!

thanks for the support,

dave

www.davetamkin.com

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