Catching Up With David Mead (In Four Scenes and Three Cities)

Nashville, TN, mid-1990s. . . After bouncing around the club scene in a few bands, David Mead takes the leap as a solo artist. A copper-topped kid with a tender heart and wicked sense of humor, he has one unfailing secret weapon - the kind of singing voice that can stop drunks in mid-drink and A & R guys in mid-schmooze. “A soaring but unshowy falsetto,” says Uncut. “Honeyed and compelling,” adds Entertainment Weekly.
New York City, NY, early-2000s. . . Mead signs a major label deal with RCA, former home to Elvis Presley and David Bowie. Aspiring to similar career longevity and variety, Mead locks in for a steady climb. Honing a songwriting gift that improbably takes in Broadway, Beatles, Prog and New Wave then ups the ante to something all his own, he releases a pair of critically-acclaimed records, The Luxury Of Time and Mine and Yours. “Infectious melodies,” says The Guardian. “A major tunesmith,” affirms MOJO.

Middle Of Nowhere, Indiana, mid-2000s. . . Mead tours from town to town, meeting crowds sparse or sold-out with equal gusto, leaving true believers in his wake. When he’s not on the road, he’s writing, recording (Indiana, Wherever You Are, Tangerine, Almost and Always) and lending songs to screens big (The Sweetest Thing, Boys and Girls) and small (Ed, Private Practice). He’s making loads of fans and friends. Some of them in high places. John Mayer says, “David Mead is one of my favorite singer-songwriters.” Taylor Swift tweets, “I can’t get David Mead’s ‘Nashville’ out of my head.” Joe Jackson, Fountains Of Wayne, Shelby Lynne, Ron Sexsmith all feel it too, enough to invite Mead to share stages and tours.

Nashville, 2011 . . . . 253 of Mead’s most-dedicated fans rally around his Kickstarter campaign to raise over $20K to
fund his new record Dudes. The yield on the investment? Pure pleasure, with humor, mystery, emotional wallop and dudes of all ages lurking behind a hundred unforgettable hooks. “There is no easy way for me to express the gratitude I feel for all the generous support,” Mead
says, “except to try to back it up with what I feel might be my best album to date.”