Tamkin and Mileski @ LAMPLIGHTERS Saturday, July 24th 10pm

The Blogging Side Of Music – Part 2 of 5 – Dave Tamkin

Today, we once again open the floor to Chicago-based (and now Colorado located) national touring musician, Dave Tamkin. We spoke with Dave about the promotional strategies that he finds to be most effective on his own blog, Head Above Music. Dave created Head Above Music as a free resource for musicians to find tips about gear, touring, travel, health and other important interests related to the working musician:

Describe yourself as an artist.

I’ve been a full time national touring musician for the last 8 years, maybe more but I don’t want to admit it. I try to write honest, upbeat, percussive songs that tell stories from a few different perspectives.

How important is social media marketing to your overall goals as an artist. Do you use it often? What is the level of engagement between you and your fans through various social networking channels?

It’s important to stay in contact with your friends and fans at a few different levels. It’s a creative outlet like anything else and the more you can give your audience new material to keep them updated and entertained the better. I use Facebook daily. I have a good time posting crazy ass videos and try to find something either personal or external that provokes some comments. Its fun to see people I’ve met from across the country interact on a topic.

I’m not a huge twitter fan but keep it updated through other platforms. Myspace is still great to tool to connect with other musicians but I’m not sure how many people still use it.

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This Saturday, April 3rd @ Toad Tavern

I’m honored to share the stage with BUCKSTEIN, KORY BRUNSON BAND,  and JULIA BRYAN BAND, $6, 21+ 7:30 PM

Topo Ranch and Dave Tamkin

NPR Interview Pics and Song

Lamplighters Changes Things Up!!

LAMPLIGHTERS PRESENTS:
The Singer/Songwriter Circle:
Featuring Dayna Lane, Dave Tamkin, & Kevin Mileski
Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 10:00 PM (CT)

 
Lamplighters Inn and Tavern tries something new. They are hosting a night of music for only 100 people.

You can buy tickets here: http://www.lamplighters.eventbrite.com

Three Singers/Songwriters (Kevin Mileski, Dayna Lane, and Dave Tamkin) will share their stories and songs to a seated audience. 312 Beer will be sponsoring the event with a meet and greet before the show from 9-10pm. This is something the North West suburbs have been looking forward to for sometime. Lamplighters new Listening Room: The Singer/Songwriter Circle.

Lamplighter Inn Tavern & Grille
60 N Bothwell St
Palatine, IL 60067
(847) 991-2420

BUY TICKETS HERE: WWW.LAMPLIGHTERS.EVENTBRITE.COM

Mike Mangione @ The Laughing Goat

Before last night @ The Laughing Goat in Boulder, CO, I’ve only heard Mike Mangione solo acoustic or maybe with his brother Tom. They are both great musicians and friends from Milwaukee and Chicago, IL. His sets have always been flawless to me. The way the two brothers play and read off each other is chemistry. Could he do that with the whole band? He did it last night. It was a great show full of musical subtleties and energy.  The band forged great layering and vocally inspiring melodies. Check them out when you have a chance.

Click the album to listen or buy a shirt, they give you muscles!

Friends Page

More info on FRIENDS page.  Check it out if you get a chance!

Strings & Wood Presents a Benefit Show for Teaching Photojournalist Hillary Prag Featuring Dave Tamkin & Retta Yarbrough

Sun. July 26th The Oriental Theater
6:00pm Art Show, 6:45pm Music
Hillary Prag -
   Hillary is a teaching photojournalist based part time in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and part time in
Denver, CO. !Recently equipped with a Master’s Degree in International and Intercultural Communication,
Hillary began teaching at an American high school in Port-au-Prince. !Her subjects include
photojournalism, sociology, and creative writing. !She aims to cultivate great storytellers who can
document the reality of Haiti from the inside as well as be able to communicate about their multi-cultural
journeys. !She primarily teaches students how to listen to each other. !She believes that if they can learn
the art of dialogue at a young age, they will grow into their roles as leaders of our countries and
institutions with an ear for the quiet voices that are so often ignored.
In Denver she works alongside former street youth to share her love for photography and story. !Dry
Bones, a local faith-based organization that supports homeless and former homeless youth has offered
her a platform to teach weekly photography workshops.
Her long-term goal involves facilitating an artistic collaboration between at-risk youth and privileged
youth in Port-au-Prince. !She hopes to invite her privileged students at the American high school to
partner with street youth from a local orphanage on photography and journalism projects, sharing stories
and skills to communicate life as a teenager in Haiti. ! This will be the beginning of the intercultural dialogue
she so believes in. www.hillaryprag.com

 
Dave Tamkin
Dave has created his own unique style of rhythmic-acoustic rock that’s based around a fresh
musical vision. His shows vary from intimate solo acoustic performances to a full band experience
encapsulating a mixture of personal lyrics and skilled songwriting set against a high-energy percussive
backbone. While touring relentlessly all over the nation, Dave plays over 200 shows a year. He’s worked
with Rusted Root, The Violent Femmes, & Rhett Miller of the Old 97s, just!to name a few. Tamkin has a
style that’s hard to resist. www.davetamkin.com

 
Retta Yarbrough
Retta has been a part of the music scene for years, playing a wide variety of styles, from folk
to gospel to rock. !She brings her own distinctive flavors, & blends them into a unique blues/
folk/americana sound with an unusual spiritual depth. Her strong vocal harmonies &
rhythmshave been compared to Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, &
Shawn Colvin.!! www.myspace.com/onemiledown

 Art Heffron, Strings & Wood Presents – Director of Restored Arts art.heffron@gmail.com 303-807-8106
www.myspace.com/stringsandwoodmusic

Kearney, Nebraska

I played in Kearney, Nebraska last night @ a venue called Cunningham’s Journal. It was my second time playing there. My first experience had to be on one of the coldest days of this last winter. I had to start my car on the set breaks to make sure I had a running car. This undoubtedly kept the college students at bay…I believe I played for 14 patrons that evening. The numbers were not as disappointing as much as how much I loved the sound system and had no one to share it with. I easily slipped in and out of thoughts of being at the All State Arena. The sound system and sound man, Mark, is a musicians dream. Crystal clear, just enough reverb, and rounded out the sound nicely. This time around, the sun was shining, 85 degrees and they had me play their back patio. Fortunately for me, Mark was doing sound and they had they same sound gear ready to go. The patio filled as the night went on, from college students to parents and grandmas dancing in the corner. I had a blast. Thank you to Kearney, Nebraska for a fun time and introducing me to a refreshing mix of tomato juice in my Coors light. It was worth the heart burn!