Dave grew up in North Vancouver, and re-connected with a childhood love of country music while attending the University of Saskatchewan. There, he frequently visited live music bars and watched artists passing through town, including a young Dierks Bentley performing at the campus bar. Dave began to write songs of his own on his downtime at school, and after returning to Vancouver, he began playing guitar for various artists and industry friends including Karen Lee Batten, Damian Marshall and Bobbi Smith and created his former band. One of Dave’s personal highlights was later opening for Dierks, one summer in Merritt, BC. Dave grew up influenced by classic rockers and songwriters like Tom Petty, and more recently of guitar-slinging country starts like Keith Urban, Brad Paisley, Vince Gill, and Travis Tritt. His sound, a mix of modern country and southern rock, is being recognized as Dave was recently selected as a 2015 Top 5 BCCMA Artist Discovery Competition finalist, and his songwriting was previously recognized with a CCMA Songwriters’ Showcase. He was nominated for the 2016 Ray McAuley Horizon award by the BCCMA.
Dave is embarking on his second national radio tour in February to support the release of his 2nd single “Everything Girl,” and will be releasing his first ever music video for the song, directed by CCMA Director of the Year Stephano Barberis. ~From Dave Hartney
Here’s the full chat and two tunes with Dave and two acoustic in studio tunes;
Check out his video for Everything Girl