Dave Hanley
A native to the California central valley, Dave Hanley grew up with the sweet smell of chocolate billowing from the Hershey factory at the edge of town and the haunting, lonely sounds of the train whistle from the railroad that cut the town in half as it passed through at a snails pace. Oakdale, “cowboy capitol of the world” so the welcome sign says, is the place where Dave Hanley grew up taking in and experiencing all those little gifts of life that he now recreates through his songs and his music.
Like so many kids of past, Dave's love of music began with church choirs and playing saxophone in grammar school and for a time, he truly wanted to become a drummer. His mother recalls that “at the end of every Sunday night church service, I would find him beating away at the church drum set after everyone had finished visiting. Once in the car on the way home, he would drive me to distraction as he continued his drum solo on the dashboard of the car. His rhythm was already rock solid.”
When Dave was 11, a friend of his received an acoustic guitar for his birthday and Dave was immediately captivated and found himself completely engulfed in his desire to learn how to play it. Since his friend didn’t have the passion for the guitar that Dave did, many afternoons were spent with his friend drawing cartoons while Dave struggled to place his fingers on the fret board trying to imitate the sounds he had heard by guitarists. He didn’t want to go out to play, he only wanted to “play” on the guitar. With no one to teach him, Dave learned to play guitar by “constantly moving my fingers on the fretboard until it just sounded right”.
After living in Vancouver, Wa. with his mother for a short time, he was emancipated by the courts at age 16 and returned to California by himself to begin work as a park employee in the Wawona Hotel at Yosemite National Park. One day, (at age 19) he was visiting friends in Modesto and one friend brought out her guitar that had been sitting in her closet for years and gave it to Dave. From that moment on, Dave’s passion and commitment to his guitar and his music grew and began to shape and direct his future. During this time, he met the legendary Frank Solivan, Sr. (California Bluegrass Association, Ambassador at Large) at a bluegrass pickin’ party. This man and his music had a profound affect on Dave and he found himself spending hours and days learning from this bluegrass master, known for his fast flat-picking rhythmic banjo style, melody and tempo and to this day he is Dave’s constant musical and life mentor.
Around 1992, Dave continued to learn his music and would often come to San Francisco with his friend to play music in the subway. Armed with bluegrass and folk tunes he had been learning in Modesto, Dave began to hone his skill of gathering a crowd with his music.
In 1994, Dave moved to the Russian River area of Northern California and began a 3 year journey as a founding member of the Sons of Levi playing harmonica and second guitar. Playing rhythm guitar with seasoned veteran musicians turned out to be an experience only a few could hope to garner at such a young age. It was here, while spending so much time with these great songwriters and musicians, that Dave began to write his own songs, listening to the structure, melody and dynamics they would create.
Sons of Levi were the first touring and recording band Dave had been a part of. Their debut album “Enter In” was recorded with Jonny Colla (Huey Lewis & the News) at his recording studio in Novato Ca. Quite an experience for a kid only playing seriously for 4 to 5 years.
With the birth of his first child, the Dave moved back to the Oakdale/Modesto area and soon after, the Puffin Billies started. Over the next four years he played guitar and sang backing vocals for the six piece band, using some songs that he had written. They opened for many groups such as Canned Heat (Barton Enterprises), Built Like Alaska (Future Farmer) and Grandaddy (Virgin V2). In 2002, the Puffin Billies received the Modesto Area Music Award for best Americana Band.
Midway through 2004, Dave embarked on an ambitious solo endeavor. He began writing and recording new material for the “Gifthorse” LP coproduced with Lucky Lew (Howe Gelb, Grandaddy) which has quickly become a favorite amongst indie, bluegrass and Americana folks alike. “Gifthorse” LP and Dave Hanley have been nominated for the 2005 Modesto Area Music Award in the acoustic/Americana category, again. He is getting rave reviews from his live performances, hooking crowds with his big sound, energetic guitar, and passionate lyrics that tell stories through a range of dynamics and style.
by Sharon Elliott (Bluegrass BreakDown)
