Dave Logan
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Dave Logan

Flagstaff, Arizona, United States | SELF

Flagstaff, Arizona, United States | SELF
Duo Alternative Singer/Songwriter

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"Up Close & Intimate: Three local songwriters unite at Sundara to make music the focus"

There’s no TV in Dave Logan’s living room and few pieces of furniture, so his band has plenty of room to practice. As they rehearse, they open up all the doors and windows to keep the heat down, letting their sound spill out to the world. This is the Dave Logan Band at their best. His neighbors on Fort Valley Road even love it. One thanked him that their guests could enjoy a live set during a barbeque the other week.

Logan wants to share that experience with the community. He wants people to know what his band sounds like when it’s just them sitting in a circle, jamming in his living room. He’ll try to replicate that when he takes the stage alongside singer-songwriters Brian DeMarco and Nolan McKelveythis weekend.
Sundara will open its doors on Saturday to the first 75 people who can get their hands on tickets to see the three and their bands in a show aimed at allowing fans to just sit back and soak in the music. They even plan to have people out the door by 10 p.m.

“There’s a lot of people in our fan base that like this kind of music that don’t want to be in a bar at 10 p.m.,” says DeMarco. When people are just there for the music, it makes a magical experience, he said.

All three are well known voices in Flagstaff. Logan’s band is the newest on the scene, having formed in 2010, but all have played hard in town for years, each bringing their own brand of Americana. They even frequently share the same veteran local band members.

DeMarco and Logan’s friendship may be the best thing to ever come from the Chili’s in Flagstaff. The two met working there nearly a decade ago and have been playing music together ever since. “Dave’s always been the type of guy who just knows what to play,” says DeMarco. “When he’s around it just sounds better.”

DeMarco was a driving force behind Logan’s recent release Outside Looking In. Unbeknownst to Logan, DeMarco had booked him for a singer-songwriter show at Mia’s several years ago. Only he didn’t have any songs of his own to play. “I figured he’d do fine because everything seemed to come so easy for him,” says DeMarco. Logan has played in pretty much everyone else’s band around Flagstaff, but he was timid in venturing out on his own. “I realized I’d better get to writing,” he says. “If you’re gonna go for it, ya gotta give it everything you got,” he adds. “It was a big confidence boost. Brian has always encouraged me to pursue music much more deeply.”

The two still play together frequently and they say the depth of their friendship is starting to show through in their music. They can predict exactly what the other one will do on stage. “Being able to play music with your friends is an amazing thing,” says DeMarco.

That made rounding out their performance with McKelvey a natural choice. The well-known Flagstaffian-turned-Phoenician is a close friend. As one of the best-known musicians to come from Flagstaff, he’s brought bands like Muskellunge Bluegrass and Onus B. Johnson to audiences far from home and played countless patio sets at Flag Brew.

After scores of shows in Flagstaff bars, the trio hopes to have a more captive audience on Saturday.Ambiance is a hard thing to bottle and it can make or break a show. It isn’t just the performer; the stars have to align just right for a quality experience. That experience is easily tainted. It can be some sweaty drunk guy next to you cutting into your piece of the dance floor, the room full of kids you know just don’t appreciate the show like you do, or the crappy sound system battling with the barroom banter. For as much good music as Flagstaff has to offer, like any other small town, the venues are often limited to the cluster of bars in downtown and Southside.

Sundara is changing that up. “My hope is that over time we can turn the space into a listening room where we’re really known for that,” says Sundara owner Alexis Holley. “It just lends itself well to that type of experience.” Listening rooms are popular in larger cities like Austin and Boulder, where all attention is on the music. Holley thinks that Sundara has the acoustics and the ambiance to create one here. In June, singer-songwriters Dave McGraw and Mandy Ferrarini played the first “special listening” performance at Sundara. Logan and DeMarco loved the idea. Their performance will be the latest installment in what Sundara is calling its “listening room series.”

Logan says he rarely plays some of his songs because they aren’t well suited to the typical bar environment. If you play too slow of a song, however good it is, it can still suck the energy out of the room.

He was at Telluride Bluegrass this year when he saw the Punch Brothers at the Sheridan Opera House playing to a small audience. The audience was mesmerized when the band started playing acoustic.

“I was literally floating,” says Logan. “It was the most amazing musical experience I’ve been a part of.”

Check it out as the trio and their bands feed off each other’s energy at Sundara Fine Art Café and Boutique, 22 E. Rte. 66, on Sat, Aug. 27 from 7–10 p.m. Limited tickets are still available at Sundara for $5 apiece. For more info, call 779-3292 or see www.briandemarcomusic.com, www.daveloganmusic.com, or www.nolanmckelvey.com.

- FlagLive


"Sires & Sirens Of Song"

"Dave Logan: New Prodigy"

"To watch Dave Logan become frontman to the Dave Logan Band, breakout with a setlist of original music and a beautifully recorded and packaged debut album is akin to watching a puffy summer cloud blow up into a giant monsoon storm."

"...his debut album Outside Looking In...sounds more like most artists' third or fourth effort"

- Mountain Living Magazine


"2010 Editor's Choice Awards"

Award for Best New Music in Flagstaff - Flag Live


"Album Review: Dave Logan- Outside Looking In"

It’s not often that an artist’s debut release paints an adequate picture of his talent. On Dave Logan’s Outside Looking In, this happens to be the case. With descriptive lyrics and impressive musical accompaniment, the 11-track album grabs the listener wholeheartedly. While Logan has played guitar for the past two decades, his songwriting desire recently came calling. After he moved west and walked thousands of miles in the wilderness guiding tourists for work, he decided to give music a shot. Logan’s love of nature and outdoors is evident throughout Outside Looking In as he paints a vivid picture of everything he sees. Whether it be a relationship, death, or spirituality, his colorful lyrics and emotion-filled vocals adequately get his stories across.
Over the past two decades, Logan spent his time honing his guitar chops, performing live and contributing to other musician’s studio efforts. The experience he gained is evident on his debut release. The 11-track offers much to listeners, whether they look for jazz, blues, rock or pop numbers. Additionally, many of his radio friendly tracks bring to mind John Mayer with his soaring guitar interludes and soft vocal style. Though he has avoided the idea to pursue music as a livelihood, Logan could not avoid his passion entirely. “Nothing else was satisfying me. That’s all I wanted to do,” he said. Despite his fear of failing, he finally decided he had to at least try. Thus, comes Outside Looking In, a glimpse into Logan’s life and struggle to pursue his dream and find his way.
“A lot of the lyrics on the album are basically conversations with myself. It’s me trying to convince myself to become the man I believe I can be,” he says. One track specifically, “Find My Way” showcases this desire. With gritty electric guitar, Logan sings passionately, “On my way downward/Wings all unfolding/There’s nothing left holding me now/Guess I’ll go sailing away on the breezes/Wherever it pleases I’ll go.”
Outside Looking In combines Logan’s softer side on tracks such as the beautiful “Never Alone” as well as his playful, seductiveness on “Play Me Around.” He kicks things off with title track, “Outside Looking In” with fast-paced strums of the guitar with familiar, deep vocals. An introduction of what’s to come, the radio friendly song seems to convince Logan to pursue his passion of being a musician. “It’s a waste to go on living/For less than we have dreamed,” he sings over polished music and soaring guitar accompaniment. An adequate way to begin the album, the song quickly draws the listener in. “Snowbirds and Semis” follows suit with a faster paced singing style combined with Logan’s descriptive, yet heartbreaking lyrics. A tale of love lost, it is easy to hear the pain in Logan’s vocals. With fitting guitar and percussion, he gets his point across.
Throughout his LP, Logan’s familiar singing style brings to mind fellow singer-songwriter/guitarist John Mayer. “All Good Things” is just one example. With a soaring electric guitar interlude mid-song one would go so far as to assume that Mayer is in fact playing on the track. An album with a solid mix of ballads and faster paced songs, Logan’s softer side is often revealed. On the beautiful “Sarajane,” Logan’s light guitar strumming and moving lyrics strike a chord. “I can’t bear to let you go/So won’t you come along with me Sarajane” he sings, trying to convince Sarajane to travel with him.
Next track, “Rise” embodies faster paced guitar with Logan’s deeper, relaxed vocals. The jazz influenced song impresses and continues to showcases Logan’s versatility. Clocking in at nearly seven minutes, the instrumental interludes demonstrate his more bluesy side. Stand out numbers “Play Me Around” and “Find My Way” further demonstrates Logan’s capability as a musician. “Play Me Around” impresses with a seductive beat and slowed vocals while the eased electric guitar further the distinct soulful vibe. With gritty electric guitar, “Find My Way” continues to introduce Logan’s musicality. At first a slower ballad, as the beat builds, three minutes in Logan’s guitar prowess is further showcased.
Overall, Outside Looking In is a solid introduction to Logan’s musicality. After two decades of putting his passion on the back burner, Logan is a prime example to follow your dreams, despite the fear of failing. An impressive debut, one only wonders what the future holds for this musician.

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)
- Review by Annie Reuter: You Sing, I Write


Discography

Outside Looking In- August 2010, debut full-length album

Alive Alone EP- December 2010, live solo performance

Photos

Bio

"To watch Dave Logan become frontman to the Dave Logan Band, break out with a setlist of original music and a beautifully recorded and packaged debut album is akin to watching a puffy summer cloud blow up into a giant Monsoon storm". Seth Muller, Mountain Living Magazine

The Dave Logan Band came together in January 2010, originally as a trio featuring Ron James on drums and Tim Hogan on bass, both long-time veterans of the Flagstaff, AZ music scene. With the addition of guitar and mandolin juggernaut, Brad Bays, in February, the music and live shows began to mature and develop into the high-energy, musically diverse performances for which the band has become known and locally celebrated.

With musicians each having roots in differing genres, including jazz, classical, soul, rock, bluegrass, and country, the band has come together to create an eclectic sound which has earned them fans from a variety of quarters. From tender love songs to funky, rhythmically-charged acoustic rockers, from deep-down, sexy grooves to “kick-out-the-jams” Americana, the Dave Logan Band weaves a musical soundscape that keeps both the attentive listener and the dancing crowd equally satisfied. And Logan’s palpable enthusiasm and love of music is evident each night as he bounces around the stage, stomps his feet and grins from ear-to-ear, exuding an infectious stage presence that’s impossible to ignore.

In less than a year, the band has managed to forge an impressively cohesive sound that has been attracting a steadily increasing fan base in their native state of Arizona. They will be hitting the touring circuit in 2011 in support of Outside Looking In, the debut full-length release. Dave recently released a live, 5-song EP featuring a 2010 solo, acoustic performance opening for Colin Hay this past October. In the past, Dave has also had the pleasure and privilege of sharing the stage with Taj Mahal and Brandi Carlile.

Band Members