Dave B
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Dave B

Seattle, Washington, United States | SELF

Seattle, Washington, United States | SELF
Band Hip Hop Pop

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"Dave B. Wins Sound Off!"

On Saturday night, the EMP's annual battle-of-the-underage-bands concluded by crowning Renton's own Dave B as the 2013 Sound Off champion. A wild card pick, his hiphop stylings won the judges affections over the three semi-finalists: electro-glam the Fame Riot (Tacoma), post-rock SHEBEAR (Puyallup), and introspective indie As It Starts (Bothell).
Rather than a Hunger Games style bloodbath, the competition was mostly a positive vibrations celebration of local talent. The final result came as something of a surprise, leaving the excessively vocal—and raucously moshy—Shebear and Fame Riot fans quietly stunned, but as of this report it seems that no one burned the venue to the ground in protest. Perhaps this is because all of the bands left with some solid prize packagess including gear, studio time, and industry consultations, and high profile performance spots—plus Dave B gets a spot at Bumbershoot, Seabear won a place on Anacortes-based Catapult lineup—and because some of the the competition's most successful alumni haven't necessarily been the ones who claimed the top prize. That, and the fact that most of the bands already seem to have established themselves with EPs, iTunes releases, piles of merch, and dedicated fanbases. Still, as a fan of televised singing competitions—just how great has Nicki Minaj been so far as an Idol Judge this season?—I would've loved to hear what the panel of experts had to say about each band if for no other reason than to hear the endlessly quotable John Roderick drop some witty critiques on the young contenders. - The Stranger Newspaper


"Wild-card Renton hip-hop artist wins EMP’s Sound Off!"

It’s always fun when the wild card wins.

Coming from behind in a tight talent competition, Renton hip-hop artist and Lindbergh High School grad Dave B won the 2013 Sound Off! 21-and-under battle of the bands Saturday night at EMP Museum’s Sky Church.

Sporting a Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls 45 jersey, Dave Bowman and his group of fellow Lindbergh grads had been the wild-card pick for the finals, receiving that honor after the third semifinal round Feb. 23 (they were also the wild-card winners at the first semifinal round Feb. 9). This pitted them against three strong finalists — The Fame Riot, SHEBEAR and As It Starts.

But Dave B wowed the audience with an Energizer Bunny performance that demonstrated his flair for showmanship. Indeed, Dave B made the art of whipping a crowd into a frenzy look as easy and fun as the Jackson Five’s “ABC.”

Backed by a DJ, keyboardist and drummer, the ebullient rapper pumped his left arm up and down, directing the crowd in a dance-a-thon of staccato hip-hop beats and soulful melodies.

“This is like the first thing I’ve ever won in life,” the elated rapper said on his Twitter page after winning the competition, which guarantees him a slot at Bumbershoot.

All finalists will receive gear, studio time, radio airplay and consultations with music-industry pros.

The panel of music-savvy judges included Mark Baumgarten of City Arts magazine; John Roderick of The Long Winters; Rachel Sawyer-White of the Seattle Office of Film + Music; Bekah Zietz of Sub Pop Records; and Erin Burke, a New York-area music publicist.

Here’s how it broke down for the rest of the bands. SHEBEAR, an indie-pop group from Puyallup, came in second. The Fame Riot, an electro-pop band from Tacoma, took third place. And As It Starts, from Bothell, came in fourth — but received special recognition as the audience favorite (based on applause). In addition, SHEBEAR won a slot at Catapultfest 2013, an all-ages festival Aug. 16-17 in Anacortes.

First to take the stage was The Fame Riot, a flamboyant group led by two men named Liz Scarlett and Shazam Watkins, who exhibited a knack for hair-swinging showmanship. The group combined glam-rock, disco and pop.

Second on stage was SHEBEAR, whose dreamy, keyboard-driven pop was uplifting and fun. The group’s enthusiasm was contagious, with members exchanging wide grins and pinch-me-I-can’t-believe-I’m-performing-at-Sky-Church glances.

Last on stage (following Dave B) was As It Starts, the Bothell group that won semifinal round three Feb. 23. The band’s shimmering pop songs featured the soaring vocals of front woman Alex Menne. - The Seattle Times


"New Voices: Raz Simone & Dave B"

I was recently talking with a popular MC in town about the fallacy of know-nots snooping around asking "who the next Macklemore is." Mack is his own man, but if you're looking for another rapper in town that fuses that anti-mainstream emotional content with mainstream pop sensibility, and is white—and that's really what they're asking about, after all—well, there's a couple of candidates that could fit the bill that those folks are looking to pay.

Dave B was the surprise winner of the most recent Sound Off! a couple weeks ago, but had been making a buzz with a handful of videos already for his "Maple Fudge." He and his team just released his new EP, Coffee, meant as a "wake up" to critics and fans. Dave's flow is indeed laudably deft and his lines high powered over Coffee's seven tracks, including the MGMT-sampling "Illectric" and the Jackson 5-laced "Mr. Chow" (which features the brash bars of Moor Gang stress Gift uh Gab) - The Stranger Newspaper


"Of All the Bands I Saw This Weekend, It Looked Like Dave B Had the Most Fun Onstage"

"Put your hands in the air," Dave B yelled to the crowd. Several folks obeyed, but some stood static, intimidated by the idea of letting loose in full daylight. "Don't worry about how stupid you look," he advised. That's some good life wisdom right there.

Between songs, he kept shouting "Jazz!" into the mic, triggering his band to bust into a quick jam session, giving him the chance to have little 10-second dance parties with himself. "I like jazz," he said with a huge smile. The smile didn't leave his face for the 30 minute set.

Dave B's positivity was the perfect thing to see yesterday afternoon, when I was starting to feel the weight of the weekend drag me down. His fluid hiphop—playfully laced with jazz, reggae, and pop—got everyone grooving, without being too demanding. It was effortless, fun, and genuine. I got the feeling that, whether there was a crowd there or not, Dave B would be having the time of his life, which got everyone around him to let go and do the same.

- The Stranger Newspaper


Discography

The Coffee EP
The Doughnuts EP

Photos

Bio

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