Dave Hannon Band

“The Dave Hannon Band is one of those musical talents who rolls in, plays a great set, and winds up leaving a line of folks signing their guestbook and wanting a CD. They're good, they craft good songs, and the lyrics are actually worth listening to. Presenters will want to book this band again and again, and their audiences will be very happy for it. I am!” - Serni Solidarios - Event Producer and Music Educator of the University of Puget Sound

This photo was taken on March 15, 2009 using a Panasonic DMC-LZ8. - flickr - March 15, 2010

Spokane
Knitting Factory
Feb 25th, 2010
- flickr - February 25, 2010

Wow! Time flies. Chuckanut Brewery is about to turn one year old. Bellingham’s purveyor of fine, traditional lagers is planning a party to celebrate (Saturday, July 18th). Sounds like an excuse to head north to me. Our recommendation is to take off for Bellingham after work on Friday and make a weekend of it. Boundary Bay Brewery is within stumbling distance of the Chuckanut Brewery, and Chuckanut is within stumbling distance of the Hotel Bellwether. Maybe include slight detours on Friday night to the Copper Hog and the Green Frog while you’re in the neighborhood. All within walking distance of each other.

Here is the press release that we received from Chuckanut’s Brewmama, Annie Pfriem:

Join Chuckanut Brewery (601 W. Holly St) in celebrating their first year of being in business at Chuckanut Brewery’s 1st Anniversary Party, Saturday July 18th. Live music, Outdoor BBQ, special priced beers and more. The “Kitchen” opens at 11:30 am, outdoor bbq, beer specials and live music starts at 4:00pm. All ages welcome and no cover charge required.

Chuckanut Brewery has lined up a night of non-stop live music under the covered patio. Dave Hannon Band will kick-off the night at 4PM with their high energy three piece acoustic, pop, rock band. I Love you Avalanche will follow at 6PM, playing fun Indie Pop music, and Vox Solis will take the night home with their classic rock starting at 8PM. Live Music will last until 10PM.

The and beer specials will start at outdoor BBQ starts at 4PM and will feature fresh Northwest Seafood and Chef Chad Bowes will be roasting a pig, raised locally on Chuckanut Brewery’s Spent Beer Grains! Other BBQ specials include Local Misty Hamburgers, Hempler Brats and Veggie Burgers.
- Washington Beer Blog - July 9, 2009

BRING ON THE WEEKEND >>>

Good lord. It's Friday already. Is it just me, or do the weeks seem to be zipping by at light speed lately?

Of course, there are a few reasons for this - including my continued use of drugs and alcohol. Now, these habits aren't making YOUR weeks go by any faster, but they're certainly screwing with mine.

More importantly, though, it's the summer festival season in the South Sound and specifically Tacoma. It feels like for the last month or so every waking moment of Saturdays and Sundays has been spent frantically bouncing from one festival to the next. Urban Arts Festival, Art on the Ave, Hempfest, Out in the Park... the list goes on. It's been fun, but it's also made summer speed at an alarming rate.

But let's not complain. It could be far worse.

That said, it's time for The Prefunk, a primer for the coming weekend for you and your liver - with a picture of an alcoholic household pet thrown in for good measure.

Seventh Annual Plogfest @ Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill

Saturday, July 17

As the typically hung-over Bobble Tiki noted in his Threats & Promises column yesterday, the annual Plogfest musical celebration - which made its name as a camp-out, nature meets local music summer music orgy in Graham - has moved this year, relocating the action to Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill in Spanaway. While the campfires and Kum-ba-ya vibe will be gone, this year's Plogfest - the seventh annual - will still kick major musical ass, with a lineup featuring Koz of Konfuzion, Voxxy Vallejo, I Defy, Dave Hannon, Body Box, Menace, Faces Pale, Dead Soul Funeral and more. More info is available here.

PREFUNK: The thing is, Plogfest - to me, at least - seemed at least half as much about the music as it was about the communal camping experience. While I whole-heartedly support Plogfest's move, as I'm sure the reasons were plenty, it will be sad to see the outdoorsy aspects lost.

So here's what you do...

Plogfest will kick off at noon Saturday at Uncle Sam's in Spanaway. That means, if you play your cards right, you could get a full night of camping in prior to the festivities. Why not pack your backpack, grab a sleeping bag, and finally experience the wondrous camping opportunities offered by Spanaway.

I call dibs on the dumpster behind Lucky Teriyaki.
- Weekly Volcano - July 16, 2010

1. More than 40 of the fabulous Proctor businesses will offer free treats and/or discounts on chocolate items today through Saturday as part of the Proctor Chocolate Fest. May we suggest the brownie bites at Megs & Mo, and the $4 chocolate martini at Pomodoro.

2. At the Hilltop Artists Annual Fundraiser Breakfast you will learn more about organizations highly effective programs directly from the students. The muffins drop at 7:30 p.m. inside the Temple Theatre.

3. The Brotherhood Lounge has a variety of music and entertainment, from the best Elvis impersonator in the world, to dance parties, to rock ‘n' roll. It's awesome. What's even more awesome is their free, must-see aerialist performance the first Wednesday of every month. If you are not familiar with what aerialists do, think gymnastics on the ceiling. Check it out tonight at 8 p.m.

4. Dave Hannon Band, Bodybox and Gina Belliveau rock the freshly-painted Bob's Java Jive beginning at 8 p.m.

5. The New Frontier Lounge hosts Rock & Roll Bingo beginning at 9:30 p.m.
- Weekly Volcano - October 6, 2010

At age 27 Dave Hannon is young enough to be enthusiastic about his potential success in music, but old enough that he has considered other career paths if playing music does not turn into a full-time job.

The singer/songwriter recently moved to Steilacoom from Spokane. Hannon grew up in the North End. His introduction to music came from his father, who often played a piano in the family's home.

Hannon took piano lessons from the time he was 6 to 12 years old. While he never was thrilled with the tedious study of music theory, he did like to compose. His father had an old guitar, and when Hannon was 13 a friend taught him a few chords. Guitar soon replaced piano as his instrument of choice.

As a child Hannon's family began attending church at Life Center. His parents enrolled him in the affiliated school, Life Christian. It had a big impact on his life. He ran cross-country at the high school and earned his diploma there.

He formed a worship band as a teenager. The group used to play for the youth group that met at the church on Friday evenings, usually to an audience of between 500 and 700 teens. "It was good exposure, a good experience for us." They also played occasionally at a local all-ages club.

Hannon enrolled at Northwest College in Kirkland but soon found it was not to his liking. He transferred to Tacoma Community College (TCC), where he earned his associate's degree, then went to Gonzaga University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in English and a teaching certificate.

While attending TCC he had coached the track team at Life Christian. Hannon considered a career in teaching and coaching, but was hesitant about pursuing that as a career upon graduation. "I still had that appetite for playing music."

A friend of his in Spokane had a Christian band and Hannon joined the group. A pivotal moment came when they were driving along an icy stretch of freeway in eastern Oregon while returning from a gig at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, Idaho.

One of his bandmates was driving. Concerned he might get drowsy, Hannon left the back of the van and sat down in the passenger seat to keep him company. Before Hannon could put on his seat belt the driver lost control of the van, which flipped over and went off the side of the road. Amazingly, no one was hurt. However, friction had been building within the band, and the wreck elevated the tension to the point where they broke up soon after.

Hannon decided to be a solo act and began writing original material and playing at open mics around Spokane.

He recently moved back to Tacoma to try his luck at the music scene in his hometown. He connected with Steve Albert, a percussionist, through a mutual friend. The two perform together, although Hannon wants to add a bass player. "I think it would add to the flavor," he remarked.

He has a part-time job at the Starbucks on Steilacoom Boulevard in Lakewood. He played a gig at a rival coffee shop. Many of his co-workers showed up, as well as a regional manager for Starbucks. Impressed by how many people were there, the manager requested he do shows at the Starbucks, which Hannon has done several times.

Hannon will go on tour for several weeks beginning March 18. He has shows lined up in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Alberta and British Columbia. He expects to log 3,000 miles on the tour.

Hannon has released one EP, which has his dad playing piano. He is wrapping up recording his second EP.

His songs cover a range of topics. Some are about relationships. Others delve into social problems, such as one inspired by observing homeless people on the streets of Spokane. He wrote one about himself and a group of college friends when they graduated, which pondered where exactly their home was as they entered a new phase of adulthood.

He does a few cover tunes including "A Day In The Life" by the Beatles, "What's Up?" by 4 Non Blondes and "Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Hannon feels confident playing guitar, but sometimes feels nervous or uncomfortable about his singing. He has found playing a song in a lower key helps keep him from over-reaching his vocal range. "I am starting to feel more confident with my singing," he commented.

Hannon would like to make music his career and is feeling a little sense of urgency.

"I am a dinosaur - I am 27," he said with a laugh. "I am more determined now than ever so I am going to try my hardest."

Dave Hannon plays Inni's in Lakewood at 8 p.m. Feb. 19.
- Tacoma Weekly - February 12, 2009

Dave Hannon Band is a pop/rock trio based in Tacoma. It consists of Dave Hannon on lead vocals and guitar, Ian Webb on bass and vocals and Steve Albert on drums and vocals.
It was formed in 2008. The group has released two EPs, “Better for the Long While” in 2008 and “Bridge” in 2009.

The group did 175 shows in spring and summer of 2009 in an acoustic format. In November 2009 Albert deployed to Afghanistan with the Air Force Reserves. He returned in May and has since left the military after eight years of service. The band recently rented out a practice pad in Tacoma to establish a more structured rehearsal schedule.

They began recording a full-length CD, “This Time Last Year,” prior to Albert’s deployment. They resumed recording this past summer. The drum tracks are done and most of the bass tracks are as well. The album will have some electric guitar tracks, with three of them completed. The group plans to wrap up recording in January.

The group recently played at Starbucks in University Place. They covered songs by John Lennon and Ryan Adams, as well as “Winter Wonderland” to get the audience in the spirit of the holiday season. Their version of “What’s Up?,” the 1992 song by one-hit wonder 4 Non Blondes, really displayed the higher end of Hannon’s vocal range.

Among their originals was “Dig,” which they have in electric and acoustic versions, and “How Goes,” a tune they plan to have on the album.

“Sucker Punch,” an original song about relationships, featured three-part vocal harmonies. Hannon said developing this vocal style is something he is proud of. “I think they do an amazing job,” he said of his band mates.

“Dave is a good vocal coach,” Albert remarked.

They plan to come up with a new name, as Hannon no longer wants it named after himself. The current name stems from Hannon’s beginnings as a solo acoustic act.

The group has 32 songs in its repertoire, a mix of originals and covers. “Under the Bridge” by Red Hot Chili Peppers is among their favorite cover tunes. “Two” by Ryan Adams is something they recently learned. Hannon said they try to select covers that all three bandmembers like. “If it fits what we do, we will learn it.”

The three members look forward to accomplishing much in 2011. Besides releasing an album, they are trying to book some festival shows for next summer and plan to do a short tour to California and back. “We are ready for whatever we can get our hands on,” Albert remarked.

“We want to play on bigger bills and have a chance to prove ourselves,” Hannon said. “We are hard-working guys who like to bring a smile to people’s faces when we are on stage.”

Dave Hannon Band plays Jan. 22 at 9 p.m. at New Frontier in Tacoma. - Tacoma Weekly Article - Dec. 16, 2010