Dave Matheson

Dave Matheson first started performing and writing in the early 1960s in Bogota, Colombia, South America. First playing experiences were in 2 different bands playing pop, rock and blues at private parties and in the local club scene around Bogota at the time. The highlight of this period was a 2 song performance by one of these bands on a local television show.

Dave initially started out playing bass but guitar and singing backup and lead vocals quickly peaked his interest. Playing guitar also led to more inspiration for song writing.

In 1969 Dave moved to Florida, continued writing and joined a 3 piece vocal group playing at coffee houses and college events. Material was largely covers from groups such as CSN, Cat Stevens, etc. and some original tunes. It was in this group that Dave started to recognize the dynamics of singing which lead to harmonizing more extensively.

In 1973 Dave moved to Waterloo, Ontario, Canada near Toronto with the intent of getting into performing in a more serious way. This was a tough go since his main competition at the time was "The Soul Brothers Six". Not many clubs were looking for a single vocalist playing acoustic guitar. He did manage to play some solo club gigs and continued writing extensively throughout this period.

In 1975 Dave was married and the need to support a family meant that music had to take a back seat. This led to a hiatus from seriously pursuing music although Dave did continue to play and write through those following years.

In 1994 Dave and a friend who played bass formed a cover band in Toronto. This band performed rock, blues and pop covers and some of Dave's originals on weekends around the city. Playing for over 10 years in this band helped Dave further develop his vocal style and guitar playing and has given him a much better understanding of performing in public.

Since 2009 Dave has dedicated much more time to performing and has started to write prolifically again. As of the summer 2013 Dave has started recording bed tracks for an album. He and a producer friend plan to start working on recording this material in the fall 2013. With over 50 songs written to date Dave wants to share this material with the world. Having a new album in hand will give Dave opportunities to play out in bigger venues for larger audiences.

Dave's main influences have been Donovan, David Crosby and Marc Cohen although he continues to admire any beautifully crafted song no matter the genre since he does appreciate what it takes to write and perform a good song.