Dave Whitty

Dave Whitty doesnt discriminate. Especially when it comes to musical taste. Influenced by an eccentric combination of traditional Newfoundland to punk rock, Dave has been a member of the music scene since age 16. It took only a year of experimenting, playing and writing before Dave formed his first band, Moke Cove, at 17. Using his experiences from lifes bigger events like friends, parties and hometown pride to its random bits & pieces like egg rolls and junior bacon cheeseburgers, Moke Cove played all original acoustic rock for audiences at city festivals, grimy punk rock shows, backyard parties and clubs from Mount Pearl to George Street and everywhere in between.

As Daves talent grew and matured so did his focus. After three years with Moke Cove, the band sort of faded away and another band was formed, well-known to the St. Johns music scene At Ships End. This Celtic/Folk/Rock group played Christmas parties in kitchens and summer nights during the infamous George Street Festival. At Ships End is still present in the music scene in St. Johns but for almost two years, Dave has been doing his own thing as a solo artist. For a year and a half, Dave was gigging around St. Johns building his already loyal following, which included a weekly residency at the historic Trapper Johns affectionately called Quidi Whitty Tuesday. During the other six days of the week, Dave could be found in other venues playing traditional Newfoundland sets or three-hour shows of original music.

If you listen to Daves music, it wont take long to figure out the hardcore pride he has for his home province and all the good times and beauty it brings. But after writing off his car one October evening in 2010, he used this as his sign to move on and try something new, once again. The very next day he bought a plane ticket to Toronto and set out for the big city just a few weeks later. A year and a half later, Dave is still bombing around the Toronto music scene, filling small pubs more and more with each show and smothering audiences with his east coast party style. Recognizing his strong following back home, he doesnt stay away for long, returning to his native island frequently to play shows for his friends, family and fans his main inspiration for doing what he does, why he keeps pushing along and striving to be the best he can. With these influences, there is never a shortage of material to work with to make good catchy music.

Dave has stuck to his musical roots, writing and singing about actual events and classifying his style as folk/rock with strong lyrics of friendship, love, and tales of growing up. One minute, Dave is making his audience laugh with his genius comedic quality, singing about ridiculous drunken adventures with friends, and the next minute he can conjure profound feelings of nostalgia or pain with his stories of finding love, losing friendship, and the things that make Newfoundland special. When he performs, Dave leaves everything on stage including a lasting impression with each person that may hear a verse, chorus, or melody of a tune. He understands his audience and does what he can to get the crowd engaged. His undeniable energy and charisma makes his presence equal to a band five times his size. He thrives on playing different, and somewhat strange shows for random people who may have not heard him before and all the challenges that come with that. It doesnt take long for him to read an audience, and to fit his set for whatever or whoever the crowd may be. Dave believes that a live show is one of the most important opportunities a musician can have, so he works extremely hard on having the best live show possible. And its working. Dave Whitty is currently in Toronto, facing all the challenges of being a solo musician, head on.