David Beebee (the dB² band)

David Beebee, English born guitarist & songwriter has been feverishly at work. Although the last 12 years of his life have been dedicated to studying music, these last 24 months that have been the most intense of all.

With a blend of US influenced rock that can go from a jazz/pop whisper to a full-on modern rock roar, the diverse yet cohesive debut album “dB²”, is the result of 2 years work to bring to life a virtual, yet realistic crisp, contemporary record. Put together solely by David it was produced entirely in the confines of a modest bedroom studio using an average desktop computer.

Packed with memorable hooks, intelligent progressions and some serious riffs David has pushed to the limits what is possible to record and produce within a home computer studio. Here, David talks to the davidbeebee.com webmaster about the creation of the album, the dB² band, and his future aspirations.

“I had all these things against me, like not being able to record live drums, and volume limitations, that I decided instead of fighting them, I'd use it as a challenge; to write, produce and release an album virtually, that could maybe stand up against records that have been expensively produced. When I thought about it that way, new doors opened up in finding ways to convince listeners into believing they are hearing a "real" band having been recorded in a “real” studio.”

And so it is only the vocals and guitars that have been recorded the traditional way. Everything else is a blend of virtual instruments, soft-synths, played and programmed, looped and tweaked. The final tracks have also been mixed and mastered by David.

dB² : “I've taken on every job that the life cycle of a record can follow, and when you actually list all the things that have to be done it gets scary, and that's just the musical stuff. There was a lot of research and involved for me to get to the stage and think ‘can I actually do this?' There is also a huge amount of work to do from a business, artwork, and website stand point, and ultimately get noticed. You have to have an angle, and I firmly believe that this has never been done before. Bedroom records have been made yes, but those have often been electronic in nature. The difference with dB² is the work that has gone into virtually crafting a realistic “band sound” and performance of the songs.”

But of course all the technical achievement would mean nothing if the songs were weak. Writing however, is something David takes seriously, and there are varying depths to both the music and lyrics that somehow defy what can sometimes be the limiting context of the rock/pop song format.

dB²: “With all the technical issues, there was a danger for the songs to suffer in the process, but I am truly happy with how the songs turned out. I wouldn't want to release anything I wasn't proud of creating, and this music certainly reflects a lot of the experiences and thoughts that I've had over the last few years. The way I write is not fast and prolific; I have written 12 songs of which 10 have made the record. I take my time and don't force it; I would rather do that to 10 songs than 30+ and not be 100% committed to every one."

From the anthemic and memorable introduction of “From Here” to the 7 minute plus epic of the multi-layered and segmented “Saviour”, dB² offers up a rollercoaster of textures that are deceptively more involved than it first may seem.

dB²: “Musically this has pulled from a lot of different influences. I have long been involved with classical, jazz and fusion styles of music. And although on the surface dB² may seem unrelated to all that, studying and performing those styles has definitely helped and influenced with the subtle complexities of the record. I don't get along with the elitism of some musicians and certainly try to appreciate a well written song, and I've tried to live up to this philosophy with the music on dB²“; play my heart out where appropriate, and hold back when the space is called for.

Despite the fact that David has produced the album as a solo artist, he needs some help in order to bring it to life on the road. And no matter how much he is involved with technical production he insists nothing beats the thrill of performing live.

dB²: With The dB² Band I have been lucky to have a great group of musicians believe in my music, and most of all love performing it. I feel really strongly about not being a solo artist on stage with just session musicians backing me. And I've taken the time to really hone the band and grow that group chemistry that the music deserves. I love the interaction and the solid feel that develops when you're playing with a consistent group of players, and in future I would love the writing and recording process to be with the band.

Already collecting serious attention on the internet and developing a strong fan base, David and The dB² Band are pressing for radio play, industry exposure and are working to get their music