David Forest
Los Angeles, California, United States
Music
Press
NEW ARTIST ALERT: DAVID FOREST
New Year, New Dreams
Kelly Wiles
Featured Writer
You’re probably sick of hearing it by now, but I’ll say it again: Los Angeles is the city of dreams. Yes it is, folks. It’s not that the other cities don’t have dreamers; it’s just that we have more of them. Due to this fact, it can sometimes be hard to separate the Angeleno wheat from the chaff. Please note: Dreams That Aren’t Mine, David Forest’s debut EP, falls into the wheat category. (For those of you not up on your biblical idioms, it means that it’s good. David Forest and his Dreams are worthy of purchase.)
Full of swirling piano melodies, driving multi-layered guitar riffs, and what at times sounds like an entire string section, Dreams That Aren’t Mine is a solid, sophisticated piece of pop-rock perfection. One highlight is the track “Just As Satisfied,” which begins with the eerie tinkling of a distant music box and escalates into a sweeping, near-orchestral chorus. The soaring vocals on Dreams are the perfect match for its symphonic instrumentation; Forest’s voice transitions seamlessly between powerhouse tenor and confident falsetto and back again. Think Ben Folds meets David Grey meets the climax of a rock opera written by Freddie Mercury.
The title track on Dreams earned Forest an honorable mention in the New York Songwriting Circle, and less than a week after its release, the EP has become one of the top 12 best-selling albums on Digstation.com. These instant accolades are not surprising. Most first solo efforts, especially male ones, are full of repetitive acoustic strumming and flimsy warbling about post-adolescent romantic angst. Thankfully, Forest is far more ambitious in his musical vision, and Dreams That Aren’t Mine sounds less like a songwriting novice trying to get a foot in the music industry door and more like a seasoned artist who is already inside.
FeelingTone Records presents Dreams That Aren’t Mine, available now on iTunes and Digstation. Find out more about David Forest on his MySpace or the official FeelingTone Records website.
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Tags: Ben Folds, David Forest, David Grey, Digstation, Dreams That Aren't Mine, FeelingTone Records, los angeles - Buzzine
David Forest is a fresh sound. This LA songwriter has some talent and I imagine i'm not the first to notice it. His album's opener, Dreams That Aren't Mine spans piano pop, rock alternative, and vocal perfection. Forest can go from a strong lead to soft floating falsetto in a note or two - a real success.
Just as Satisfied begins like a dream; eerie music boxes swirling, and abruptly moves to a more pulsing tune. On this song, Forest utilizes a lower voicing on the verses and offers more dynamic on the chorus. Its reminiscent of David Gray.
Keep on Climbing is a more layered song. It begins with strings oozing from the corners. The acoustic strum combines with a tasty ambient-percussion loop and sits in between his softer vocals nicely.
David Forest is an uber-solid talent, writer, and performer!
RATING: 5 of 5 stars
posted by ross christopher at 12:30 pm - awaken music
Honorable Mention: David Forest - Dreams that Aren't Mine, 2009 New York Songwriters Circle Competition
http://www.songwriters-circle.com/news.htm
- New York Songwriters Circle
Discography
Dreams That Aren't Mine EP - David Forest (First solo release) November 2009
"Growing Distance Part 2" Trifonic - (Single, co-writer, TV placement)
Photos
Bio
Growing up in New England I can remember countless car trips up to the White Mountains and lakes of New Hampshire listening to these epic mix-tapes which included Van Morrison, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Rolling Stones and Creedence Clearwater to name a few.
These artists and their songs became the essence of my developing musical soul - and made the weekend get-a-ways and camping trips to-this-day some of the most special memories I carry in my heart.
"Dreams That Aren't Mine", my first solo EP, was born out of me literally waking up one day in my 20s and wondering where the hell I had gone. I felt lost and didn't know whose life I was living or who I was trying to please. I think a lot of people lose some of their truth, that authentic ecessence that makes them so special, as they travel through adolescence and into adulthood. Writing "Dreams" reminded me that I'm a whole lot more than what culture/society/people want me to be - and it has led me to reclaim that child who rocked out to those fucking timeless songs in those long car-rides, and to recapture my essence. I'm still on that journey...
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"Dreams That Aren't Mine" earned honorable mention in the New York Songwriting Circle in 2009 for the EP's title track. Billboard Worldwide Songwriting Contest honored "Famous" as one of the top songs of the competition and recently "Time Lord" placed as one of the top 5 Folk songs in the 2010 Song of the Year Competition.
Other David Forest endeavors include developing the lead role of Daniel in "Touched", Kristin Hanggi (Rock of Ages) and Ben Decter's (composer Off the Map) new musical. David played piano for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia in the “The Night Man Cometh” musical episode, and has co-written with a number of artists, songwriters and producers including Trifonic, Right the Stars and Warren Huart
Music continues to be a colorful treasure hunt for David Forest as he takes Thoreau's suggestion to heart: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.”
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