Dewveall

Noisetrade.com chose Dewveall's album, WORD, to be included in the "New and Notable" section of their website during November 2012. - Noisetrade.com

Dewveall (pronounced due-VAHL) is a husband and wife duo based out of Nashville, by way of Houston. They received nominations in 3 categories at the 2009 Texas Music Awards, including ‘Rising Star of the Year, Vocal Duo/Group of the Year & Male Vocalist of the Year (Jonathon Dewveall). Since then, they have been living, working, playing, and putting together what has turned out to be ‘Word’, their newest CD.

You might guess Dewveall is a country music act based on where they come from and where they reside, but you’d be wrong. Actually, you can try to put their music into a genre, but one or two words cannot properly sum up what Jonathon and Melanie Dewveall do. Having said that, if you like really good music, you’ll enjoy ‘Word’.

Jonathon Dewveall either writes or co-writes the music for the duo, and his songs are very cerebral. It seems as though he challenges himself to dig deeper and find a more interesting way to convey his message with every new song he writes.

‘Word’ has two versions of the title track book-ending the CD. The only noticeable difference is that the first version features a less-than-discrete swear word. The song opens with a soulful bounce, and a rock-like intensity. Dewveall’s lyrics and vocals have always been a strong point of their music, but kudos also goes out to the players on this one. This song is a great opening track.

‘Believer’ is delivered with a slow, deliberate, haunting, almost gothic feel. It’s interesting, because you can interpret it with a deep religious message or as a creepy ghost story. However you decide to hear this song, there’s plenty to enjoy. Melanie’s harmonies sway in and out of the song like a ghost floating through a room.

‘Virginia’(co-written by Tyrus Morgan) is more of a straight forward ballad than anything on the album. It’s a sad song of lost love, delivered in a sincere way and it’s about as mainstream as you’ll hear from Dewveall. This is a powerful, emotional song and comes together nicely in the chorus:

"Oh Virginia, I let you down
Saw it on your face, I let you down
Now every time I look into your eyes
You turn away
Take me with you, Virginia, to that place"

From the sad ballad, ‘Word’ moves in a very different direction with the most rocking song on the CD, ‘Runaway Sun’(co-written by Jeffery Armstreet). For some reason, I hear this song playing on the radio, and I’m not sure why I get that feeling over any other song on ‘Word’. There’s a great energy and intensity to the song, and it grabs your attention quickly.

‘Skeleton Key’(co-written by Morgan) rocks too, and is loaded with more thoughtful lyrics that make you stop to think about what’s going on. By this point in the album, if you’re looking for a ‘drinking- beer-with-your-girl-on-your-arm’ song, it’s obvious you’re going to have to look elsewhere. The songwriting on this record is consistently more deep and complex than the stuff you’re used to hearing on most mainstream radio stations.

Before the second version of the title-track to ‘Word’, the CD closes with ‘Carry Me Home’. It has an Americana mood to it, opening with acoustic guitar and the lyrics:

"There is a river where you can go
All of your troubles are smooth like a stone
You carry your mountain, you’re all alone
Stop and let the water carry you home"

This song progresses and builds emotion -not tempo- as it goes on. I love the well-placed, gospel choir-like backing vocal ensemble, introducing a whole new dimension to the entire album.

‘Word’ really takes Dewveall to the next level musically. In their previous work, I could always hear potential, with important pieces to the puzzle already in place: great, soulful vocals and solid songwriting. This new CD is dynamic, covers a nice range of tempos, and really utilizes a unique collection of musical instruments well.

I believe Dewveall could take ‘Word’ back into the studio and make it into a ‘country’, ‘rock’, or ‘Americana’ album with little effort. But I don’t want them to. This is an excellent, unique album that is a breath of fresh air in a world of formatted, genre-specific music. This CD is for music fans. Very well done, guys. - KEANradio.com

"We often see a lot of husband and wife duo’s these days, but this married couple brings a ton of talent to the stage. Jonathon and Melanie Dewveall are a Nashville duo who are blessed with a soulful sound mixed in with beautiful harmonies. If you haven’t yet heard of Dewveall, you are in for a real treat." - Sounds That Matter

"Dewveall gets my blood pumping and I cannot wait to hear more".

“Runaway Sun came to me via email and it literally exploded out of my speakers when I played it. I sat in my chair with a “Right f***in’ right!” look on my face and then proceeded to leave the song on repeat for about half an hour. I then contacted the band, Dewveall, told them the song kicks ass, then continued with my listening. “Runaway Sun” reminds me that underneath it all, I’m still a rocker at heart… and that’s all I need to know". - TheFrontloader.com

Jonathon's song, Writings on a Page, reached the #5 spot on Podsafe's most played acoustic songs in the month of January 2007. - www.podsafemusicnetwork.com

Jonathon Dewveall
“SO LONG SOLITUDE”
©2006 Jonathon Dewveall
Review by Lucky Boyd

Have you ever heard a song that started off great with soft melodies and tasteful picking and just when you were settled in, some grunge guitar shattered the windows and sent the vocalist into a screaming frenzy? Didn’t you wish the song could just go on without the interruption? If you did, Jonathon Dewveall is your new best buddy. Excellent fullness, nice vocal work, soft rock with an alternative undertone that never gets grungy in the middle. This album is all the Texas without the Seattle. There are some innovative intonations and arrangements that intrigue the listener including time signature changes and suspended major chords over diminished minor vocals (a cool sound). This is a very good creative debut from this Houstonian. The writing is modern, as is the instrumentation, but the soul is old school, which makes the music touch a second demographic. College audiences will be joined by their post-graduate counterparts to enjoy the new phenomenon that is Jonathon Dewveall.

- www.MyTexasMusic.com

Podcast personality Jersey Joe recently included Jonathon's song, A Million Methods, on his "Best of 2006 (Indie)" list. - www.backstreets.com/btx/viewtopic.php?t=7992

"I like the lyrics as much as I like the guitar playing. It's laid back, it's beautiful..." - C.C. Chapman - www.uturncafe.com (audio file)

"[Dewveall] offers gorgeous, acoustic pop melodies. Because, really, those are the best kind". - Joey Guerra (Local Music Reporter for the Houston Chronicle) - Houston Chronicle Website (www.chron.com)

Every newsletter we try to feature someone that is doing wonderful work to benefit mankind and our environment. This month we would like to introduce you to a singer/songwriter named Jonathon Dewveall and his wife Melanie. They are a pop-folk duo called Dewveall and they have a new CD entitled The Water EP, from which all of the profits will go to benefit an organization that drills water
wells to supply poor communities with clean water. Melanie also works for this organization. The following is our interview with Dewveall.

Chris: What is the name of the non-profit that Melanie works for?
Jonathon: Living Water International

Chris: It’s really wonderful that you and Melanie have dedicated so much effort to help people that you don’t even know. What motivated you to take on your CD project for this charity?
Jonathon: We’ve been working with LWI for several years and we really wanted to do something to not only raise money, but also raise awareness.

Chris: In many countries, water equals life. So many health issues have a direct correlation to clean water. How many wells has this foundation created?
Melanie: To date, LWI has completed 5,000 water projects around the world that serve 7.5 million people daily in 25 countries. LWI drills new wells, rehabilitates and repairs broken wells and hand pumps, and teaches communities how to keep their water clean and improve their health through simple hygiene practices. Visit LWI’s web site (www.water.cc) to find out a ton more about the organization.

Chris: Have you and Melanie ever visited a country where an LWI well has been created?
Melanie: I have visited Africa (Rwanda in Feb. 2008) and Guatemala (in Sept. 2004). I also wrote an article about my trip to Rwanda in LWI’s latest newsletter.

Chris: What is the average cost to create a well?
Jonathon: The cost of a well largely depends on where it’s drilled. For instance, if the ground is soft, a smaller shallow well will usually work, but if the ground is hard and rocky, like in Kenya, the wells have to be much deeper and drilled with larger, more powerful equipment. Here’s a quick breakdown of average costs:
Well Rehabilitation/Pump Repair: $2,000 (provides up to 1,500 people with fresh, clean water)
Shallow Well (up to 300 ft. with hand pump): $3,000 to $5,000 (can provide up to 10,000 people with clean water)
Deep Well (between 300 ft. and 1,000 ft. with electric submersible pump, storage tank and generator, as needed): $10,000 to $50,000

Chris: Do you know how many lives have been saved or affected by this program?
Jonathon: Through LWI’s work alone it’s estimated that about 7.5 million people now drink clean water that didn’t have it before.

Chris: Is this the first CD project of this nature that you have done?
Jonathon: The Water EP is the first album we have made with the intent of donating the proceeds to a charity. We first had the desire to make a CD like this about a year and a half ago, so it's really great to see it finally come to fruition.

Chris: What other CD’s have you done?
Jonathon: So Long Solitude (2006)
You can also visit our website (www.dewveall.com) for more info about us.

Chris: What events in your life caused you to reach out to the world?
Melanie: I always wanted to be a part of something that was bigger than me and made a difference in this world. I think at the root of every person, there’s a desire to do something significant with your life, to help other people, and to make an impact. I would say the people I met and friends I made in college shaped my desire to do something globally. After that, I was ruined – I couldn’t imagine having a regular job. I didn’t just want to watch the sad commercials on TV – I wanted to do something to help.

Chris: Obviously you and your wife are already kind and caring people. In what way has this foundation affected you personally?
Jonathon: Well, Melanie works for LWI (Living Water International), so it affects us quite a bit. Sometimes, we get to see the projects and the people LWI helps with our own eyes and that makes all the difference in the world – it has drastically affected the way we live and the way we view the world.

Chris: Do you get a sense of the difference that you are making in the world?
Melanie: Yes, most of the time. It’s hard sometimes when I’m stuck here in the office – I can sometimes lose sight of why I’m doing what I do. Then you get bursts of passion when you see the faces of the kids you’re trying to help, or you hear a story from someone who just returned from the field. I wrote about this in the last newsletter, but while I was in Rwanda, I met a woman named Beatrice in a rural community outside of Kigali. She was extremely pregnant. I asked her when her baby was due, and she just shook her head and said, “I do not know. That is for the Lord to decide. I am just waiting.” Before LWI drilled a well there, the women and children were walking several kilometers to a fairly good source of water, or would gather water from two hand-dug holes in a nearby field. I saw those holes – they were disgusting. Now, I think about Beatrice – she’s probably had her baby by now. She’s only 40, and this is her seventh child! But this is her first child that will experience clean water from birth.

Chris: What advice do you have for people who would like get involved with non-profit foundations?
Jonathon: Do it! It usually takes very little sacrifice on our part to make a huge difference in the lives of other people. We always think about it this way: If people here were suffering the same way, and we could see it every day, would we tolerate it? Would we stand up for them? Yes! Then why not do the same for people in Africa, Asia and Central America? People are people wherever you go, and their life is valuable.

Chris: If people would like to participate, is there a website for this foundation?
Jonathon: www.water.cc
You can also visit www.lwinews.com. That’s where you’ll find a bunch of stories from the field.
- Peaceful Blue Planet