If you ever listened to Pink Floyd and felt totally captivated by David Gilmour’s guitar work and asked yourself “why doesn’t someone play like that but write music I’d like to dance to?” Well, someone does.
Dave Smith (aka Damh the Bard, and that’s the Welsh spelling of Dave, it’s not “damn the bard”) plays with the skill and subtlety of Gilmour, but without the despair. (I would not dare to criticize Gilmour, nor any of his august company, but a soul as tortured as Roger Waters’ can’t help but leave a mark on everything in its path. And even after Waters had left Pink Floyd, a refrain of “spiraling down to the hole in the ground where I’ll hide” trailed in the band’s wake. Not that misery can’t be artistic, but a little of it goes a long way.) Getting back to Damh the Bard….
We’re talking largely acoustic work here – lively, clean, beautiful work. I’m not a musician, but I grew up alongside a guitarist and even if I can’t explain accomplishment in technical terms, I can assure you, dear readers, I know skilled guitar playing when I hear it. Besides offering above-par guitar, Damh’s got a really agreeable voice and turns out exceptional lyrics (this is a bonus round that just keeps going, few people can offer all three without a band to back them up).
Just what does he play? I’m not sure I nail this down to a specific genre, but I suppose ‘folk rock’ might have to do. (Is there a single term for folk-celtic-pagan-traditional?) Pagan spirituality is featured in tracks like “Blodeuwedd” and “Pipes of Pan” while others (“Raggle Taggle Gypsies” and “The Selkie”) speak more broadly of myth and legend. High on my favorite’s list is the lovely, lively “Lughnasadh” – if there was ever a song I couldn’t resist dancing in the kitchen to, that’s the one. The album’s overall tone ranges from somber to rollicking, and throughout the album maintains a high level of talent and sound quality.
Damh has three other albums out, his newest “Tales from the Crow Man,” came out this winter, and was proceeded by “The Cauldron Born.” Fans of Arthurian legend may particularly enjoy “Merlin am I” from Damh’s “The Hills they are Hollow” album. His website offers music samples, lyrics, and more: http://www.paganmusic.co.uk and you can purchase CDs there or from www.cdbaby.com (and, of course, as an MP3 download at Amazon).
Tags: Damh, guitar, Herne's Apprentice, Music, Pink Floyd