A busy year, coming up.  We’re happy about this, because it means we get to keep doing what we do for a while longer.

Carey Driscoll’s AMSD concert series in San Diego has the distinction of being the first show of the New Year for us.  It’s a beautiful venue, with fine sound and good feelings, and we look forward to seeing all our friends from that region once again.  Pass the word; we’d like to make the first show a bang-up success, and we surely want to support Carey’s series, which helps to keep the touring singer-songwriter alive out there.

We’ve been asked back to some great venues this first quarter, including the venerable Colorado Cowboy Gathering.  This event was in danger of fading away, due to some political shenanigans on the part of its previous venue, but Liz Masterson and Pop Wagner and their team of believers put it back together and kept it alive.  We are very happy to be returning.  We’ve also been invited for the second time to the Saddlebrooke Gathering in Tucson,  as well as the prestigious Elko Gathering, and the Ellensburg, Washington “Spirit of the West” Festival.  Great shows, all.  We’ve added Fiddler’s Crossing in Tehachapi this year, and will come back to Felton, CA to Don Quixote’s, where, we hope, beautiful Annie Lydon can be induced to join Dave onstage.  

Heads up to all our Santa Clarita Cowboy Festival fans:  we have been invited back to the 2012 shows, and will be performing the Friday night concert at the Wm. S. Hart Museum.  That one sells out quickly—only 75 seats-- so make your reservations as soon as you can…

TWELVE MILE ROAD

The new CD continues to fly off the shelf, and is garnering some nice reviews.  Here is a portion of Margo Metegrano’s review from www.cowboypoetry.com:

Twelve Mile Road delivers complex-but-direct fresh and original songs about the real West, fueled by Dave Stamey's fierce allegiance to that endangered world. He knows the country and he knows what matters.

Authenticity is the hallmark of his work. Whether he's writing about mules in the mine ("Blackjack Was a Mule," dedicated to former miner and top reciter Jerry Brooks), tough old cowboys ("Song for Jake," for Texas cowboy and poet, and mentor Jake Copass), or his devoted partner in life, Melissa ("All I Need is You"), the message rings true. In that, Dave Stamey's songs stand out...

The stories and spirit of the songs in "Twelve Mile Road" command attention, and likewise the underlying fine musicianship of Dave Stamey and others shines in the meticulous production. Annie Lydon again lends sparkling harmony and a fine stable of musicians (Dorian Michael, Ken Hustad, and Bill Severance) back up each strong piece. Dave confirmed the inspired synchronicity in a comment about the production, "...for once the recording process from A to Z went exactly the way it was supposed to...We had a great crew in the studio, recorded most of it live right there the same day, and we caught a good feeling. "

Listeners catch that good feeling, too, and Dave Stamey adds another outstanding project to his impressive catalog.

And here’s what Rick Huff had to say in his “Best of the West” Reviews:

All I can say about this multiple award-winning entertainer is obvious and redundant to those who know him. This newest release is, of course, once again, superb…flawless!

Here you’ll find the customary outstanding variety, wonderful thought-provoking concepts, great melodies with infectious rhythms. Here again you’ll discover songs that are destined to be picked up and covered by others…seldom as well as their creator’s takes on them, of course. And once again the songs are fully annotated as to source and inspiration. “If I Had Money” is almost a sequel to Dave’s popular “If I Had A Hat” (same guy, same result!); “Never Gonna Rain” (“…this country’s gonna pick you clean…”); the haunting but rhythmic “Blackjack Was A Mule”; and thoughts we all wish we’d had in music like “Comfortable Shoes”; “Wild Sierra” (which he says is the first song he wrote that he didn’t throw away); “Twelve Mile Road”; and on and on and on…

Let’s wrap this up. Every note the man plays or sings is a must-own! There! So much for redundancy.

We blush, and draw circles in the dirt with the toe of our boot.  But we’ll take it…

Awards and Notices

In November the Western Music Association once again named Dave Male Performer of the Year for 2011, the fifth time he’s received the award.  We thank the WMA, and also note that Dave’s friend Juni Fisher received the nod as Entertainer of the Year, and RW Hampton was inducted into the Western Music Hall of Fame.  We want to offer these great artists our happiest congratulations for work well done. 

Also in November, our friends at True West Magazine named Dave the Reader’s Choice for Best Solo Western Musician. These two honors were a great way to wind up an already successful year, and we are grateful…

2012 looks like another barn burner.  Please come out and see us!