Altsounds - David Mead- "Almost & Always" #4 added on FMQB Triple A/Americana

“Almost and Always” is David Mead’s fifth full-length release. His most intimate work to date, the album examines life after marriage and the promise of things to come. Mead collaborated with producer Brad Jones (Sheryl Crow, Steve Earle, Jill Sobule, Butterfly Boucher, Over The Rhine, Josh Rouse, White Light Motorcade) and new songwriting partner Bill DeMain (Swan Dive) to create a quiet, soulful collection that sets 21st century pop songs in classic arrangements that recall Harry Nilsson, Paul Anka and Harry Belafonte.

As always, Mead’s honeyed voice is front and center, gently accented with classical guitar, woodwinds and string quartet.

When asked about the three year lapse since the release of his last album, the critically acclaimed Tangerine, Mead is characteristically frank. “I had to take some time away from touring. I had basically been in a rental car by myself for eight months of every year since 2000 and I was just fried. And perpetually broke. It wasn’t fun anymore.” After spending 2007 living in Brooklyn, Mead separated from his wife and returned to his native Nashville in early 2008, initially landing in a room in his father’s basement for a few months. “The change was a little paralyzing. I had left pretty much every- thing but my books and a few lamps in Brooklyn, and there I was, back in Nashville, well into my 30’s, doing manual labor and wondering what was supposed to happen next.”

Through the transition, Mead had been continuing to write with DeMain. The pair had amassed an impressive catalogue of songs that were initially intended for a female singer. “We had all these gorgeous songs that didn’t have a home... we wanted to find a young Bette Midler to sing them. Or Bette herself.” But Mead had been singing the vocals on their demo recordings of the songs, and a friend who heard them thought otherwise. “So I asked Bill if I could hijack some of our Bette Midler torch songs for my album, and he graciously allowed it. It was interesting going back into them that way. It was almost like doing a covers album... at first it seemed less personal, but then I realized that it was just less self-conscious and therefore a lot more personal.”

TRACKS
1. Rainy Weather friend
2. Little Boats
3. Blackberry Winters
4. Mojave Phone Booth
5. Twenty Girls Ago
6. From My Window Sill
7. Sicily
8. Gramercy Vaudeville
9. Last Train Home
10. Almost and Always
11. Love Don’t Leave Me Now
12. Sleeping In Saturday
13. Home

Artist History
RCA - 1999 - Luxury of Time
RCA - 2001 - Mine and Yours
NETTWERK - 2004 - Indiana
YEP ROCK - 2005 - Wherever You Are
TALLULAH - 2006 - Tangerine

David Mead’s long awaited “Almost & Always” will be out August 25th on Cheap Lullaby Records.

Last week, “Almost & Always”, was the #4 added record on the FMQB Triple A/ Americana chart
Fall tour kicks off at Schuba’s in Chicago on September 3rd.

Check out two stand-out tracks from the upcoming album!

Blackberry Winters
Rainy Weather Friend

Acoustic Cafe
"Wow. What a fantastic record. Hats off to Mr. Mead!"

NPR Song of the Day
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99153417
“David Mead's bittersweet pop songs practically bleed warmth, as he expertly captures the way places — from the Queensboro Bridge to the entire state of Indiana — can stand in for a complex set of emotions and circumstances. At the same time, his high, pure, lovely voice captures breeziness and winsomeness in every breath.”- Stephen Thompson

On Tour
Sep 3- SCHUBA’S - CHICAGO, Illinois
Sep 4- SPIN- INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana
Sep 5 -THE BASEMENT- NASHVILLE, Tennessee
Sep 8- JAMMIN’ JAVA - VIENNA, Virginia
Sep 9 - ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL- NEW YORK, New York
Sep 10 - Easton MD - TBD
Sep 11- BURLAP N’ BEAN- NEWTON SQUARE, Pennsylvania
Sept 16 - THE WHITE MULE - COLUMBIA, South Carolina
Sep 17- EDDIE’S ATTIC- DECATUR, Georgia
Sep 18- THE EVENING MUSE- CHARLOTTE, North Carolina
Sep 26- FLYING OTTER VINEYARDS- ADRIAN, Michigan
Sep 27- WHITE’S BAR - SAGINAW, Michigan
Sep 28- ONE TRICK PONY - GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan