HE CHOSE THE ROAD - THE SWANSONG ALBUM FROM DAVID SANDS AKA DOGMAN

‘He chose the road’, Dogman unplugged and remixed 

-      is to be the final Dogman album.

The CD was released in the June 2013 sunshine as a very limited edition Digipak. This is now available directly (or at gigs) from David Sands and the downloadable mp3 tracks or the full album are now available to download on CD Baby, I-Tunes and Amazon. ORDER YOUR COPY NOW

Those who care and fellow musicians are asking, "Why the last Dogman album?" 

The truth is David Sands aka Dogman has recorded as much original music as possible with the time, funding and equipment at his disposal. 

"There is only so far I can go - I don't want to live in van, driving from small venue to small venue; no ace musicians like Fleet Foxes, Midlake or Ryan Adams have asked me to support them on tour and the music scene today is for the young and beautiful and I am neither of those things!"

DOGMAN - PICTURED HERE BY I-PHONE GIRL - WAS RAISED BY THE WOLVES OF WINTER HILL

"I shall play the occasional music venue like Heebie Jeebies, Leaf and Camp and Furnace  in Liverpool because my son, Johnny Sands (who is young and beautiful) runs music sessions in them. When asked, I will play at local pubs for musician mates but unless Neil Young gets involved  I have done my bit, written and recorded some decent songs that people enjoy, over my three Dogman albums."  

DOGMAN AND JOHNNY SANDS EXCHANGE CONVERSATION AT LIVERPOOL'S HEEBIE JEEBIES DURING A LIVE SESSION IN THE COURTYARD

He chose the road is an album of fresh and original acoustic music with a slight twist, Dogman has received praise from all corners of the world. Imagine if Neil Young and Mark Hollis got together with Paul Buchannan and did a low-fi demo album. 

DOGMAN IN FULL SONG - LIVE IN THE COURTYARD OF HEEBIE JEEBIES - SINGING OLD MAN BY NEIL YOUNG

"it all sounds good - some cool sounds and arrangements. It’s a pretty good album".

Phill Brown (with a lifetime recording, mastering and co-producing major artists from The Rolling Stones, Harry Nilsson, Bob Marley, Stevie Winwood, Jeff Beck, John Martyn, Robert Plant, Talk Talk, Mark Hollis and right up to today with Bombay Bicycle Club)   

"I love you man!" Ryan Adams (check out the recording from Bridgewater Hall, Manchester)

"All you have to do is listen to it" Mark Hollis "Very Talented! "Tom Robinson, BBC6 Music

"Take that Fork in the road" Neil Young and "Tinsel Town is in the rain" The Blue Nile

DOGMAN - VISITED BY THE GHOST OF THE YEAR PAST

How fast did 2012 go by?

DOGMAN LIVE - THROUGH THE YEAR - 2012

January 25^th 2012 saw me play AS the featured artist at the wonderful Artist’s Hangout at Foulridge at the Café Cargo by the canal wharf. What a great venue! Teaspoon and me watched films, listened to other musicians, looked at art and enjoyed a creative evening. I played a set and really enjoyed the appreciation of a listening audience.

The months always seem to disappear quickly these days but last year in February marked the end of the Black Horse (Gregson Lane, Hoghton) music-nights after many years and some great Dogman gigs and brilliant open mic evenings. It was a great night (Rob Fielding and others played) with Pat Gaffney joining me on stage. We made it one last real blast to mark the end (Jo and her partner retired from the pub). Fortunately, I have some recordings kindly made by the host of the open mic nights, John Poulton, taken from times when Matt Wells joined me on a set.  

You are welcome to sample the magic of those nights with a couple of songs see link for SET on Soundcloud. click on the link to hear some live tracks

DOGMAN LIVE AT THE BLACK HORSE

EMERALD ISLE EXCURSION

In April, my wife and I travelled by car and ferry to West Port, County Mayo in Eire to meet up with Teaspoon and Matt Pawson and family to enjoy a musical week and a change of scenery. 

Dogman  and Teaspoon in Eire

We had some really great times playing the pubs and chilling (see link to Youtube for a filmed version of Marvin Gaye’s What’s going on with me and Matt Pawson). click on link to see video by Teaspoon

 DOGMAN AND MATT PAWSON 'WHAT'S GOING ON' LIVE

The owner of the famous pub at the bottom of the Holy Mountain gave us a great revue after we played there one evening. I had met up with him in the day and played him a couple of tunes to get us the gig. Paid in beer they were calling us to play on late into the night!

Dogman at Campbells

'WONDERFUL GIG' - THANKS FROM EIRE

Matt Pawson on guitar

Dear David,

Greetings from Campbells! I hope this finds you and Catherine doing well. I have been planning to e-mail you since your visited Campbell's last month to express my appreciation for the wonderful performances you gave here during your visit.

THANK YOU to you, Tea Spoon and Matthew for performing here. It was wonderful to have you play here and it was one of the best ever performances here. I do hope you can make it back again.

Please extend my sincere thanks to Tea Spoon and Matthew. Also, please extend my best wishes to Catherine  and the family members of Tea Spoon and Matthew. It was a great pleasure meeting you and I hope I will see you here again! Best regards,

Padraig Fitpatrick Campbell, Murrisk, Westport, Co. Mayo, Ireland

THE YEAR OF COLLABORATIONS

Alongside my steady collaboration with Mikans, I ‘had a ball’ recording alongside music and remixes by Indigolab from Midlands (Lost – folk fusion), Middleschoolfrown from Scotland (sounding very Blue Nile) , Roy Taylor from Canada (fab flute on Trouble I’m in), Kenetic from South Africa (fab remix of Galileo see link) Ali Warlow aka Harm0nizer, down South (a dance remix of Bright and Beautiful) and the brilliant Peter Brown in Florida for my spoken word recordings.   click on link to hear collaborations

DOGMAN COLLABORATIONS 2012

PLAY IT AGAIN JIM!

I played the famous vegetarian restaurant and acoustic venue, Jim’s Café, in Colne, on several occasions (With Ray Irvine on keys in August) including a great gig in July with Ghost Radio and Teaspoon as support.

 I enjoyed playing there again with Ray for The Blues Festival Fringe in August. 

Dogman  and Ray Irvine at Jim's Cafe for the Blues Festival

Finally, to end the year I played a set for the Singer songwriter night. This was the first time myself and Mikans had played together live and the experience was excellent. 

Poster kindly designed by Mark Bennett

We are hoping for a video - from the brilliant Railton Lee Johnson (Shadow of the Hill Productions). This acoustic Christmas session included Teaspoon and Matt Pawson, Paul Aiden and James Hirst who all played brilliantly. This was my last of the year’s gigs in December.

As Dogman, I played as the featured artist (The Queens Folk Night’) but it was fun to play local pubs too including The Dog Inn at Whittle le Woods, The Last Orders ‘Buskers Ball’ Hindley Wigan, 

The House with no name, Bolton, the Red Lion, Wheelton, The Plough (twice and on the last occasion alongside old friend David 'Crick' Calderbank) at Euxton/Leyland. Our version of Light my fire is still the talk of the lane!

 

DOGMAN AND DAVID 'BLIND CRICK' CALDERBANK

and the excellent Saturday afternoon music venue, Heebie Jeebies, in Liverpool.

Dogman @ Heebie Jeebies Liverpool, pic Johnny Sands

DOGMAN UNPLUGGED 

THE NEW ALBUM FOR 2013

I had already begun recording with Teaspoon for an EP the previous year – a new song Avalanche came from those Higgin Street sessions with Matt Pawson on guitar and Lois on harp. The NEW songs grew and grew and so the EP will become an album - THE NAME NOT DECIDED YET with, hopefully, a bonus CD of Crossbreed remixes from my collaboration with Mikans. Click on the link to hear some unplugged songs

DOGMAN LIVE AT THE HOUSE OF TEASPOON

Dogman playing live in Eire 2012

THIS NEW YEAR?

I will write about 'Dogman for 2013' in my next blog. But for now, this musician is resting and planning some very different music for this Newest of Years!!