Sitting on The Porch with David Gans Part I

“..we must seek not so much to create opportunities as to take advantage of those that are offered us.” The Island of the Day Before, Umberto Eco

David Gans has been touring quite extensively in the last decade or so with a rich canon of tunes stretching from folk to protest to jam to bluegrass to straight up rock n’ roll. However, he had not stopped long enough to record a studio album during that period. Until now. Gans has teamed up with members of Railroad Earth, and various other seasoned veterans to craft a poignant and rousing 11-track album called The Ones That Look the Weirdest Taste the Best. With Gans as the chief songwriter, and tracks produced by Railroad Earth’s Tim Carbone, the singer-songwriter/guitarist mines the material of his own experiences either at home, or on the road for a strong set of troubadour classics.

Gans is also known quite well for his two-decade-plus career as a radio producer/host of Grateful Dead programs on Berkeley’s KPFA radio station, Dead to the World, the nationally syndicated Grateful Dead Hour as well as being a consultant to Sirius XM’s Grateful Dead Channel. He has also produced a legion of records by other artists, including compilations of the Dead, spent his early years as a journalist before writing numerous books about music, and is also a well-known photographer. Jambands.com sits down with Gans to discuss his new studio album in a wide-ranging two-part feature that explores his songwriting process and the continuing influence of the road on his music.

RR: How did you get involved with Railroad Earth on this project?

The Black Bear Sessions

We were doing some stuff together in 2006 in their stomping grounds in New Jersey; we played a couple of songs together, and at the end of one of those shows, I just got this little brainstorm, and I went to Tim Carbone. I said, “Listenif I can get scare up the money to pay for the sessions, would you be willing to produce them with me?” He said, “Absolutely.” So I started saving my pennies, and I sent him a CD full of original songs and said, “Which ones do you like? Think of this as if it were going to be an album project. Which ones would you choose?” We figured out that I could afford three days of recording, and he picked out four songs that he felt would work as sort of a demo.

understandsRR: What you just described makes me think of your song “That’s Real Love” with its multiple parts, different sections, and a band’s ability to bring something unique into a song, and then not repeat it.

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RR: Let’s talk about lyrical content. Sometimes, you are singing in the first person, sometimes, third person. In our first feature about three years ago [Author’s Note: “Workingman’s Artist”8/9/05; also, the 10th anniversary of Jerry Garcia’s death], we spoke about “An American Family,” which appeared on Solo Electric, and debuts as a studio track on the new album. I’d like to explore that style of songwriting a bit further with you.exactlyRR: How about a song that I assume is definitely in the first person, and has a strong message attached to it: “Shove in the Right Direction?”KPFAKPFAcannotRR: And how about another song written in the first person with a potent message, “Save Us from the Saved?”intimidating

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fuckreadRR: You also collaborated with someone who has had a lot of poignant things to say over the years, Robert Hunter, on “Like a Dog.”cloudsurfing.gdhour.comownRR: There is also some beautiful guitar work on “Echolalia.”RR: The guitar lines remind me of waves lapping the shoreline, and then rolling back because of the seemingly effortless flow to the music.RR: Well, I don’t think you give yourself enough credit.

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The Ones That Look the Weirdest Taste the Best- We return to “two guys sittin’ on a porch” in January for Part II with David Gans.