Blues Matters
Oct/ Nov 2010
Stompin' Dave & Dave Saunders Country Blues
Stompin' Dave is nothing if not hard working and prolific and should be well known to readers of this mag for reviews of his CDs and many live gigs on the south coast.
For his latest project he is accompanied on acoustic guitar by stalwart Dave Saunders from The Producers. The album opens with 'There's Still Some Wonder' which is unusually restrained for Dave being a beautiful ballad featuring double tracked vocals and a pretty slide guitar riff. Next up is the fiddle powered instrumental 'Carrol County Blues' with DS, as ever, providing an acoustic guitar backdrop. There are a number of old favourites here and Jimmy Reed's 'Baby What You Want Me To Do' is given a sprightly seeing to complete with harmonica fills.
Dave is an accomplished player of many instruments and 'The Victim' features banjo enjoyed this one. A cover of Muddy Water's 'You're gonna miss me' features driving slide guitar and then Dave switches back to fiddle for a lively romp through the instrumental 'Salty Dog'. If you've seen this man perform live then you'll know that he never lets up and happily his enthusiastic approach is all over this highly enjoyable album. The self penned 'Must Of Been An Angel' finds Dave back on banjo(actually its on guitar) which is also featured on a speedy and highly original cover of 'Going Upside Your Head'.
The pace is relentless and the instrumental 'Sliding South' features chiming guitar. 'Pig Ankle Rag' is a traditional fiddle piece with fine bowing and scraping form Dave. The old Lieber/Stoller favourite 'Kansas City Blues' is turned into a banjo fuelled country blues stomp and then the pace drops for 'Corina, Corina' The traditional 'Jackson Stomp' does what it says on the tin, before a full frontal attack on 'Big Black Train' closes out a fine album. The man's enthusiasm is infectious and his live shows sometimes border on the manic and he generates enough energy to light up any gig. Go and see him and then buy this album to take home with you.
Dave Drury
Maverick Magazine Review
July 2010
http://www.maverick-country.com/
Stompin’ Dave
ONE FOOT ACROSS THE POND
Self released OFATP001
***** (5 stars out of 5)
Awe-inspiring album from one of the world’s great performers. I simply do not know how he does it, but Stompin’ Dave has the remarkable ability of being able to play the guitar, banjo or fiddle whilst tap dancing and singing at the same time. This nineteen-track collection is outrageously brilliant and doesn’t it let its guard down at any time.
Astonishingly all instruments are played by Stompin’ Dave; the dancing and fiddling is just too good to be believed. Every note is hit in tune and percussive shuffles made to time which demonstrates what an excellent act he is to see live. His multi-skills are highly evident on songs like Double File. The concluding tune, My Own Home Waltz is an incredible way to end this album. It possesses some expert fiddling and is a tune which I hope to see performed live in the not too distant future.
This is an album that I have listened to time after time and is something I suspect many others will do as well. With appearances coming up at the Maverick Festival in July, Glastonbury and the Southsea Folk & Roots Festival in August along with performing at the National Banjo & Guitar Championships at the Walnut Valley Festival in Kansas in to several UK gigs every month, I cannot recommend Stompin’ Dave too highly. RH
July 2010
Mystery Train Review by Jonathan Madge
from http://bookspicsandblues.blogspot.com/
Stompin’ Dave Allen is one of the hardest gigging musicians in British blues (if you don’t believe me check out his tour dates) and he never fails to entertain. Now’s no exception as Stompin’ Dave’s Electric Band release their latest album Mystery Train.
As an artist, Stompin’ Dave is hard to define; he sounds perfectly suited to being a solo acoustic performer, but equally so as the front-man for this electrified three-piece. He mostly tours in the UK’s South but his voice is pure Americana.
The new album is in keeping with that spirit of ambiguity, as Dave shifts from whooping like Jerry-Lee Lewis amid mad piano solos on I’m On Fire to sounding like a 60 year old Detroit bluesman on Mean Sad World. This mix of styles keeps a tight hold on you as the album switches between well known classics and self-penned originals which sound so much like classics that they’ll have you questioning whether or not Stompin’ Dave invented the blues.
Backed by Graham Bundy on drums and Chris Lonergan, playing bass so rhythmically you could set your watch to it, Stompin’ Dave serves up frantic lead guitar and measured, soulful piano with deft skill. The result is an album that not only sounds like it features a host of blues legends, but also sounds as fresh as music did when they were writing it.
Blues Matters! Review Spring 2010
issue 53
http://www.bluesmatters.com
STOMPIN' DAVE ALLEN
Fake American Accent
From 1999 until 2006 Dave was known as Doctor Stomp, but he then adopted his present soubriquet. “Fake American Accent” gives a wonderful idea of one area of the man's talents. It contains 27 tracks, all solo efforts recorded with no overdubs. The material includes plenty of bluegrass, old-timey sounds, hoedowns, deep folk tunes, old minstrel numbers and of course Blues, played on fiddle, banjo or guitar. The set is split fairly evenly between instrumentals and vocal tracks, and even though Dave may be using a fake American accent, his high, slightly nasal singing does sound very authentic. Stompin'? “Tap dancing” as the sleeve calls it, though that does not convey the sometimes quite crazy 'foot breaks' that can be heard. Dave is an energetic performer and this CD successfully captures that plus his skill and his sense of fun.
STOMPIN' DAVE'S ELECTRIC BAND
Live At The R.P.A.
Dave started his electric band in 2007, and here he plays rack harp and electric guitar backed by drums and bass “in front of a very small audience at the Royal Portland Arms, Dorset” in 2009. Hearing the weak sounding harp on the opener I wondered if Dave would let me down. No! It may be a warts-and-all CD but it is a delight to hear him working his way into the set, gaining in confidence as it progresses. Dave is less individual in electric mode but there are still numbers among the Chicago styled outings that don't really sound like anyone else – and he can range from T-Bone Walker to Hendrix, even within the same song. A little rockabilly and boogie really do enhance a CD that will please Dave's existing fans and hopefully bring him some new ones.
Norman Darwen
Maverick Magazine. Review of Fake American Accent, Oct/ Nov 09
Rating 5 (out of 5)
Outrageous banjo picking and sublime fiddling by an artist who has the talent of being able to play these difficult-enough instruments whilst tap dancing and singing at the same time.
Based in Dorset and responsible for what can only be described as a remarkable talent of being able to tap dance whilst playing either the banjo or fiddle as well as singing as though he’s come straight from 1930’s Louisiana, Stompin’ Dave Allen is one guy whose skill is best demonstrated, if not seen at one of his many gigs, in this twenty-seven release which is actually his third album.
Some downright classic tracks are attempted on this album and by all means he doesn’t diminish his credentials as a top-class performer with his own renditions of them. The Wabash Cannonball is certainly a perfect example of this. Attempted here on banjo with his dancing more than evident, I can vouch for his dancing talents as having personally seen him live countless times which is quite a sight to see.
This particular version has a most genuine and authentic sound which I’m sure The Carter Family wouldn’t object to listening all the way through with the concluding few seconds most awesome. Don’t Let Your Deal Go Down has been interpreted in countless versions, with some done to more success than others, but here Stompin’ Dave can count himself in the former due to his version being recorded in such a euphoric style that it makes you want to see this artist live. A track I haven’t heard for some time appears on this album, and boy how it was a complete surprise and delight to hear.
The track being Charlie Monroe’s It’s Only A Phonograph and played on acoustic guitar, Stompin’ Dave’s version is one which tries to keep true to the original version and hits the spot in many ways. Maybe it’s the style of the picking or the tone of his own vocals is neither here or there, but when tracks by the greats are recorded with such love and, most importantly, talent to pull it off than artists like Charlie Monroe can be continually celebrated for years to come.
Never have I seen or heard an artist quite like Stompin’ Dave Allen. How the heck he had the idea to start playing bluegrass music whilst tap dancing is beyond me but does that matter when his music is as good as this? Russell Hill
Blues Matters! Review of Stompin' Dave On DVD, June/ July 09:
This is a down home type production from a down home type of guy, and as a showcase for a huge talent, it succeeds dramatically. In recent years, acts like Son Of Dave and Seasick Steve have shown us that a one-man Blues act, where all your physical extremities are put to dazzling rhythmic use, can be just as exciting as a band. Stomp boxes and sampling machines have opened up so many possibilities, but Dave Allen is ahead of the game for various reasons. One is his sheer versatility. He’s a terrific banjo player, a remarkable fiddle player and plays a mean national steel guitar.
But that’s just the beginning. The DVD opens with a series of still photos, wherein we see the steel soles and heels of Dave’s shoes. So, when he plays, he doesn’t just keep rhythm like Seasick Steve - this man tap dances so brilliantly on his ‘dancing board’ (well, that’s what I call it) that you don’t know where to look - his feet, face or fingers?! The man’s a musical, rhythmical revelation. You get seventeen tracks on this DVD, five of which Dave composed himself, plus some reliable traditional pieces, such as ‘Wabash Cannonball’ and ‘Bonapartes Retreat’. His style is mesmerising and infectious and he ought to be booked at every festival going.
Roy Bainton
STOMPIN’ DAVE ALLEN + SUPPORT, Exmouth Folk Club, Manor Hotel, Exmouth. By Ian McKenzie
Nov 08
It is far too common to go to a concert type gig, where the audience are expecting to listen and do, to find that the main act gives a foreshortened performance of little more than 45 minutes or so. Well not so here.
The evening commenced with a set by a local, blues, country, roots music band, Trailer Trash. These guys did close to an hour and did a good job warming up an audience consisting, in the main, of ‘old greys’ Not the easiest to satisfy.
Then after a short break for the mandatory raffle, came Stompin’ Dave. Recently returned from the National Bluegrass Banjo Competition 2008, held in Winfield, Kansas, Dave opened his set with some wonderful examples of his bluegrass banjo stuff, giving the audience a selection of immaculately picked numbers, but you could hear the audience take a deep breath of amazement when Dave started his dancing.
For those of you who may not have seen him, Dave sets up with a sturdy 4 inch high wooden box placed on the floor. About 3 feet square, Dave stands on the box which then serves as an amplifying sound-source for his quite amazing, rhythmic tap, flat-foot and clog dancing. The energy he expends is phenomenal; leaping in the air, twisting around and providing a multi-faceted rhythmic backing to his, all the time exemplary picking and excellent singing. The audience loved it, coming as near to a standing ovation as old grey’s ever do.
But, of course, Dave was not finished. Some numbers with excellent country fiddle playing (and dancing too) followed as Dave pulled the audience with him, into his high-energy ‘pickin, dancin’ & grinnin’ world. Then came some excellent guitar playing including some fast slide stuff, performed with accuracy and panache. It was back to the banjo for a couple of numbers, after which he slyly told us that, in the Kansas banjo comp he did not even get into the finals. (Cue serous boos from the audience.) But Dave’s take on that is that, as there were five placed-winners, he could have come sixth. Nice spin, eh!
Then to my surprise, Dave pulled an up-right piano into to the performing area and delighted me and the audience with some well executed piano blues and boogie including a super version of Big Bill’s '(It Was) Just A Dream’
The set ended with a return to some (flat-picked) guitar and banjo pieces, including, of course the tapping and clogging, all of which had the audience calling for more. By this time Dave was soaked in sweat having done close to 90 minutes but agreed to do just one number, a stunning banjo based closer, that finished off the evening with a bang. It included behind the head playing!
If you have not seen Stompin’ Dave, let me urge you to do so. His is a prodigious talent that seems to know no bounds in his chosen field. His presentation is a delight and his stage presence electrifying. Goforit!!!
Blues In The South. Review Of Fake American Accent, April 08:
Dave Allen’s spectacular talent leaves us less talented people open mouthed in amazement. These two CDs show the multifaceted aspects of his work in all their glory. Fake American Accent is Dave in his (solo) bluegrass/ American roots music mode, with examples of his guitar, banjo and fiddle playing which, while they may sometimes come with a vocal in that bogus accent, (he hails from Bridport) loose absolutely nothing for that.
Most of the music here is 19th and occasional 20th Century or older, stuff. The playing is exemplary and of course often comes with Dave’s skilled tap / flat-foot dancing/ clogging as part of the package. Once there was a show involving a ventriloquist on the radio (bet you can’t see my lips move!) and you might think that dancing on a CD is in the same category. But trust me, this really works adding a rhythmic dimension that is nothing short of magical.
Bluegrass & More. Review of performance at The Cornish Bluegrass Festival, Apr 08:
Stompin’ Dave Allen proved quite a hit at last year’s Cornish Bluegrass Festival - and whilst not exactly a ‘traditional’ bluegrass artiste Stompin’ Dave certainly is a uniquely entertaining performer, enjoyed by many….as his gig list for the summer certainly indicates, Dave incorporates his voice, banjo, fiddle, guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, percussion & tap dancing into American roots music: old-time, bluegrass, blues, country blues, folk, vintage country & hillbilly - plus traditional songs & tunes, originals & covers. Do check out www.stompindave.com and consider buying Dave’s brand new CD.
Blues In Britain. Review of Like A Lotus Flower Growing In Muddy Waters, July 08:
Not to be confused with either an Irish comedian or a Californian surf guitarist, this Dave Allen hails from Bridport in Dorset and purveys Blues and other American roots musics, in both acoustic and electric formats. He does it well too; both of the sets under review are blues recordings, missing out on the bluegrass and other material that Dave performs maybe, but I doubt too many readers will mourn their absence – especially since this CDs is very fine indeed.
The acoustic set, dating from November 2006, features Stompin’ Dave on guitars, harmonica, percussion and tap-dancing (that’s right!), in addition to vocals – with no overdubs. Stylistically the tracks span a range from delicately finger-picked, nicely melodic material (all numbers are Allen originals) and items with the tap-dancing (or stomping, if you prefer) a significant and valid contribution through to raw, Mississippi styled one man band efforts in a Joe Hill Louis or Doctor Ross vein, or slightly more gently, perhaps recalling Jesse Fuller. Judging from the tap dancing, I would guess that Dave's gigs are visual spectaculars too. Well worth investigating. Rating: 8 - Norman Darwen
Suited and Booted. Review of Westwood Bound, December 06:
Anyone who has been out and about listening to live music in South Somerset and West Dorset over the last few years is likely at some time to have heard Dave Allen play.
In previous incarnations he was known as Dr Stomp and played alongside Professor Oz. Well now Dr Stomp and Professor Oz are no more. So ladies and gentlemen please allow me to present Stompin’ Dave Allen! Stompin’ Dave continues to belt out his mix of one man folk, blues and roots music. He is truly a one man band; this is not meant pejoratively, this man can really play!
Dave manages to play banjo, stomp on a wooden board (to provide percussion accompaniment ) and sing all at the same time. He also manages to play guitar, fiddle and harmonica although not always at the same time! If you have not seen him play live then do check out one of his performances, dynamic hardly begins to describe the energy this man brings to the creation of music. He is quite simply a bluesy, rootsy folky dynamo of musical creativity!
Dave has released a new CD of both traditional and self penned tunes (along with one by Henry C. Work). The CD is titled Westwood Bound and has twenty eight tracks with, as he puts it in the sleeve note, “no overdubs!” There is a great mix of both traditional tunes and new works the longest of which (My Grandfathers Clock) is still only just over four minutes in length. You won’t get bored with this disc. If you like blues and roots this disc is a treat it will have you smiling and toe tappin’ in no time!
For more details about Dave or his latest CD check out the web site www.stompindave.com
