Mobile Home Girl by Dave Manning

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Dave is a two-time finalist in the Alaska Song of the Year Contest in the "Alaska Songs" category. He also received an honorable mention in the 2001 Anchorage Press "Picks" for his excellent songwriting. Dave has opened for noteables like Dan Bern, James Mathus, the lead singer of the Squirrel Nut Zippers; and Jazz piano legend Mose Allison.

Dave is spending 2005 on the road touring. Look for "Vincent" his '65 Microbus out on the two lane roads. In a time where the traveling storyteller and songwriter has long been replaced by television and Karaoke, Dave is still out there with the last of them. Cruising at a lazy 50mph and playing in a different town every few days, Dave isn't afraid of "paying his dues." His bus is full of stories of the road from AK to the high deserts of Nevada and everywhere between.

"Mobile Home Girl" showcases his quality songs (and his interest in trashy women). The album also has depth and dimension way beyond the trailer park. The album is really a collection of stories from London to North Carolina, and Nebraska to Alaska. Dave's day job as a documentary videographer for Heartbeat Alaska; a show specializing in bush Alaska, allows him into the lives of amazing people from all over the North. You may have seen his work on PBS, ABC, CBS, FOX and the Discovery Channel. The people and places he sees first hand ring out in his songs, (sometimes they don't tell you the whole story on TV.)

Dave's voice is most often compared to Tom Waits, and his style on the piano varies widely from soulful ballads to blues, country to boogie-woogie. Dave's musical career started in the fourth grade when he played the clarinet like a coyote in heat... but he's had a lot of time to improve since then. His set list for live shows includes a cornucopia of great tunes from artists like Jerry Lee Lewis, Kris Kristoferson, Woody Guthrie, John Prine and (Bob Dylan (but who doesn't do Dylan...) He is also an award-winning published poet...and with a little prompting may do a few numbers without the piano at his shows.

Oh, and here's Dave's own description of his work from the back of the CD:

A lot of people say I sound like Tom Waits. They say: " you sound like Tom Waits." I say: "Who's Tom Waits?" Then they give me this weird look. Some other people ask me if my piano gets heavy. They say: "Doesn't that thing get heavy?" I say: "It doesn't get heavy...it's still heavy from the last time." Then they call me a smart ass. That's pretty accurate. But I make good music too; music that takes you places. I kept the arrangements on this album pretty bare bones; just the piano and me most of the time. But then, I always admired the simple stuff, the raw stuff, the stuff where you really know they mean what they're singin'. I mean what I'm singin' and if you like the sound of a good piano, and a soulful voice (or two) you're in for a treat. I write quality songs, I have fun singin' out and I'm a smart ass. If you don't like it I'll give you're money back.

Safe Travels,

Dave Manning

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