Waiting For Sara by David Feder

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Byline: John Bartus from Tourbaby Show Reprinted from Monroe Council of the Arts Summer newsletter 2000

I bet you're wondering,

what the heck is "Hillbilly Flamenco?"

"Hillbilly Flamenco" is the magic sounds of guitarist David Feder and his band Salagua-Azul. David writes and plays Original Flamenco style Gypsy music, with a Celtic, "Psyco/Hillbilly" feel. It's really fun and romantically charged and now you can experience it live!

David is an exciting, warm and provocative musician. He and his band are world class musicians with only one driving goal.."to take their audience along with them on exciting, romantic and fun musical Journeys."

The newest CD release by Dave and the band is titled "Black Emerald." It is filled with great musical voyages and features some awesome new musicians. Many of the songs were written in the Azores, and capture the appeal of these mysterious islands. If you close your eyes and listen, you are there, dancing on the volcanic, black emerald sand.

Whether you hear David Feder live or on one of his recordings with Salagua Azul, you will be in for a great musical experience.

Dave Feder

(Biography from Arts Council Article)

Magic happens when a person finds the one thing in life he or she was meant to do. Such is the case with Upper Keys musician David Feder. Somehow it's hard to imagine Feder doing anything other than creating and playing music.

Feder began taking piano and guitar lessons when he was four years old and was writing songs for the guitar at age ten! In fact, he says that some of the music he plays today are variations of songs he wrote as a child. "I believe we all have one song inside of us," commented Feder, "and everything we write ends up being a version or another expression of that one song."

However, he took a somewhat circuitous route before finally succumbing to his lifelong love of music.

Originally from Niagara Falls, New York, Feder studied engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology. And even though he often performed at coffeehouses while at school, without music as an integral part of his life, Feder says he was "pretty miserable." So after graduation, he enrolled in the music education program at the State University of Buffalo. Interestingly, Feder says school was difficult, musically/spiritually. "It's hard to play and improvise when you're being taught to try and quantify everything," he said. "To me it felt like It was sucking the art out of the music."

Luckily there were Some very cool musicians in Buffalo at that time who provided the fuel for Feder's Fire.

So he left school and began performing with bands playing saxophone and guitar, doing studio session work, and supplementing his income with a variety of jobs. But Feder became disenchanted with the music scene because of the destructive life styles so often associated with musicians. He decided to put performing aside and concentrate on electronic design.

However, the road ahead still had a few twists and turns in store for Feder. As a favor, he agreed to help out a friend by playing the guitar in his jazz band. According to Feder, once he started performing again, he knew this was what he wanted to do. Says Feder, "Even a bad night playing music is better than working!"

While he doesn't think of playing music as being "work", he does think of it as a business and feels strongly that musicians should get paid fairly for their talent. However, he admits that it's sometimes difficult for musicians, or any artist, to put a price on their work because it's so personal and enjoyable.

Another thing Feder feels strongly about is helping others. When I met him, he had just rescued an injured bird and was trying to make it comfortable until he could get help. He performs 12 - 13 benefit concerts a year in the Upper Keys, and just recently appeared at two different benefits on the same day! On all of his CD's you'll find the line, "Please adopt a homeless animal." Words he lives by, since all of his dogs have been adopted from shelters. Dave is one of the principal organizers of "BayJam", which raises money for art and musics cholarships, and "Moradapalooza." Feder says, "If using my name helps to raise some money for a good cause, I'm all for it!"

While he's basically known as a jazz and blues musician, Feder embraces all types of music. His band, the Saltwater Blues Band,(aka Salagua Azul) includes musicians from Argentina, Colombia, Spain and Puerto Rico and Feder enjoys the interpretations these musicians bring to the pieces they play. He's currently interested in Cajun and bluegrass sounds, and has gone back to their roots by studying and experimenting with Celtic music.

Feder feels Americans place too much emphasis on categorizing music and likes playing in Europe where attitudes toward musical styles are more liberal. Fluent in French, he often plays in the south of France and his music has been used in French movies, environmental videos and radio commercials. He likes playing at corporate events, weddings and private parties.

The range of styles in his CD's exemplifies his diverse interests. His first album, "Waiting for Sara," combines soft jazz with a slight Latin influence, while his second CD, "The Reason Why," is pure funk and blues. His soon-to-be-released album, "Leila's Dream," contains all original songs inspired by children under the age of ten. And he's currently working on an album for children featuring original music, and possibly some traditional children's songs, played in different styles.

Feder is a devoted husband and father - wife Suzi and son Nyan take center stage in his life. In fact, four-year-old Nyan is already playing the guitar and even accompanied Dad on two songs in his album, "The Reason Why."

With his son standing next to him on stage, David Feder has come full circle in a life inexorably intertwined with music.

By John Bartus

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