I know he formed a band called Elle Macho (not my cup of tea)---I thought it was a side-project---but it's been five years since his last solo album. At one time I thought this guy was going to rule the universe; he certainly was in the running for the best contemporary singer-songwriter in America, IMO. Maybe his material wasn't appealing to a young audience weened on modern pop, but if you admired classic melodic pop/rock, here was a guy who could write like McCartney and sing like Nilsson. Sounds like an exaggeration, but it's not. I thought he was doing ok and certainly had fans around the country...but since Dudes in 2010 it's been hard to follow him. He had some downloads available on a blog for a while; I just discovered them, and unfortunately you can't download them anymore. Does anyone here know, has he abandoned solo work? Maybe he got frustrated, he had to crowdsource his last CD...but that's just a guess. What a loss it would be to classic songwriting if he has given up.
Have a half a dozen of his cd's, all solid pop tunes. Indiana the album may be my favorite. He's not alone being unrecognized sadly.
Indiana is a terrific album. He got great press for that one, including a rave by Taylor Swift. Now if only she would pull a Ryan Adams and record a whole cd of Mead's songs. I think she could do "Girl On A Roof" proud, even get a hit with it. My favorite of his has to be Almost and Always. Jam packed with beautiful ballads like "Blackberry Winters". I continue my quest : I checked his Facebook page, and his last post was for an Elle Macho show last November. Seems to post once or twice a year. His official page hasn't been updated since 2012. If he's trying to get off the grid, he's succeeding.
Depressing when a musician so gifted can't get any traction commercially. Just q'd up Indiana for a listen. It's been too long.
I love Wherever You Are. I think it's high time I get some of his other work. Actually, can anybody recommend where to go next?
Two hours of interviews with him from a podcast in 2014...I think at least one of the Pods & Sods guys is on SH.tv: http://www.podsodcast.blogspot.com/search/label/david mead
I was wondering the same thing just a couple days ago. Nashville and Dudes are my two favorites. Why is he the one instance where Taylor Swift's stamp of approval didn't have any effect? Meanwhile, I can't escape Ed Sheeran.
The name only vaguely rings a bell, but having heard the clip above, he's now on my shopping list. Thanks!
Go to Mine and Yours if you like a more "produced" sound; he was swinging for the fences on that one. Almost and Always has some of his most tuneful songs, more stripped back but really tastefully arranged. He's so good, you could scroll through just about any list of his tracks on YouTube and you wouldn't hear a clunker. That'll start you off. And if you like what you hear/end up buying, post something here at SHF to at least keep the good word out on this guy.
Thanks for the plug. I speak to David now and then. At the end of our interview he mentioned new music and I've heard some demos, but the only stuff that has come around is the Elle Macho stuff. He's got a son now, so family life may have taken the place of recording and the road. Still, miss going to see him!
I happened across this '80s tribute project from 2014 while browsing for stray Ken Stringfellow tracks I didn't have. It has David Mead covering Duran Duran's "Save a Prayer". ♫ Here Comes the Reign Again: The Second British Invasion - Various Artists. Listen @cdbaby » Amazon.com: Here Comes the Reign Again: The Second British Invasion: Various artists: MP3 Downloads »
Nice to see that other music fans miss David Mead as much as I do. The first song of his I ever heard was " Beauty" on XM The Loft - from his Indiana album. It absolutely blew me away and was hooked. Almost and Always in 2009 is also a favorite. Such a talented musician. My guess is that he needed to support his family and decided to build a different career with music on the side (Elle Macho). Here is a hope that David gets reinspired somewhere down the line so we can hear that clear tenor once again. Steve
I'm the piano/vibraphone player on Almost and Always. What a great album that was (I'm talking about the writing here, not my playing!) - it was so focused and perfect. I reached out to him when this thread started, he seemed to be working on some new stuff and thought something would be coming soon, so fear not- he's still at it!!
I felt like something was missing in my life - then realized I hadn’t listened to DM in some time. Googled and found this comment of yours. Hope you’re doing ok. I miss seeing DM...so thankful we could spend a day with him and wish he would come around again.
Loved his album The Luxury of Time from 1999...and he did a great cover of Michael Jackson's Human Nature.
I'll be seeing David in a few months during a trip to Nashville - I'll try to get the scoop on whether we can expect some music sooner or later (and I hope to have a podcast recorded with him coming out around that time as well, fingers crossed).
New album is mixed! David Mead on Instagram: “@ryanhewittmix finishing the finishes of new album #itsbeensevenyearsalreadydawg”
HOLY S*#$! GREAT news!!! Thanks for updating us. P.S. Anyone know what software he’s using in that Instagram clip? Pro Tools?
You're quite welcome. More news as I have it, but since David posted on instagram I think it's okay for me to say that I have heard the album and oh man, no one will be disappointed.
