Bio
Dave Gunning
We’re All Leaving
“There’s a song in there somewhere,” sings Dave Gunning optimistically on his seventh album We’re All Leaving, but the Pictou County, Nova Scotia performer is being far too modest. Scoring three 2010 East Coast Music Award Nominations for Songwriter, Male Solo Recording and FACTOR Recording of the Year, and recently named as a Finalist in the Great American Song Contest and International Songwriting Competition for his song, Before The Morning Sun (co-written by James Keelaghan), Gunning is on the move.
Since debuting with Lost Tracks in 1997, Dave has proven he can find a song just about anywhere–in childhood memories, local legends and the everyday lives of those around him–and turn it into something profound, honest and deeply moving.
His ability to tell a story in song has resulted in six Music Nova Scotia Awards and three East Coast Music Awards (2008 Folk Recording, Male Artist of the Year for House For Sale, 2005 Folk Recording, Two-Bit World), rousing welcomes from crowds at festivals and venues on both sides of the Atlantic and the admiration of Canada’s finest composers, a number of whom have become collaborators on We’re All Leaving.
Building his career the hard way, through weeks and months spent on the road and tirelessly honing his songwriting and showman skills, Dave earned his first substantial burst of national attention when his Celtic-tinged composition Here She Comes A Running from 2000’s Caught Between Shadows became a favourite clip on CMT Canada. The youthful enthusiasm displayed in the tune soon developed into an ear for human stories rarely heard in song, like Two-Bit World’s Twitter, about a Pictou County-born clown who went on to tour the world, and Prince of Pictou (co-written with guitarist Jamie Robinson), about an illegitimate son of royalty exiled on these shores which was awarded First Place Winner in the Folk category in the 2005 International Acoustic Music Awards and received an honorable mention in the USA Songwriting Competition.
One recent collaboration, House for Sale’s Hard Workin’ Hands with master East Coast song craftsman Ron Hynes, was named First Place Winner in the folk category in the 2008 Indie International Songwriting Contest and was honored as a Finalist in the USA Songwriting Competition, International Songwriting Competition and the John Lennon Song Contest. Not only does Gunning work with the best, his honest approach to painting melodic pictures brings out the best in those he works with.
On We’re All Leaving, James Keelaghan, David Francey and Matt Andersen are among the co-writers who’ve helped to make every track a well-polished vignette, as well as the musician Dave names as his MVP, guitarist Jamie Robinson, whose resume runs from accompanying Jimmy Rankin’s modern folk ballads to the globe-spanning pop/rock of Halifax’s MIR. Playing guitar, mandolin and piano, Robinson joined an all-star East Coast ensemble in bringing We’re All Leaving’s songs to life, including keyboardist Kim Dunn, drummer Adam Dowling and bassists Jamie Gatti and Bruce Dixon, with some vocal assistance from Bruce Guthro and Rose Cousins. The versatile guitarist’s ability to mesh modern and traditional sounds was a perfect match for Gunning’s desire to take a few steps forward on We’re All Leaving, weaving together a bigger story arc of the gradual exodus from the country to urban environments.
From the first song Smith’s Rock, about the sweat and toil of the pioneering settlers, to the finale Sorry for the City, which personifies its subject as a living entity swollen with the lifeblood of the dreamers and the desperate, Gunning is setting his songs on a broader stage, from the viewpoint of someone “watching these days disappear, like waves rolling out from the shore,” as he sings on Something I’m Missing.
Tracks like Ashen Town, As Far as This Town Goes and the title track, written with acclaimed Scottish songsmith Karine Polwart, are ideal showcases for Gunning’s emphatic, heartfelt vocals as he observes the lingering effects of time’s sweeping hand.
Gunning’s musical mind is piled high with song ideas and always able to find the right turn of phrase or melodic twist that makes a perfect fit. One of the new album’s sportiest designs is the infectious Made on a Monday, co-written with Robinson, inspired by the notion that cars produced on Wednesdays are less likely to be lemons than those that roll off the assembly line at the start or end of the week when the weekend is either exerting its pull or exacting its toll.
“It’s one of those common sayings that we’ve all heard over the years,” says Gunning. With co-writer, Jamie Robinson, they turned it into a catchphrase for a guy who can’t seem to pull his life together. “Plus you’ve got the automotive industry going down the tubes, so it’s something that’s on people’s minds. It’s certainly how I feel sometimes, when nothing’s going right, and the pieces just don’t fit. Writing the song was a lot of fun, coming up with different ways to describe that disjointed feeling.”
Made on a Monday is indicative of We’re All Leaving’s contemporary approach to the subject of changing times, but Gunning’s ability to tell a compelling story is still in evidence. Big Shoes is his recollection of the childhood concert experience of seeing John Allan Cameron and Stan Rogers at a local auditorium, while Before the Morning Sun is a gripping portrayal of the final moments of a young farmer about the pay the ultimate price for a violent act of desperation.
“I loved writing it and I love singing it, looking at things from the perspective of this guy looking at his impending doom; he has to face the judge, then his mom and dad, then the preacher, and then he’s on the gallows, facing the nothing but the morning sun, and for one last time.”
The tune came out of a songwriting workshop with Canadian ballad master James Keelaghan at Cape Breton’s Celtic Colours International Festival, and a desire to write a western ballad along the lines of a Gunning concert staple, The Long Black Veil. The song is the strongest link to Gunning’s past recordings, and yet it was also the biggest challenge, trying to take a familiar story and make it fresh for listeners one more time. And so marks another great success for one of Canada’s finest songwriters.
With the release of We’re All Leaving, Dave will once again be out on the road sharing his touching and rousing musical narratives for a series of unforgettable evenings. A veteran performer, he has toured extensively both solo and with his band, performing to sold-out venues, festivals, house concerts and theatres throughout Canada, the U.S., the U.K. and Denmark. He has shared the stage with good friend and country star George Canyon (on his Christmas tours 2008, 2006, and 2005) and toured with Canadian icons, Ron Hynes, Stephen Fearing, John Allan Cameron and Stompin’ Tom Connors.
To commemorate and celebrate their 2008 signature tour, Dave and George released their collaborative Christmas CD, fittingly titled Candles & Evergreens, which follows Gunning’s first seasonal release titled Dave Gunning Christmas, featuring the popular original holiday favorite Daddy’s Beer, which has become a holiday hit with fans and country radio programmers.
Engaging and charismatic, Dave’s magnetic gift of captivating audiences by creating a bond through down-to-earth details, homespun humour and seasoned musicianship will be in full display as he continues to tour in support of the latest chapter of a career heading for international recognition: We’re All Leaving.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
| 2010 | Finalist Great American Song Contest (Before The Morning Sun) |
| 2009 | Semi-Finalist International Songwriting Competition (Before The Morning Sun) |
| 2009 | ECMA Nomination Entertainer of the Year |
| 2008 |
First Place Winner Folk Category Indie International Songwriting Contest (Hard Workin’ Hands)
Finalist USA Songwriting Competition (Hard Workin’ Hands) |
| 2006 | ECMA Nomination Male Artist of the Year
ECMA Nomination Album of the Year (Two-Bit World) The Irish Music Magazine Readers Poll Song of the Year (New Highway) |
| 2005 | ECMA Award Folk Recording of the Year (Two-Bit World)
ECMA Nomination Male Artist of the Year First Place Winner Folk Category International Acoustic Music Awards(Prince of Pictou) Music Nova Scotia Award Folk Recording of the Year (Two-Bit World) Honourable mention USA Songwriting Competition (Prince of Pictou) |
| 2003 | Music Nova Scotia Award Musician of the Year |
| 2002 | Music Nova Scotia Award Producer of the Year (Live)
Music Nova Scotia Award Engineer of the Year (Live) Music Nova Scotia Award Studio of the Year (Riverfront Studio) |
| 2001 | ECMA Nomination Roots/ Traditional Solo Recording of the Year (Caught Between Shadows) |
| 1998 | ECMA Nomination Roots/ Traditional Vocal (Lost Tracks) |
REVIEWS
We’re All Leaving
“Truly, Dave Gunning’s great track record remains unbroken and unsullied with this recording. It’s a great collection from a musician who continues to grow and thrive”.
Penguin Eggs
“Dave Gunning delivers a winner….We’re All Leaving is a memorable almost thematic collection of songs, one that will undoubtedly see Gunning reap further Canadian folk music awards”.
UK Country Music People ****
“It is that sense of intimacy through his writing, and his performances that makes Gunning an absolutely intriguing performer to watch and listen to”.
The Newfoundland Herald
“The Galaxie Folk/Roots Channel’s most-played, high-rotation album releases for December 2009 – January 2010 “We’re All Leaving”:
Galaxie, The Continuous Music Network
“Dave is one of Canada’s finest songwriter’s: the way his eye sees things upon the land, the way his ear hears the voices of his people, his respect for those who have gone before, and his love of life in the land he loves, is beautifully portrayed in gentle verse and rhyme. He is not a man you meet everyday, he cares, and it shows in his music, both poetic and pointed”.
CFCY, the Eric MacEwen Show
“There was something about those original songs that led me to believe this somewhat shy, unassuming young man with the easy-rolling baritone voice had some very real talent. There was an honesty and a beautiful simplicity to those early songs. Inspired by people and places in his life that had special meaning to him, they were heartfelt and moving. It’s encouraging, all these years later, to see those qualities that first impressed me and many others are still present in Gunning’s latest work, We’re All Leaving.
The Guardian ****
“It’s a star-studded affair, but at the centre of it all is Gunning with his sparse folk sound and crystal clear lyrics that have made him a popular name along the east coast and into the U.S. and Europe over the last few years”.
eastcoastnoise.com
“This incredible album contains 11 songs, all of which he wrote with several co-writers. His ability to tell a story in his songs has resulted in six Music Nova Scotia awards and three East Coast Music Awards in the past, and now with this new CD, there will be no exceptions. A number of Canada’s finest composers helped Dave to write all the songs and include; Jamie Robinson, John Meir, James Keelaghan, David Francey, Rose Cousins and Karine Polwart”.
Atlantic Seabreeze *****
“Continuing in the grand footsteps of other east coast singer-songwriters such as Bruce Guthro, Gordie Sampson and Lennie Gallant, Nova Scotian Dave Gunning scores a winner with his seventh record, We’re All Leaving. Resting comfortably somewhere in the territory between folk, country and roots music, fans of Atlantic Canadian music won’t be long picking up on Gunning’s masterful song writing on tracks like The Color Of Gone, Made On A Monday, There’s A Song In There and We’re All Leaving”.
HereNB
“One of the songs closest to Gunning’s heart is Big Shoes, a tribute to legendary performers John Allen Cameron and Stan Rogers…:.
Chronicle Herald
House For Sale
“He’s become one of my favourite new writers”
Ron Hynes, Newfoundland Songwriter & Recording Artist
“… one of the rising stars in Canadian roots music”.
TheRecord.com
“Gunning’s musicality shone in the same way right from the first to the end of the show — always innovative guitar chording to accompany a voice that stood out like a finely-tuned old piano, perfect in pitch, delicate and weathered when called for, but strong and pure, refined in its years of melody flowing through it”.
The Guardian
“ While Nova Scotia based singer/songwriter Dave Gunning has been picking up great press in Canada for his consistently excellent writing and performing, this new album ‘House for Sale’ looks like it will bring him much wider recognition – it’s full of well crafted songs and has an effortless folk/country feel that will engage listeners the world over.
Like many Canadian singer/songwriters, his work is a mixture of various North American styles, the intelligent lyrics and stories of the East Coast, mix with memorable melodies and there’s a subtle Country twang evident in places, it’s a strong mix that makes the album immediately accessible without sounding derivative.
Most of the 11 songs are based around Gunning’s acoustic guitar, and there’s a tight and compact band that provide the backing which includes bass, percussion, mandolin, dobro and Hammond. Where the disc excels is in the quality of the writing – he paints pictures both with his lyrics and the arrangements, the title track is full of strong imagery that really adds to the feel of the song, ‘Hard Workin’ Hands’ has a genuine gritty and proud feel that shines through, and ‘These Roads’ is a classic singer/songwriter ‘road song’ that explores the writers’ relationship with constant traveling.
‘House for Sale’ is a really strong contemporary singer/songwriter album full of well crafted songs and instant melodies, and is an album that with the right breaks, and word of mouth will gain much wider recognition. Highly recommended”.
Fish Records, UK
“The album’s lead single, Cowboy’s Dream (co-written by Dave Gunning with George Canyon) is simply an outstanding piece of songwriting. The song addresses the laments of a rodeo rider… and is reminiscent of Ian Tyson’s Someday Soon classic. Gunning’s delivery of the song is quite powerful, and country radio has given it some solid airplay”.
Country Music News
“This is a lovely CD, relaxed and laid-back, mostly folk in styling but sometimes with strong country overtones and the occasional touch of Celtic. There is enough up-tempo material to break it up nicely, particularly the spirited Colleen Malone”.
Cape Breton Post
“Gunning took the classic storyteller route, singing songs from his fifth album, House for Sale, that were freighted with the folklore of his native Nova Scotia. A gifted guitarist and a witty raconteur, he prompted much merriment as he spun the story of a young boy’s Christmas Day, blighted by the mysterious fact that Santa had drunk all his dad’s beer”.
The Times, UK
“House For Sale, continues to impress with its honesty and his gently enthralling no-nonsense tales of local legends and historical events as well as his directly-expressed relationship songs”.
Net Rhythms, UK
