Son Of Dave puts grumpy old men everywhere in the spotlight with End Of Days — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
A mellow charmer delivered at last call from the back room of a Bourbon Street speakeasy, End Of Days is the latest single from the Canadian-born, London-based bluesman’s just-released album Call Me A Cab. And it’s right in line with the album’s tone. With 11 golden songs penned on a $100 piano, Son Of Dave‘s ninth album release first appears as fun-loving, old-school, ‘New Orleans rhythm and blues’ turns out to be expertly crafted songs about doctors, death, refugees, gentrification, night-life depravity, hopelessness, and mean, mean women, of course. Put Call Me A Cab alongside classics from Randy Newman, Tom Waits and Dr. John — though fans who have been following the London-based Winnipeg-born artist for decades know he really stands alone, thanks to his combination of rollicking blues harmonica, tender crooning and gruff growling. And don’t forget the rhythm … It’s all about the rhythm.
Although work on Call Me A Cab was under way before 2019, the worldwide shut-in gave Son Of Dave (aka Benjamin Darvill) time off from touring to perfect the album. Recorded at home and in studio (Hoxa HQ, London) with expert musicians Jimmy Hogarth, ‘Budi’ Butenop, Martin Slattery and ‘KC’ Zenker, this is an organic record, cut how they made ’em back in 1974.
Speaking for himself, Son Of Dave has been making recordings since the early ’90s, while crossing five continents with his famous one-man show. He’s appeared mainstage at festivals like The Big Chill, Bestival, Glastonbury, and more, and also supported huge names like Iggy & The Stooges, UB40 and Supergrass, to name a few. With frequent radio play across England, France and Italy, his songs have also found their way into many soundtracks including Breaking Bad, True Blood, Preacher and Licence To Wed. Before all this, he was a member of the rather famous Crash Test Dummies for 10 years. Son Of Dave started out in the blues and biker bars in Canada, where he hopes one day to return.
Check out End of Days above, listen to Call Me A Cab below, and follow Son Of Dave on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
