Jersey Dave — 5 October 2022 on Rocket Shop Radio Hour

Jersey Dave joined host Tom Proctor on ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9 FM The Radiator. Catch up at instagram.com/jerseyxdave

On Wednesday, October 5th, host Tom Proctor was joined by a delightful duo of Daves: indie singer/songwriter Jersey Dave, and his friend Dave Green. Weidling their guitars, the two performed a stripped-back acoustic set of Jersey Dave’s brooding indie rock songs. 

Jersey Dave’s origins, as the name suggests, are in New Jersey, and he traces much of his involvement in music back to the punk scene that he discovered there during high school, surrounding places like the Meat Locker, a DIY music venue and underground haunt for New Jersey punks. “Every night, for ten dollars, you get to see all these people my age perform and express themselves, and really have a fun time… As soon as I went down there, the first thing I thought was ‘oh, I look so stupid,’ but the second thing was, ‘this is so cool, I need to do this…’ the Meat Locker was a big inspiration.” 

Dave’s musical impetus also came from the realization, at a young age, that music could be an enjoyable and fulfilling outlet for his feelings: “This is a good way to express emotion, I think. Better than throwing shoes at walls, and all sorts of bad habits…” As such, he is a songwriter motivated by his feelings, and his music is lush with emotional resonance and sincerity. In fact, his very first performance, which happened at the Meat Locker, was catalyzed by a spurned high school romance, and the desire to “do something fun” and re-work his feelings into an uplifting experience. 

The first song Jersey Dave played for the rocket shop, “The Basement Song” was his earliest original, written during this time in Dave’s life and musical career, colored by both the joy of playing music and expressing oneself, and the angst and confusion of adolescent loneliness. The song’s raw vocal delivery and stirring chords complement self-consciously melancholic lyrics and evoke the world of the song’s titular setting.

Many of the songs Dave brought to the Rocket shop were more quiet, contemplative, and “spooky,” such as “Train to Busan,” a dark indie-rock ballad inspired by the Yeon Sang-ho zombie movie of the same name. The song is a jazzy, emotive reaction to the film, and conjures a dark and hazy soundscape, punctured by Dave Green’s descending lead guitar lines. 

Both of these songs were featured on Jersey Dave’s 2020 EP, “With Love.” The project was partially recorded in Dave’s college dorm room, and completed at his parent’s house, when students were sent home at the onset of the COVID pandemic. A major influence on this project was the DIY production of Elliot Smith: “I slowly got obsessed with Elliot Smith and the fact that, especially on ‘Roman Candle,’ he just did it by himself.” This influence shows in the final product: the home-recorded songs sound professional and artful while remaining deeply personal and authentic.
Recently, Jersey Dave has been hard at work whipping up a new EP, with the help of a friend and their home recording studio. While there is no set release date, the EP will be available soon on all streaming platforms alongside “With Love” and a collection of other singles. You can find Jersey Dave’s music on Spotify, Youtube, and other streaming platforms.

Text by Gideon Parker
Monochrome photo by James Lockridge