MUSIC REVIEW- Noir night: Drifting and dreaming at Gravity

Published online 8:00am Thursday May 5th, 2005
and in print issue #0418 dated Thursday May 5th, 2005

Dave's True Story at Gravity Lounge Sunday, May 1
By DAMANI HARRISON
Wouldn't it be cool to have a place in town that was a bar, Internet café, music venue, bookstore, and library all rolled into one? You couldn't go wrong with that combination. A place like that would appeal to so many demographics: the cyber-geek, the alcoholic, the avid music watcher/listener, and a time-killing browser. Not to mention it would just be cool to walk into a place, check email, order a drink, pull up a seat next to a wall of books, and put your feet up for two hours listening to relaxing music.
Oh, wait. What am I thinking? One place in town has all those bases covered, and it's where I found myself last Sunday, kicking back with a book and a decaf in a quiet little nook listening to the epitome of chill– my first paragraph fantasy come to life.
The band performing was listed as a noir jazz ensemble. While I don't know exactly what that means, I can say that Dave's True Story definitely is a jazz ensemble. By the end of the night, I concluded that noir must be Latin for mellow. Who knows? Makes sense to me. Dave's True Story is a guitar, upright bass, and drums trio featuring a female vocalist, Kelly Flint.
After the first set I really wanted to purchase the band's CD, but I realized there was no way I could own their music without buying a parlor with a mini-bar. At least that's the visual when I put my head back and really absorbed the group's sound.
Dave's True Story is down-tempo lounge jazz with a lot of silk and sexiness. I imagined their songs as the soundtrack to one of those black and white detective movies with the first-person voice-over. You know– the kind where the dame with big breasts comes into the office with bigger problems. Eventually she suckers the sleuth...
David Cantor (the band's eponymous guitarist) writes one hell of a melody. His tone has no blemishes, and his technique is beyond solid. One can't imagine his songs could ever be harsh to the ear.
Flint perfectly intertwines with Dave's lazy fingers. Her vocals come across as quite inviting, and her subject matter ranges from the intellectual to the very sexual. Hard to dislike a woman like that.
Dave's True Story played beautifully for the "small but mighty" crowd in attendance. I think they enjoyed the Gravity Lounge as much as I did. And because Gravity has early shows, I was home in time for the 11 o'clock news.
What more could I ask for?
<img src="/images/issues/2005/0418/prowl-damani.jpg"> Dave's True Story<BR>PHOTO BY DAMANI HARRISON
#