Austin's Dah-Veed coming south to Brown

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by Darren Glass

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Link was full of interesting features about all the food fights at different Texas universities and birth control on campus, but hidden within the trivial and juvenile articles was at least one piece of good advice: they gave the latest album by Dah-Veed, Culture Vulture , an overwhelmingly positive review.

Dah-Veed is the latest band headed by Austin resident David -- yes, his name is pronounced "dah-veed" -- Garza. He has been a mainstay of the Texas music scene since he was a freshman at the University of Texas, when his first band, Twang-Twang-Shock-a-Boom, showed up on the scene. Since then, he has written literally hundreds of songs ranging from rap ("Lockjaw") to tender ballads ("Sea of You") to Spanish guitar ("The Forget Song") to pure pop songs, and he has released a half dozen albums in various formats.

Only his two latest releases are available on CD, and they are the only ones you can find around Houston. Eyes Wide Open was released in 1992, and the album features a guest appearance by Reggie Rueffer of Fishbone. Culture Vulture was released in September of 1993 and is the very first album to feature the band's new name.

Both albums also feature vocals by Juliana Sheffield, who recently finished recording some backing vocal tracks for the upcoming CD by Rice's own Bee Stung Lips.

Dah-Veed has more in common with Bee Stung Lips than Sheffield. Both play fun pop tunes you can dance to, and both give incredible live shows.

Dah-Veed's live show is one of the best around, as band members Clay Pendergrass, Michael Hale, Jim Cocke and Garza himself expend enough energy to power a city and clearly have a great time doing it. Their show typically includes a few covers of bands ranging from Talking Heads to Blondie to Paul Simon, as well as songs from throughout his career.

Garza writes all the music himself, and his songwriting has continued to improve from his childhood, when he was heavily influenced by Mexican folk songs. Along the way he has added such wordy songwriters as Paul Simon and David Byrne to his list of influences.

Typical Garza lyrics include "Just because I feel raw, all you do is bake me / why is it you take me for your recipe?" and "a virile boy / says `Mom, will you marry me? / It's not what you think / It's not just an Oedipal fling.'"

In addition to playing Bacchanalia on March 26, Dah-Veed's future plans include continuing to tour the country. They just recently completed their first journeys into New Mexico and the Midwest, and this summer they hope to travel into New England. They have an evergrowing base of fans thanks to Crystal Clear Sound, who has been distributing Culture Vulture , and positive reviews in magazines and newspapers nationwide.

Also in the works is a live album, and they are featured on a compilation CD that will be given out at the SXSW music festival this weekend in Austin.

In the meantime, Dah-Veed plays about 15 shows each month around Texas, and Garza is constantly writing new material.

So check Dah-Veed out next week at Brown Bacchanalia. They will be coming back to Fitzgerald's in late April with Bee Stung Lips opening, and I recommend catching one of his shows now, as in five years tickets to his show may well go for $30.

This item appeared in the Arts & Entertainment section of the March 18, 1994 issue.

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