“Climate Songs (For Lovers) is the sophomore record from Vancouver songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Dave Cherub. Building on the momentum from his 70’s country-folk inspired self-titled debut from 2020, Climate Songs (For Lovers) further expands his tight, well-crafted songwriting into a blend of psychedelia, power-pop, and Americana.
Climate Songs (For Lovers) contains 14 songs held together by a thematic thread – the ever-present environmental anxiety felt by the young, and the absurd contradiction of living a normal life, choosing love, and finding your path in the face of an uncertain future. The album is sweet and sorrowful, but also fun and energetic, and finds its voice in that contrast. Dave Cherub’s arrangements, lyrics, and performances gel expertly into a cohesive experience in which (nearly) every part is played by a single musician.”
I am so glad to share another great artist coming from Canada, this time British Columbia. This album is blending genres as described above. You can find there folk, alt-country, classical songwriting, psychedelia, or Americana. Even though it is a blend of genres, it is working well together and I am really enjoying the overall atmosphere of the album. Somehow it was quite easy to listen to this album and I really enjoyed it. If you enjoy the album, you can grab it on CD directly from the artist.
I recommend you grab a beer or your favorite beverage, put on this album and just enjoy your Fall evening with some great music. You will not regret listening to this one.
I reached out to Dave and asked our 3 Qs:
What inspired you to start making music and what keeps you making music?
The truth is, I started making music as a teenager because I had cooler friends who were making music and I wanted to be into cool stuff too. Later, when I was playing in bands, the only scene we were connected to was booking bands who played original music, so we all tried our hand at writing, and I just fell in love with it. I had always struggled to express and communicate my innermost thoughts about myself and about the world, and through songwriting, I found a medium that helped me start doing that. Now, I really see myself as a songwriter first and foremost, and everything else I do on my records – playing the instruments, the vocals, the production – it’s all learned by necessity to put my songs together. At some point it became so natural that it became more compulsive than anything – I get uncomfortable when I don’t make music for too long. It’s part of my mental health, my therapy, and my identity.
What was the most challenging thing in your music (artistic) path?
I think a lot of artists start by emulating the people who inspire them, and it works for a little while, but ultimately trying too hard to make something specific that sounds like something else is an artistic dead end. It’ll never be as good as the original, and the only thing you really have to offer the world that no one else can is yourself. Recognizing that your heroes aren’t special, they’re just ordinary people who decided to stop emulating other people and find their truth is a huge hurdle, and it was hard for me. But that step, and paradoxically finding that the less I tried to create and instead allowed myself to create, were the big pieces I was missing to actually start making music that was worth anything.
What would you dream to do if anything was possible?
This might be boring, but the truth is, I think I’d do what I’m doing. I’ve got a little place by the lake with a wife and dog that I love, and I can make music there. I still work a 9-5 and I guess I’d rather not do that forever, but truthfully, whether I made music for 1 person or 100 million it wouldn’t change what I made or how I made it. Should I be dreaming bigger? I don’t know. I guess I like where I’m at.
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