King of the wild frontier

King of the Wild Frontier U ■ had no intention of going out and playing like I have been," Dave I Hamilton says, kicking off our February interview. Born (in 1947) and I raised in Santa Rosa, his migrations have taken him as far as Windsor, I where he has resided for the past 26 years. Hamilton describes the genres he plays as "a little ragtime and finger-pickin' blues, folk, bluegrass, Americana, traditional country," adding "Country's not country anymore. To me it's plastic, not genuine, more pop-oriented." About half Hamilton's songs are originals. "I'm infatuated with songwriters. I love lyrics with wit and cleverness." A primary theme of his compositions is history, especially concerning the American westward movement. This interest stems from his time attaining a degree in History from Stockton's University of the Pacific. "I use what I learned there in writing songs," he says. Hamilton's first "gig," singing as an eight-year-old, occurred at what is currently the Rio Nido Lodge. The resort, at the time, included a dance hall, a bonfire, an ice cream parlor, a bowling alley, and a skating rink. He sang the song "Davey Crockett," while wearing a coonskin cap. Fpllowing that, he took a 23-year hiatus from public performance, while brushing up on his guitar playing. Hamilton's main influences, he says, are Bob Dylan, John Prine, and Jesse Winchester. In 1978, he began taking guitar lessons from John Brandeburg of the long-running local band, The Perfect Crime. Brandeburg insisted his students play publicly or stop taking lessons from him, leading to Hamilton's performing at an open mic at Santa Rosa's John Barleycorn's. "I was nervous, but people liked it," Hamilton says. He continued to return there while playing other clubs and writing new songs. This led to his first paying gig, also at John Barleycorn's. Among other venues back then, Hamilton recalls performing at Bodega's old schoolhouse, used in the film "The Birds." "I think I have something to give to people in my songs and how I present them," he says, while describing his relationship with an audience as "sort of symbiotic. I like connecting with people." The mid-'80s found Hamilton playing with a band called the Valley of the Moonshiners, before joining the Sonoma Mountain Band from 1993-2015. In 2009, he started his current band, playing solo, duo, or trio formats. Mostly he's on guitar, with occasional forays into banjo and ukulele. Hamilton has won awards from the West Coast Songwriters Association, including Best Song and Best Performance several times. He co-hosts their third- Wednesday events at Petaluma's Aqus Cafe. He's working on his third CD now, on which he plans to add female backup vocalists. As to future goals, Hamilton mentions having someone else record one of his tunes. Occidental's Barley & Hops, a self-described local hangout in the redwoods, housed in a converted Victorian, is a regular site to catch Hamilton. Live music prevails there several nights a week. If requested, Hamilton may play a verse of "Davey Crockett," but don't count on it. davehamiltonfolkamericana.com/music/for more shows. 68 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 4/17