Travis Dow: The Latest

I'll be performing at the Benefit Show Tuesday June 15th at the Old Church in downtown Portland.
Come support Nashville Flood Relief and see some great music!

I'll be attending Barbara Cloyd's Songwriting Workshop in Nashville in June. This is a rare and valuable opportunity to learn from great songwriters and play a few songs for prominent Nashville publishers. Al Carness will be accompanying me on the trip, and it should be a fantastic time!

I am playing an acoustic show Thursday night (tonight!) at Duff's Garage in Portland from 9-11pm.
I'll be joined by a few guests, including Al Carness on guitar.
Come by if you can!

“Today’s music sounds great technically: the drums sound wonderful, the guitar sounds so good, the voices are great. It’s sad, because it’s so good and so bad at the same time. It’s boring, and that’s the worst thing you can say about music.” – Bobby Bare

I don’t generally go in for generalizations like this, and of course this doesn’t cover everything you hear on the radio, but taken as a whole over the past several years, I think it’s accurate.
Now that’s just the Top 40 radio we’re talking about, not all of the great stuff happening on the sidelines. Still, why the sidelines? Why can’t the great songs be heard by everyone anymore? Would “He Stopped Loving Her Today” get any airplay in this kind of environment, or would it be “too slow”, “too sad”, or “too country” to appeal to the younger crowd?
I’m not a young songwriter rolling into Nashville wet behind the ears, but I’m also not an old timer. At 38, I guess I’m somewhere in the middle. I can appreciate the way that Garth and others brought country together with singer/songwriters like James Taylor and Billy Joel. I can also appreciate writers like Hank Cochran, Harlan Howard or Curly Putnam, who wrote what is perhaps the greatest love song of all time, “My Elusive Dreams”. Listen to it if you get a chance.
I’m by no means a country purist, telling everyone within earshot that this ain’t country and that ain’t country…unless of course it isn’t, and it’s trying to be. “Country”, to me, doesn’t have to have a twang, or a fiddle, or a steel guitar – it just has to be real. Country fans can spot a fake in the first 3 seconds. I think.
It doesn’t have to be about the farm or the ranch or the honky tonk or the hoedown, but if it is, it better be a song about something that people actually go through, and be sung by someone who sounds like they know what they’re talking about.
As songwriters, we’ve all written from points of view that are not our own, and subjects we haven’t lived. That’s part of the creative process, and part of our job is to interpret as well as to speak from our own point of view. But if we’re true to ourselves as writers, those songs aren’t finished unless we’ve got something of ourselves in them. All emotion is universal, but play that song you wrote about the soldiers to a soldier, or a soldier’s family, and then you’ll know whether it’s finished or not.
I don’t think country music has gone into the tank, or that it can’t be revived. If I did, I’d keep writing, but I wouldn’t have any aspirations of bringing my songs to Nashville. However, I still think there are people in town in positions of influence who cringe a little when they listen to the radio, and who live for those moments when they’re able to successfully merge art and commerce into something truly inspiring that they’re actually proud to sell.
I don’t pretend to have the songs that can do that, but that’s the goal, every day. I don’t relate to songwriters who don’t claim to care about success. A writer writes for an audience, and success means more of one. The money just means you can write and play music all day. That’s not success, but its part of where we all want to be. When I say I want to be successful songwriter, it means I want to communicate. Thanks for being on the other end.

Songwriters in the round concert at the Airplay Cafe in Portland. The location is 701 E. Burnside St at 7pm and there is just a $10 cover.
I will be up there on stage with Tim Buppert from Nashville, along with Dan Lowe, Portland Songwriter Association President, and Carrie Cunningham! We'll swap songs back and forth.
Tim Buppert is best known for writing the #1 song "She's Sure Taking It Well" by Kevin Sharp, as well as cuts by Trisha Yearwood, Yankee Grey and Continental Divide.

I've been getting a great education in the art of country songwriting by performing and writing for Portland's Concrete Cowboys. Even though I've been writing music that could easily be called country since I was 14 years old, lately I've had the ability to get instant feedback on the songs in packed clubs throughout Oregon and Washington. In addition, the feedback from the band members themselves in the first hurdle. If a song doesn't get past them, it doesn't necessarily mean the song doesn't work, but it probably means that it wouldn't work in a rowdy honkytonk. In that setting, the original songs have to stack up next to the covers we play every night. There can be no let-down in energy or quality. The idea is for the audience to not even know that what they're hearing isn't something new on the radio that they just haven't come across yet.
It's a lofty goal, and I have a lot to learn, but the classroom is a whole lot of fun.

Tonight at 7pm - Solo show opening for Christopher Williams at Mississippi Studios in Portland!
I will be joined by the stellar Katie Keller on fiddle. It's a short opening set, then off to Spirit Mountain Casino to play with the Concrete Cowboys at 9pm.
Hope to see you there!
Travis

http://www.myspace.com/travisdow
http://www.travisdow.com

I'll be opening for Christopher Williams at Mississippi Studios in Portland on January 25th.
This is about the coolest place on the West Coast, and it should be a great show all around, so come on out!

Travis Dow
Opening For Christopher Williams
Friday, Jan. 25th
Mississippi Studios
3939 N. Mississippi
Portland, OR
7pm (Early Show!)
$14

More info:
http://www.mississippistudios.com/

http://www.christopherw.com/

Seven months isn't really that long between updates, is it? Not if looked at in the broader spectrum of a lifetime, anyway. Many web design programs encourage people to update their pages quite often, as their fans are hungry for information. If that's the case, y'all must have wasted away to nothing by now.
Maybe I'm just lazy.
Either that, or nothing important has happened in the last seven months. Oh, wait, that's not so much true.
Yeah, I'm lazy.
In brief, I moved (to a different house in Portland), got married in Georgia, went to Chicago on a honeymoon, and have been playing and writing country music like a fiend, with the smokin' Concrete Cowboys.
So there you have it. Also working on the second Fate of Dreams album with Will Foreman, as well as a new solo album that's about half in the bag.
Hope this finds everyone well, and see you all soon!
Travis

How do?

My, it has been a while…but so many of you demanded that I write to let you know what was up, I just had to. Actually, just a few of you asked for that. Well, one of you. More to the point, several of you have demanded that I NOT write, but I’ve always been sort of a rebel, so here goes…

First off, I have an all-too-rare solo show coming up this Saturday (May 19th) at Hogfather’s in Newport, OR. This is basically right on the beach, so I can’t see any reason not to be ecstatic about it. On top of that, one of the sets I’ll be doing there will be with Chad Kessner (and hopefully Katie Keller on fiddle) of the Concrete Cowboys. More on them in a second. To see what Hogfather’s is all about, visit their website: http://www.hogfatherspeaks.com

The new country band, Concrete Cowboys, has been tearing up the place for about 2 months now. We took second place in the Ponderosa Battle of the Bands this month, winding our way through an original field of 30 bands. Not bad for our first few gigs. For some tunes and more info on Concrete Cowboys, go here: http://www.myspace.com/theconcretecowboys

Lastly, my last album, “Back To Nowhere” is being featured on Indie-Music.com this month. You can find the review here: http://indie-music.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5991
They seem to have dug it, which I dig.

That’s it for now, except to note that you can now purchase and download individual songs directly from my Myspace page. I have been quoted as saying, “What a breakthrough! How do they do it?!” (That was taken out of context however, and I am suing myself for 300 dollars).

Take care and see you all soon,

Travis

http://www.travisdow.com
http://www.myspace.com/travisdow

How do?

We have made it through January, and the sun is shining, so all is
well in the Northwest.

Lots of news to report:

-I am starting work on a new solo album that should be done later
this year.

-I am also starting work in February on The Fate of Dreams, Volume 2,
with Will Foreman.

-The new country band (which is still nameless), is rehearsing and
should have some Northwest shows in the near future. In the meantime,
singer Chad Kessner and I have done some recording in the new home
studio, which is much more spacious than the previous "corner of the
living room" studio I had. With his permission, I'll post a few of the
demos we've done both here and on the myspace page.

As always, you can download the latest albums from iTunes:

Back To Nowhere
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=206142746
Fate of Dreams, Vol. 1
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=205397180

Take care and talk to you all soon,
Travis

http://www.travisdow.com
http://www.myspace.com/travisdow

Sitting here on the couch with the flu, looking out at a very cold but nice day in Portland.
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Christmas will find us traversing the country, from San Diego to Georgia to Chicago.
Meanwhile, on Dec. 13th, I will be playing a show at the beach in Seaside, OR with Jeff Eaton. I will also be opening the show with an acoustic set.

Also, the new albums are now available on iTunes at the links below:

Back To Nowhere
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=206142746
Fate of Dreams
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=205397180

Take care and talk to you all soon,
Travis

Hey everyone,

So far, so dry.

I've spent the last few weeks getting settled and checking out the
town, and it's taking awhile, but I'm slowly starting to feel less
like an alien.
No local shows yet, but the big news is that both new albums are now
available at CDBaby.com.

The first is my new solo album, Back To Nowhere, and the second is a
collaboration I did with Will Foreman called The Fate of Dreams.

Both were recorded at my home studio in Chicago, with me playing God
and playing and singing everything myself (with the exception of some
excellent violin and viola provided by Nathan Swanson (Cameron
McGill).
Check them out below:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/travisdow3

and

http://cdbaby.com/cd/travisdow4

If you get more than one copy, you can save 10%. Holiday
presents...hint, hint....

Thanks as always for the support and well wishings. It means a lot to
me. Enjoy the new stuff!

Travis

http://www.travisdow.com
http://www.myspace.com/travisdow

The day has finally come to head West. It's been very hard having to say goodbye to everyone, and I appreciate all of the support and well-wishes.

Here is my new address in Portland:

1914 SE Hemlock Avenue
Portland, OR 97214

Phone number will stay the same for a while, and email is still the same. Please stay in touch! It can get lonely in the shadow of all of those volcanos.

Also, the new album, Back To Nowhere, will be available on CDBaby.com as soon as I get it to them, which will be in about two weeks. Sorry for the delay. You'll also be able to get a copy of the new project that I produced with Will Foreman, called The Fate of Dreams, Vol. 1. He wrote the lyrics, and I did the music. More info on that soon.

I'll be out of email range until sometime late next week, but will be in touch as soon as possible.

Take care and I'll talk to you all soon,
Travellin' Trav

http://www.travisdow.com
http://www.myspace.com/travisdow

How do?

Short note with some final Chicago show dates and Portland news.
We now have a sweeeeet apartment in Portland, and are looking forward
to the rain. The Penske truck will roll at the end of the month.
In the meantime, catch my final shows with KTB (until they fly me out
for Madison Square Garden) and a solo show at House of Blues this month:

Friday, 9/8 (tonight!)- Chicago -

Final club show, at Gunther Murphy's
10:30pm
http://www.gunthermurphys.com/

Saturday, 9/9 - Chicago -

Around The Coyote Street Festival
Club Lucky's outdoor stage (1824 W. Wabansia)
9:30pm
http://www.aroundthecoyote.org

Sunday, 9/10 - Chicago -

Park West Carnivale
On Halstead Between Fullerton and Lill
6pm
http://parkwestcommunity.com/carnivale_infopage2.htm

Monday, 9/18 - Chicago
House of Blues
Back Porch Stage
Songwriter's Sound Off - solo acoustic
9:30pm

Sunday, 9/24 - Chicago
ComedySportz Battleprov - improv comedy
The Spot (4437 N. Broadway)
7pm

My new solo album, Back To Nowhere, will be available in about two
weeks from CDBaby.com, or in about a week from my backpack. Let me know if
you'd like to get one. You can still get the older ones here:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/travisdow

Thanks,
Travis

And when you have time:
http://www.travisdow.com
http://www.katietodd.com
http://www.myspace.com/travisdow

I will be doing one last hurrah at House of Blues on September 18th for the Songwriter's Sound-Off Showcase. I know it's a Monday night, but you were going to watch football anyway. Well, at HOB, you can watch me and football at the same time.
It's sort of a going away party as well, so bring gifts.
Check the Calendar Page for details...

So, about three weeks ago, I, T. Dow (of Chicago, by way of Boston, San
Fran, and Nashville) was lucky enough to become engaged to Katie
Radebaugh (of Chicago, by way of Warner Robins and Athens, Georgia). This
took place at Uncommon Ground Coffeehouse, which is where we met
(approximately 4 years ago now).
The next big news is that we are both soon to be "of" Portland, Oregon,
as we'll be moving out there at the end of September, with the eventual
goal of opening a cafe/acoustic music venue. Ahhh, always a place to
play.
As for KTB, the band will surely continue in one form or another, after
a short break at the end of summer.
In the meantime, there are shows to play:

Sunday, August 6th
Lollapalooza
Chicago, IL
11am
With The Katie Todd Band

Tuesday, August 22nd
Navy Pier
Chicago, IL
7pm
With The Katie Todd Band

KTB on Tour With Margot & The Nuclear So and So's
8/23 - Chicago - Double Door
8/24 - Milwaukee - Mad Planet
8/25 - Madison - The Annex

Tuesday, August 29th
"Divorce Lemonade", the film will screen in Grant Park before "Ferris
Bueller's Day Off"
Chicago, IL
7:30pm

9/8 - Chicago - Gunther Murphy's
9/9 - Chicago - Around The Coyote Street Festival

Come and hang out sometime!

Only as strong as the weakest one:
http://www.travisdow.com
http://www.katietodd.com
http://www.myspace.com/travisdow

I'll have a new solo album coming out in September as well. See you
soon,
Travis

You can now find more of me in more places than ever before. No, I haven't become a gigolo. Yet.

I am on iTunes, though not searchable for some reason. You can find a few albums directly by following these links:
Travis Dow: Someone's Awake
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=128033429
Travis Dow Band: (self titled)
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=148269994

Also, a little film I'm in called "Divorce Lemonade", directed by Justin Hayward, won a Silver Award at the Chicago Film Festival and showcased at The Sundance Film Festival this year. More info can be found right here:
http://festival.sundance.org/2006/watch/film.aspx?which=390&category=F

How do?

Been awhile since I sent forth a "how do", so here it goes:

Now that the USA is out of the World Cup, I guess it's time to get back
to work. KTB will be busy this week, with a show in Columbus, OH Friday
and two Chicago shows on Saturday. More info below...
Battleprov is back in action Sunday night at Fizz in Chicago, so come
check out some live improv comedy.
I'll be returning to the Fowler Family Radio Hour at Second City on the
28th, playing a down-home country tune with some good folks.
Big things in the works for the band later in the summer, with shows at
Ravinia(7/26), Navy Pier(7/18), and Lollapalooza(8/6) in Grant Park...

Friday, June 23rd
Columbus, OH
Street Fair
w/Katie Todd Band
7pm

Saturday, June 24th
Chicago, IL
Phatfest
w/Katie Todd Band
4pm
&
Martyrs
w/Katie Todd Band
9pm

Sunday, June 25th
Chicago, IL
ComedySportz Battleprov
http://www.comedysportzchicago.com
7pm

Wednesday, June 28th
Chicago, IL
Fowler Family Radio Hour
http://www.myspace.com/fowlerfamilyradiohour
Second City, Donny's Skybox
8pm

Saturday, July 1st
Chicago, IL
Uncommon Ground Coffeehouse
w/Katie Todd Band
8pm

More links to more things:
http://www.travisdow.com
http://www.katietodd.com
http://www.myspace.com/travisdow

Hope to see you and yours,
Travis

-Only two more weeks of Saturday matinees for "Still Life With Iris", a very cool play that I'd recommend even if I wasn't in it, though not nearly as insistently.
Saturday 5/6 and 5/13 at 2pm
Vittum Theater, Chicago
More info here: http://www.vittumtheater.org/.

-Katie Todd Band at Double Door in Chicago! This Saturday, May 6th at 9pm. With VH1's Flickerstick.
More info at: http://www.katietodd.com

-I'll be performing one country song (and it better be a good one) at the Fowler Family Radio Hour this Sunday at 8pm. The show is on the Donny's Skybox stage at Second City Chicago.
More info: http://www.secondcity.com/?id=theatres/chicago/donny/schedule

-The Travis Dow Band album is now available at CDBaby.com! On it, you can hear air molecules vibrating in a potentially pleasing way, forming what reviewers have called "acoustic rock". Here is the link to get a copy: http://cdbaby.com/cd/travisdow2

Other shows coming up:

-Comedy Sportz Battleprov at Fizz in Chicago. Sunday, May 14th at 7pm. More info: http://www.comedysportzchicago.com/

-I’ll be at House of Blues Chicago performing in the Singer Spotlight on Monday, May 15th. Also, KTB will play the House of Blues main stage on June 3rd.