Here are a few pictures I took the other day...



-D

This blew my freakin' mind. My new song Arboretum has been included in a French Podcast called "Bazoocast" (link to google translated page). He starts talking about me about 17 minutes into it. I don't speak any French, but he says my name a lot and after the song he summarizes my profile on 15 megs of fame, which is where he found me. I almost peed my pants when he mentioned I Need Sleep. If anybody speaks French, I'd like to know what he said about me. On the website, he says something about "the excited and youthful riffs of Dave Hoffman," which is flattering. I just still can't believe my song's been podcasted by some French guy.

I suddenly feel a little closer to Jerry Lewis.

-D

Update: Thanks to my lj friend foreverfinite's mom, here's a translation of the Dave Hoffman part of the podcast:

With his piece called Arboretum, we feel the origins of this guy who lived, who was born in Illinois, who then moved to Tennessee, he’s often in concert in Texas right now, I suggest you listen to this piece, called Arboretum, not to be confused with the piece by Prince of the same name.

[plays Arboretum]

Dave Hoffman, we recognize some Bob Dylan in the guy.
Dave Hoffman presents himself: I grew up in Illinois writing songs, working around computers. I was for a while in a group called I Need Sleep, but I left it all and left for Tennessee for awhile. I know how to play a few instruments, the electric guitar, the acoustic, the banjo, the drums and some other instruments.

But that's Dave Hoffman and his music that i like.

Awesome. I'm not sure where he got the Texas thing, I've never actually been to Texas, but I'm perfectly fine with some minor untruths being spread about me. I'm just glad somebody digs my song.

-D

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• Video: Wes Anderson American Express ad
  

I Need Sleep is playing at the Beat Kitchen on May 4th. It starts at 8pm, it's $8, and it's an 18+age show. I will be there dancing my ass off and taking pictures, I expect you all to do the same.

-D

I've been podcasted on the Stolen Mix Tape blog! I'm not sure why he picked that song, and the review seems a little half-assed... but whatever, free publicity. Rock.

Last night I played the open mic at the Fat Bean Coffee house. Sporting my old Wal-Mart uniform, I played three songs: Arboretum, In the Box, and a new one that I just finished writing and haven't come up with a title for yet. I started out a little shaky, but things got better as I went along. It was a much better performance than my last one (to be fair, the PA wasn't working right that night), and I think my Wal-Mart nametag helped people remember who I am and my website and everything.

Also, I heard about another open mic night at a different coffee house on Monday nights, so I think I'll be checking that out this week. Wish me luck!

-D

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I couldn't help it. I loved Grizzly Man. Kari's been raving about The White Diamond. And now, Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics makes this livejournal post all about this movie Fitzcarraldo. And also, there's this movie about Buddhists, and I'm totally fascinated by Buddhism. So I get it, fine. The universe clearly wants me to see every Werner Herzog movie ever. I couldn't help it. I had to sign up for netflix again.

Luckily, I start my sweet new bank job on monday, so the gravy train is on its way.

-D

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I just finished the first real design of Dave Makes Music dot com. I tried to keep it as clean and simple as humanly possible, but with a color scheme that gives it an edgy kind of craziness.

So this will be the essential layout of the site, and I'll add some more words and stuff to it later. I'm gonna put together a DMMdc mailing list, so if you want to be notified when I post new Mp3's and stuff, send an email to Dave at 2Nmusic dot com and I'll put you on the list.

-D

memo to myself: add mailing list sign-up and shows section to site...

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Today was my first/last day working at Target. I went to orientation because I wasn't sure about this other offer, but fortunately it came through and I don't have to work at Target. But let me tell you a little about what it was like.

Target's big slogan that they push on their employees is "Target: BEST COMPANY EVER." I'm not joking, they have logos with this saying printed on everything once you delve into the bowels of the store. They honestly believe this; there were huge chunks of the training video devoted to explaining why Target is the "Best Company Ever." Come on, you guys, you sell crap. You're retail. Maybe you could strive to be the best supermart for a while or something, but the best company? Ever??? How do you even compete? How do you compare Target to, say, Google?

Anyway, I'm glad I do not have to work there. Wal-Mart was way better, regardless of how soul-sucking it could be.

-D

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They Might Be Giants are playing a free show in Knoxville on May 11 with this guy named Michael Leviton who has a song called "Summer's the Worst" on his myspace account. I'm really digging it. Evidently he's on tour with TMBG and his performances are just him and a ukelele. That takes some balls.

His new album is called "My Favorite Place to Drown." I think I will have to buy it.

-D

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Yeah, that's pretty much how it goes.

-D

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I recorded another song yesterday, this one is a little more upbeat. In fact, I think I smell a hit single. It's called...

• Arboretum (Anthem of my 19th Year)

The drum beat is a sample from an old old old I Need Sleep demo. Just a little shout-out there.

-D

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So I'm starting up this new website for myself. It's DaveMakesMusic.com. I decided I needed a good site that has my name in the title but is still easy for people to understand and remember when I tell them about it. Right now I haven't done much with it, but I did throw a bunch of Mp3's up, some of which you probably haven't heard yet.

I know you haven't heard this one because I just finished recording it. I usually don't write songs like this, but I thought this was important. Here it is:

• In the Box

-D

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Excessive Force. Ben Shin and Erik Abderhalden's masterwork. Possibly the greatest (by far the most action-packed) student film ever made. Now released on the internet, it is unstoppable.

Be warned, this movie is Rated R for RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME. But also, there's a lot of swearing, so it's kinda not safe for work.

Enjoy.

-D

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This is a video of I Need Sleep playing on October 4th, 2003. Justin and Dan Huff couldn't make it to this show, so they brought me into the band. It was the first show I ever played.

-D

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