Dave, the “old school punk rocker” that he is, is making a point to get his music into the world physically (in addition to digitally). With the help of Philadelphia-based Phameless Records, Self Titled was converted to vinyl, along with three other punk records from Phameless. 

I do want to mention here that though Dave’s Bandcamp refers to him as a New Hampshire native and the label is in Philadelphia, he has lived in several places in New England, including all around Massachusetts. His live band also includes a member currently residing in Boston. Ideally, we like to keep our content Boston-specific, but Dave (and his new album) was too compelling not to interview. 

Also important to the project is the art, which extends to animated music videos, which are definitely worth checking out! You can find more information about the artist, Peregrine Starr, on their Instagram. Their animations accompany the tracks “Little Girl” and “Nights in Jail” – two of the strongest songs on the album. 

I’d like to thank Dave for taking the time to speak with me, and for waiting patiently for this interview to come out! My hour with him was a lot of fun. We spoke about everything from the project’s art, to the vinyl process, to his live band, and everything in between. 

Milo: One of the reasons I reached out was because this project seemed to have a concept – an art element to it that you don’t see too often with punk. Can you tell me about that?

Dave: Sure! The artist is actually up in Maine. Her name is Peri. She designed this whole world of me as a cartoon, [which includes the logo and the insert]. She’s done a couple music videos for the album, too. I have two songs that have animated videos – “Little Girl” and “Nights in Jail” that she computer animated and they’re wicked awesome.

M: That’s so cool! It has that punk rock style, but brought into the present.  

D: She really did a great job. I like her work a lot. 

M: That’s awesome! I wanted to make sure I mentioned the art, but I really have two big subjects I want to cover with you: your music and the vinyl pressing process. I thought the inclusion of vinyl was really interesting! 

D: All right! I personally don’t know a ton about the actual pressing procedure, but I do know that Phameless Records, who put it out, went through a place in the Czech Republic. 

M: Nice! I didn’t realize it was sent internationally – that’s really cool. I was looking at the Phameless website – it says it’s a random color vinyl. What does that mean?

D: Yes. So, I did a split with four bands – Friend, Seeing Snakes, and a band called Mad Splatter – from Philly. I think that, to save money, they don’t pick a color. They use all the runoff and the waste, and take that wax and put it toward our records because we don’t ask for specifics. We get what they give us, then they give us a deal. I actually thought the new ones were going to be blue, but then when I saw a picture of them done, they’re sort of greenish, but they’re cool. I love them. 

M: I really like that. In a way, it’s environmentally friendly. 

D: It is! It’s really cool that they do it. I mean, it has been a dream since I was ten to have a vinyl of my own. I’ve been on other people’s. I’ve played guitar, or done vocals or bass, but this is all me. I wrote all these songs, and I went into the studio. I pretty much played all the instruments, except for a few songs. It was a really cool process – a cool learning process. 

M: That’s a great segue into talking about the album, actually. It might seem a little lazy, but I’ve found it’s always best to hear about creative work from the horse’s mouth. Can you talk a little about the album, and yourself, as a musician? 

D: Sure. Well, I like a little bit of everything, really. I like oldies, rockabilly, surf mixed with punk, pop punk. I just write what I like, and it comes out with an edgy rock vibe, I guess. I don’t think I have a genre. I’d say every song is sort of different on this album. Some of it is kind of like the Cramps, some of it is sort of like the Ramones, and everything in between. 

M: Are those some of your biggest influences? 

D: Yeah. The Ramones, Nirvana, and the Beatles are huge. The Cramps, the Beach Boys – they were all huge influences on me when I was growing up. 

M: Can’t go wrong with those. 

D: Thanks! 

M: If you don’t mind me asking, how long did this album take to write? 

D: It’s sort of a lifelong collection. Some of these songs I started writing when I was 17 and I demoed a few, but I never really played them with bands. There are a few songs, like “I Would” and “Little Girl,” those ones are newer. I probably wrote “Little Girl” in 2021, but for “Nights in Jail,” I probably started that in 2012. “Drunk Tonight,” I think I started in ‘97. 

M: Wow. 

D: Yeah. It was just me as a kid walking around downtown Portsmouth, wanting to get drunk. When I needed a song [for this album], I was like woah, this is kind of catchy. I was listening to White Reaper, and they have a song called “Pages,” which I love. And I was like, this kind of sounds like that song that I wrote in the late 90s! It’s wicked relevant still, and so I decided to put it on the record. So I did. 

[Self-Titled] is a compilation. All those songs have been with me for a while. I haven’t written down any of the words to any of them – they’ve been in me for years and years. So when I got the opportunity to record the first two, which was “I Would” and “Little Girl,” I went in totally blind.

I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn’t really have a plan. I didn’t know I was going to make a record. I just wanted to take that opportunity. I actually brought my teenage daughter with me, and I played all the instruments on those songs, and she sang all the harmonies. It was awesome. People loved them. 

M: That’s amazing. 

D: It was huge. I actually played last weekend up in New Hampshire, and she was at the show, and she came up and sang “I Would.” I was just kind of trying not to cry, but it was awesome. 

M: It sounds like you’re a big family guy. 

D: I am. It’s good to share your hobbies and passions with your kids. 

M: Besides that experience with your daughter, were there any other tracks that were strange to record, or that stand out to you? 

D: Every session had a different feel to it. After the first two, I was like, what am I going to do? Am I going to just put these out online, or am I going to do a 45 – what am I going to do? Then I went in again and recorded “Night Crawler,” and I put that out on Laptop Punk Records, which is like a Bandcamp website. They do all digital stuff. 

I got some good responses back and they were like, this is so much different than “Little Girl.” This kind of sounds like the Reverend Horton Heat or Tiger Army – something like that. So that [studio session] was so different. Totally different. 

My buddy Terry, who plays the upright bass, came with me. I played the drums and guitar, and he played bass. Once he left, I did the rest of it, and then he wrote another bassline on that, which was very catchy and cool. 

We kept him on for the other seven songs on the album. So other than “I Would” and “Little Girl,” every other song has him on it. 

M: Does he gig with you? 

D: He did. It’s interesting because when I started this, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to play shows, and then I started getting offers for shows, and Terry agreed to do it. I also got my buddy Yuri, who helped with the whole production process. I got him to play second guitar, and my buddy Roger played the drums. 

That was the first lineup of the Dave Strong Band. They recorded with me for “It’s All Right,” and the “She’s the One” Ramones cover I did. We all did around four shows, maybe five. Then half of us caught COVID, and we got discouraged a bit. 

I did end up staying with Terry. He kept coming back to the studio with me, and so did Yuri. That was the band for a while. 

I did a tour that started in Connecticut and went to New Jersey with this band The Spatchoolas from Jersey. I had never met them before, but we talked on Instagram. That’s the power of the internet. It’s kind of crazy. But yeah, one of them hit me up and was like, so I have this weird thing. If you want to play, it can be a summer tour-type thing. 

I was like, hell yeah. But that was when we really didn’t have a full band. And they were like, don’t worry – we practice your songs all the time and we know them. I didn’t believe them, obviously, but we still booked a show in Connecticut and they showed up.

We had never practiced, we had never met, and we killed it. Like, the set was flawless. It is still, to date, one of the best shows I’ve ever played. 

I’m playing in Boston on the 24th with Johnny, actually. I didn’t have a bass player, and he’s actually coming from Jersey. 

M: That’s really nice. 

D: It’s crazy the connections you can make. People sometimes get sketchy about it, but if you stay positive, keep cool, good vibes, you attract cool, good people. 

M: I totally agree! I mean, we’re here! 

D: Right! 

M: Now that you’ve done so much work on this project, had a rotating cast of characters for the band, kind of flying by the seat of your pants, how do you feel now that it’s all out? 

D: It’s an awesome feeling. I did a lot of work to get here, so I’m relieved and happy about it. This is what I want to do. This kind of opened my eyes, because a lot of people are reaching out to me that I don’t know, and it’s great to share my music with people and have them relate to it. 

I feel like I was kind of meant to do this, and it was always the plan, but I had obstacles, lots of obstacles. I wasn’t treating myself right, I was partying wicked hard, so I always stood back and was the rhythm or something. Part of that was I wasn’t sure if I could ever be a front person, or if I could ever get this far, but I wanted to. I always really wanted to. It feels awesome to get that opportunity.

I straightened myself out. I achieved everything I wanted to do. That in itself is a success story, I’d say. 

M: That sounds like a huge success. That’s amazing. 

D: Thanks. 

M: Now what are you looking at on the horizon? 

D: I keep saying it’s the beginning. It’s the beginning because finally, every day is different, every day is a step closer to getting my goal. I’m thinking of starting some more shows, and I’m hoping to tour, do festivals in maybe 2024. And I’m looking to start playing full time, if that’s possible. We’ll see. 

I have a family that I have to support, but if there’s something out there and it comes to me, I’m definitely open to [it], and I’ll give it a shot. For sure. 

//

I wouldn’t be surprised if that opportunity came soon. Over the course of his musical life, Dave Strong has been writing this fun, punk-rock album. It manages to have some of the catchiest songs I’ve ever heard, and though some of the content can be dark, the album itself feels positive. It kind of has the same vibe Dave does: cool, chill, honest, and upbeat. 

On top of that, he plays with great musicians live, and is an all-around good guy. He has a lot going for him, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. 

Give Dave’s album, Self Titled, a listen, and while you’re at it, check out his music videos. Pick a vinyl copy – or even one on cassette through the digital label This is Just a Record Label – on Bandcamp or Phameless’ website. 

Most importantly, though – join me at The Midway Cafe on June 24th to see his band for an afternoon set (3 p.m. ET)!