Cindy David – Free to be Me
Written by Gina Tutko
PA Music Scene
June 2011
Cindy David is inspired to perform music that is rooted from her desire to express not only herself, but to articulate for others. First becoming interested in music in the mid 70’s, she was in a club listening to a rock band. “ I remember thinking I had to be part of that scene somehow, someday. I thought the bass player was cute and I liked what he was doing,” said Cindy. So she bought a red Epiphone hollow body bass about three weeks later. Three months after that, she traded it for a Fender Jazz bass.
Lately, the music that Cindy performs is varied but she is primarily a vocalist. “I played mostly electric bass for years and hardly sang. Now I mostly sing and hardly play bass but that might change now that I have an upright bass. I’m working on my technique this summer and want to debut it soon. It’s quite different from electric.“
Cindy performs with various musicians. “When I am with Art Wachter, it’s a rootsy blues and folk vibe with his wonderful finger style guitar playing. It’s singer/songwriter material when I am with Michael Arthur, in the folk vein, which including his own prolific songwriting and lots of harmonies. Then when performing with Mark Ottenmiller, it’s jazzy and bluesy with some acoustic renditions of lighter rock tunes thrown in. Mark’s style is very technical and rich. I played the Tin Angel in Philadelphia with Jack Quigley years ago and would love to do that again, now that I am older and wiser, and sing better,” she says. “I play bars but I prefer events at wineries, coffee shops, restaurants or festivals. I will not play a smoking venue. It wrecks my voice.”
Her inspiration to perform music is firmly rooted in her desire of expression. With a smile Cindy says, “I have no musical roots! My parents listened to Jonathan Winters comedy albums while I was growing up. I really didn’t ‘play for pay’ until the late 1980’s and then I was playing bass with very little vocals. I then got into a folk/rock band in the early 1990’s called The Moonbillies and was offered a lot of vocals. I cut my teeth on harmonies in that band. I used to find it difficult being a female and wanting to play music ‘with the boys‘ when I was younger, I hung on their words, hoped they would find me worthy. Then, when I wasn‘t looking I realized I didn‘t care what they thought. It was sort of a punk attitude. I blocked them out, found my footing and then let them back in. By then I had changed and was more confident. I felt I deserved a place to do my music, no longer needing their approval.”
One of her favorite songs to perform is “Corrina Corrina”. “I do a couple different versions and I never get tired of it. I can try new things with it, get inside it.” She is a fan of Lyle Lovett, Sade, Emmylou Harris, Joni Mitchell, and Adele to name a few. Cindy says, “I‘d love to open for Lyle Lovett or do a duet with any of those fine artists. Adele has a stellar voice.”
Cindy thought lyrics came easy to her until she re-read some of them from years ago. “Out of a stack of notebooks, I now think there is only one viable song in there. I should get one of my music partners to help me put it to music. My biggest obstacle has been time. I don‘t have time to get as immersed in music as I would like. I work full-time and go to college part-time plus, I am married and have a home life!”
One of the most important lessons she has learned so far is to be prepared and don’t hold back, just go for it. She is feeling good about her music, loving and enjoying it explaining, “In the past 10 years, I have seen a slow return to people wanting to hear live music again. For a long time Djs and karaoke stole the scene. I’m so glad live performances are returning… there is nothing like it! “My dream for my music is very simple: To keep doing it till the day I die. I do not have aspirations of fame. My biggest aspiration is the love and support of my friends and my husband. With them there, I feel unencumbered and free to be me.”
Upcoming performances:
Friday, June 10, 2011, 6:00 PM
with Art Wachter
Brown’s Orchard and Farm Market
8892 Susquehanna Trail, Loganville, PA 17342
“Photography Show, Wine Tasting & Concert”
June 26th 2pm – 5pm with Michael Arthur
Moondancer Winery Wrightsville on the patio.
Saturday, July 16, 2011, 9:30 PM
with Art Wachter
Victor’s Italian Restaurant and Pub
554 S. Ogontz St., York, PA 17403
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