David Nevue was relatively unknown when Dax Johnson brought me copies of a couple of his early CDs seven or eight years ago. My, how things have changed! Not only has his composing, recording, and performing career taken off, but he is a true innovator and one of the most respected people in the music industry - especially in the solo piano community. He bucked all of the industry trends and founded Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, an internet radio station, in August 2003. Expecting to work with a handful of artists, David emailed me and asked if I would tell the pianist/composers I was in contact with about Whisperings, and to ask the artists who were interested to submit their music to David for consideration for airplay. David had a jam-packed mailbox for months, and the station has grown from a half-dozen artists to almost 120! About a million listeners a month tune in now, and the numbers continue to grow. David has also written a book called How To Promote Your Music Successfully on the Internet, which many people consider to be a Bible for the industry. He revises the book several times a year, keeping the information up-to-date and correct. I don’t know when David ever finds the time to sleep!
David started sending me his sheet music to proofread several years ago, and students have benefited tremendously from my access to the music. I now teach David’s music more than that of any other composer. I’ve seen his pieces turn lackluster students into much more enthusiastic players, and his music is relatively easy and fun to play. David has done several concerts and student workshops here at my house, and was here last March with David Lanz and Scott D. Davis after their Whisperings concert in Vacaville. A great composer, musician, and friend, it will be lots of fun to have David and his family with us in April, and I’ll finally get a chance to meet his two kids!
KP: What’s your next album project?
DN: My next album is called “Adoration,” and I’ll be recording it the last week of March. I’m taking a full week in the studio, which is the most time I’ve ever taken on a project. I have a lot of songs to record, and some of them are more difficult and more complex arrangements, so I’m allowing more time. The album will be arrangements of some of the more traditional hymns that I have always loved. My dad was always very involved in the church, and when I was growing up, we'd go to tent revival meetings during the summertime. Some of these tunes remind me of those days - great hymns music you just don’t hear very often anymore. With this album, I want to capture the spirit of devotion and adoration, as well as a sense of heartfelt worship and appreciation for what God has done. It will be a lot like my Christmas album in that these are familiar songs with unique arrangements that keep them new and fresh. I don’t want it to be just another album of hymns played on the piano. A couple of the songs are simpler and more serene to bring the tempo down a little bit, but most of the music is pretty complex. I’m really anxious to get it released because people email me almost every day saying they can’t wait to buy it. I think it’s going to be one of my bestsellers. I’m already starting to list some songs I want to do for a second collection of hymns sometime in the future. They keep coming to me. I’ll sit down at the piano, and an old hymn that I haven’t thought about for a long time will pop into my head.
KP: What do you have lined up for your California tour?
DN: I’m doing three concerts in the San Francisco area and three concerts in the Los Angeles area. First is the house concert at your place, one at a church in San Mateo, and one at Beale Air Force Base, which is a private concert for the servicemen and women who are stationed there. In LA, I’m playing two house concerts and one public concert at a church. That will be the first time I’ve played in LA, so I’m really hoping we’ll have a great turnout. I’ve got a pretty good fan-base down there, and these will be my only concert appearances in Southern California for 2007. Hopefully I’ll get to play for a lot of people who have been fans for a long time but haven’t had the opportunity to see me play live.
KP: How has the success of Whisperings Solo Piano Radio impacted your own career?
DN: I think the main way is in touring. Before Whisperings, I really didn’t play anywhere other than locally. I didn’t realize the resources that I had at my disposal with my mailing list. The first time I did a Whisperings show in St. Louis, I emailed all my fans in the states surrounding Missouri saying, “I’m coming to your area. Do you want a concert?” I was amazed at the response, and have been able to book a lot of smaller concerts in that way. That was the beginning of my doing three or four tours a year. When I’m planning a Whisperings show somewhere, I’ll email my fans in the nearby states and let them know I’m looking for places to play - churches, house concerts, events, benefits, or whatever. I always get quite a few replies from fans who have pianos in their homes and friends they want to share my music with. That’s how I book my tours. The last major tour I did was in the midwest. It was a twelve-day tour, and I played ten gigs. They were mostly house concerts, which I love - they are amazing, fun things to do. It’s so intimate to play for 20-50 people and really connect with them. It’s an adventure, too, because every time you go into a new house, you don’t know what you’re walking into. You don’t know the quality of the piano until you get there, and you don’t know what the people are going to be like. Because of Whisperings, I get to see different parts of the country and do something I wasn’t doing before because I didn’t know that the opportunity existed. Having been promoting my music on the internet for thirteen years now, I have a very extensive mailing list.
