Biography
“Marine” – an intriguing desciption of Dave Dersham's oeuvre, courtesy of New York- based, anti-folk / improv-slam artist James O’Brien. Collectively, the tunes are cautionary tales of submerging archipelagos, the unfolding eco-dystopia, and Samoan pigskin heroes. Dave spent his formative years in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, meandered west, and eventually returned, despite mediocre snowpack, relentless rain – interspersed with draught – and unsettling occasions of smoke-infused humidity, the newest of new normals.
Dave completed his first CD, The Burn of Summer (2003) in Somerville, MA, engineered by Jabe Beyer, Tim Kelly, and Tom Eaton (Willam Ackerman). The crew synthesized the threads with elan, earning substantial airtime on Folk Radio’s WUMB (UMASS/Boston), WERS (Emerson College), and as a new artist finalist for Mountain Stage, a live, nationally syndicated radio production.
Gilding the Lilies (2011) was recorded by the kaleidoscopically-stringed lloyd Thayer of Watertown, MA, and Jared Fiske: djembe, electric/acoustic guitar, bass, keyboard. Corporate excess, mass-transit, and regrettable camping choices were some of the themes. The sophomore collection was well-received and distributed internationally.
A sly humorist, cultural critic, and melancholy optimist, Dave's third album, Another Interregnum (2024), addressed temporary out-of-body homelessness, relief from a burning planet, and working class bravado. The work was engineered by Andrew Atkin (13 Queen Studios) and recorded, mastered, and co-produced by Mark Alan Miller of Sonlab / Side Track Studio (Jay Mascus, Dar Williams).
Dave's 4th CD, Farce, will emerge in 2027.