dave matthews band essays

dave matthews band essays David John Matthews was born on January 9, 1967, in a suburb near Johannesburg, South Africa. When Dave was 2 years old, his family moved to the New York suburb of Yorktown Heights, where his father, a physicist, worked for IBM. Dave who usually loves a good laugh or joke, seems to grow quiet when speaking of his father. Matthews calls him, "one of the granddies of the superconductor," and describes a loving family that included Jane, an older sister, Anne, and a brother, Peter. The family was torn when his father, John, developed lung cancer. "We figure he might have got the disease from the radioactive material he handled," Matthews thought. His father died when Dave was 10. This was not the only tragedy for Dave's family. Before the release of Dave's 1994 album, Under The Table And Dreaming, Anne, Dave's older sister, was murdered by her husband. Even though Matthews has never spoken publicly about his sister, he dedicated Under The Table And Dreaming to Anne. He put on the cover of the CD a picture of him and his nephew. Dave and Jane are now raising Anne's children. Dave says that these specific tragedies in his life have shaped the songs that he has written. In 1987, Dave took a job as a bartender at a Charlottesville bar called Miller's. Millers was a hangout for local musicians who played gigs on a small stage at the front of the room. One of them was a local music teacher John D'Earth, who later put out a single record and now plays in Bruce Hornsby's band. Nobody in that bar really knew that Dave had a strong talent for music. Slowly and smoothly, he let his secret be known among his new friends at Miller's, "I sat in with Tim Reynolds a few times, and I played with John D'Earth. I started to open up." One day he let everyone know that he'd also been writing songs. "It's weird," he says. "After a trip to South Africa, I cut off all of my hair. Somehow that gave me the confid...

Entertainment Writing Jobs You May Not Have Considered †Part 1 of 2

Entertainment Writing Jobs You May Not Have Considered – Part 1 of 2 As a former literary manager, I represented film and television writers for the better part of eight years. Many of the talented but less experienced writers who hadn’t yet made a living at the craft were solely interested in creating original screenplays that would be shopped to production companies, studios and packaging agents. They never wished to consider the myriad other ways they could make money in the industry with far less competition, even if such work might lead to their ultimate goals. Here are a few such ideas for those writers seeking to take the road less traveled: Become a Writer’s Assistant Feature film and television writers have assistants that do everything from menial work like rolling calls and faxing to more creative pursuits like researching, writing synopses, doing coverage, and even giving development notes. The hours might be long and the grunt work tiresome, but it’s one of the best ways to see how scripts get produced. It also allows you to make connections with other professionals like agents and producers. In the case of television, you see how a writer’s room runs while taking notes for the staff writers. Moreover, TV shows often promote from within, giving promising assistants an episode to write after a season or two. To get such a job requires tenacity and fortitude, but high turnover rate among industry assistants means jobs are opening up all the time. Join online writers’ groups and attend events to network with other assistants, scour entertainment job aggregators like the UTA Joblist, and post your assistant profile on job sites like Media Match to try and get in the door. Voice-Over Copywriting You hear voice-over in movie trailers all the time. You know the guy who begins Write Educational Materials Those with a more extensive track record and knowledge of the entertainment world could use their talents to help others. Educational materials such as how-to books, film history guides, and resource manuals have become a more viable option with the rise of downloadable ebooks and self-publishing. Having some specific know-how in a given area, whether it’s fundraising, non-linear editing or Italian New Wave directors, makes you more appealing. Reach out directly to university film departments to gauge their interest in your material, even before you create it. If they’re not interested, they may be willing to offer suggestions on materials that would better fit their curriculum. Smaller colleges and certificate schools may be more accessible for those writers who don’t have a master’s degree and a lengthy resume. You can also contact organizations like US-based TES, Journeys in Film or British-based Film Education to see if they’re willing to let you create paid lesson plans or other original teaching materials for their programs. (Tune in next week for Part 2 of Entertainment Writing Jobs You May Not Have Considered)