Dave Morehouse (ASCAP): Buy Dave's Albums

Dave Morehouse recorded Fistful -o- Fun as his first solo effort in 1990. He had been playing in electric bands for over 20 years and had grown weary of hauling equipment across state lines each weekend. Through this electric garage-band period he had also played fiddle and mandolin. By doing so he felt a strong need to play acoustic roots type music. Out of this need grew an analogue four track tape machine and the album "Fistful -o- Fun".

Morehouse dropped out of the garage-band scene to play mandolin and over the next five years several hundred copies of 'Fistful' were sold in cassette form across the bandstand and at festival 'pickin sessions'.

Recently, people have asked for the project to be converted over for the cd players in their new vehicles. Enough so that Morehouse took the tape into the studio (In the Chips Production) and cleaned it a bit without losing the old-timey feel for which the album was known. Now available in cd form this is the perfect addition to any old-time collection.

Ookpik Waltz and Big River Sandy Belle are two ¾ time instrumental tunes which show off the violin, banjo, and tin whistle. (Ookipk is Eskimo for waltz of the seals.) Upright bass and three part mandolins are featured in the up-tempo dance tunes Snow Deer, Golden Slippers, and Red Wing. Campbell's Farewell to Red Gap is a straight up fiddle tune and is an older version of Red Haired Boy. Jacob's Ladder and Hard Times showcase four part vocal harmony and are difficult arrangements to get out of your head. Most people end up singing along with them.

Jethro We Miss You and Mand-iddle-Lin are mandolin based instrumentals written by Morehouse in the late 30's light jazz style. Thursday's Sky, Recycle Song, and It Still Hurts are inspiring vocal folk tunes written by Morehouse. The Recycle Song is particularly catchy with a strong message and is sung regularly by elementary children in schools. Thursday's Sky has had the honor of being recorded by other musicians from the midwest.

All instruments and vocals on the album were arranged and performed by Dave Morehouse.

'Acoustic News!' is an album recorded in the studio by Dave Morehouse over a couple of years around 1990.

Acoustic folk music might best describe the 10 cut album. The entire disc is composed of songs in the modern folk tradition. The cast of characters are strictly traditional acoustic instruments. The ever present Martin guitar is the mainstay for accompaniment but is joined by banjo, mandolins, violin, wooden flutes, and upright bass. (The steam drill on John Henry actually was a hammer on a 140 pound anvil lugged into the studio especially for that effect!) All instruments and vocals are performed and recorded by Dave Morehouse.

The disc offers a mixed bag of tunes. Three traditional tunes are (Bury Me Not, John Henry, Wade in the Water) served up with unique arrangements which separate them from previous recordings the listener may have heard. Bury Me Not is typically a three chord cowboy song which is dramatically arranged in a Western Swing style. Very Blue Moon (Black) and River (Staines) are two songs which were very popular in the mid 80s and are frequently requested across the bandstand even to this day.

Five original tunes written by Morehouse round out the lineup. I Fell Hard, his personal favorite, was written for his wife while she was doing the laundry down in the basement. She came upstairs just as he finished the last verse and he was excited to play it for her. His new song was greeted with,"All you ever do is play that darn guitar!!!" Evidently, the laundry hadn't gone well on that day. Tom's Farewell was written when a best friend/musician moved away (The real Tom is living in California now.) and Maggie was written between sets at the Shawano, WI folk festival. All five songs were acid tested in front of countless live audiences before bringing them into the studio.

Maxine Morehouse was born Geneva Maxine Hill in September of 1927. It wasn’t long after that she started playing the piano for the church choir. (Her parents were missionaries in the Church of God.) She has played in the church ever since and continues to play for the choir at age 78.

For the last decade the idea has been in the back of our heads to record an album of the great old hymns that I heard my mother playing as I was growing up. During the Christmas of 2004 we finally got the opportunity. My mother recorded 25 of our favorite hymns in two afternoons pounding them out on the piano the same way I remembered from my youth. It wasn’t until August of 2005 that the vocal tracks were recorded. All of the vocals and harmonies were sung by me (Dave Morehouse). Looking at the playlist will give you an idea of our favorites. The hardest part of the entire process was trying to narrow the list down to 25! We kept 15 for the album and the other 10 we will give to our grandchildren.

Old time piano and tight harmonies with a powerful melody typifies the songs on this album. These are wonderful old hymns with a strong, old-time faith message. They are played up-tempo enough to make you tap your feet and want to sing. It would deeply please us to think that you are doing so. The album has been dedicated to her father (my grandfather), Reverend Max V. Hill. He still continues to guide and inspire us today 23 years after his entrance into Heaven. His favorite hymn may be heard on track 9, "Master the Tempest is Raging".

These are great old hymns that you can sing along in the car or at home. We hope that you enjoy them as much as we have. May God Bless you and keep you, Dave.

The album was recorded at In the Chips Production. In the Chips Production is a small recording studio with a clear mission to cater to the independent songwriter/musician who wishes to produce high quality demos or a full length album/cd. Located in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan, they specialize in unique, personal service for the first-time or aspiring singer/songwriter. They are located on the web at www.inthechipsproduction.com