Relatively out of no place, Australian guitarist/vocalist/songwriter Dave Hole first burst onto the American music scene in 1992. Since that time, fans and critics have actually proclaimed Hole one of the most initial and exciting slide guitarists in the world. Hole’s fans desire more.
Dave Hole can now respond to that question with his new Alligator cd, The Live One. Recorded in front of wildly passionate audiences in Dave’s hometown of Perth, Australia in 2001 and in his spiritual house of Chicago, Illinois in 2002, The Live One records blistering live performances of tunes from throughout Dave’s career. Amongst the many highlights on the cd, Hole rips through variations of originals Jenny Lee, Short Fuse Blues, and Up All Night Thinking, slows things down on the tour-de-force critical Berwick Road, and turns in remarkable analyses of Bullfrog Blues and the Jimi Hendrix timeless Purple Haze.
Dave Hole
His love of blues started early. When he joined his very first band in Perth at age 16, Dave recalls “mystifying” people with music they ‘d never heard previously– the blues. Instead of sitting on the sidelines waiting for his finger to recover, Dave put the slide on his index finger and hung his hand over the guitar neck, creating a releasing pad for a sound and design all his own.
Starting in 1974 and throughout the 1980s, Hole was playing progressively around Perth and the country towns of western Australia, only twice venturing to major eastern cities like Sydney and Melbourne. In 1990, the blues magic struck once more for Hole when he self-financed and recorded his launching cd, Short Fuse Blues, mainly for sale to his fans at his live gigs. Acting on an impulse, he sent by mail a copy of his record to Guitar Player magazine. An April, 1991 review and a July, 1991 feature story released Hole into the blues stratosphere. “Magnificent slide work … ferocious, fire-breathing. What more could you ask?” declared the influential publication. A copy of the story and the cd landed on the desk of Alligator Records president Bruce Iglauer, who took an opportunity by releasing the album and making Dave Hole the label’s only abroad signing. “I was very hesitant to sign an artist based upon the other side of the world,” recalls Iglauer. “I usually such as to deal with artists who are regularly touring the U.S., but love of the music solveded my good company sense.”.
To support his growing success, Hole made his launching North American trip in 1993, playing practically 50 shows in 9 weeks in every major city in the United States. Night after night, shrieking crowds came out to cheer him on. His next 5 cds, 1993’s Working Overtime, 1994’s Steel On Steel, 1996’s Ticket To Chicago, 1999’s Under The Spell and 2001’s Outside Looking In, together with several American trips, made Hole an authentic slide guitar hero. Signboard exclaimed, “Slide guitar enthusiasts will have their brains blown out by this Australian fret-melter … incredibly inventive … prepare to hear your jaw hitting the floor.” DownBeat raved, “Harrowing slide-guitar solos and rampaging vocals … wickedly seductive, playfully innovative.” “Dizzying, supercharged,” screamed Living Blues, “A one way ticket to sonic happiness.”.
