About
Dave Smith's Acoustic Nostalgia is a singer for hire in Queenstown, SA.
Nostalgia is the whole point here. Solo voice and guitar, a repertoire from the 50s to now, weighted heavily towards the 60s and 70s, and pitched at a volume you can still talk over. Cat Stevens, Pink Floyd, Neil Diamond, Neil Young, Stealers Wheel, Smokie, Creedence, Eagles, Beatles, Bowie, Clapton, Dylan, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Simon and Garfunkel, The Seekers, plus a stack of Australian bush and patriotic songs if that suits the crowd. American Pie, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Amazing Grace, Blow Up The Pokies, And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda. Weddings through to wakes, corporate functions and private parties. The footprint is about 2m by 2m, roughly 30 minutes to set up, and the amp runs on batteries if the party is out bush, in a hay shed or on a boat. Over 100 guests or a big outdoor space, and you'll want to hire a PA. public liability.
Watch
The show
Hello Dolly one minute, Paint It Black the next, then Nothing Else Matters, then a song about a shed. That's the range, and it's deliberate. Dave works across the decades rather than picking one, so a room of mixed ages all hears something they know. The names that come up most often are the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond, John Farnham, Crowded House, Don McLean and Slim Dusty, with Coldplay and Green Day turning up for the younger end. It isn't a fixed programme. He reads what the crowd responds to and keeps going in that direction.
On the day
Give him roughly half an hour before you want music, and about twenty minutes afterwards to clear out. The footprint is small, near enough to 2m by 2m, which means a corner of a lounge room or a marquee works fine. The amplifier will run off batteries, so a paddock, a hay shed or a boat deck are all fair game with no power at all. If you're over 100 guests or spread across a big outdoor space, hiring a PA is the sensible move.
Performance options
Seniors' groups, retirement homes and charity events sit naturally with a set weighted towards the 60s and 70s, and Dave welcomes those bookings alongside private parties held in private venues. Say which kind of event it is when you ask, and where it's being held, and he'll take it from there.
Insurance and paperwork
Public liability insured
Song list
223 songs
(I Love You) More Than I Can Say
(I) Can't Help Falling In Love (With You)
(Sitting On) The Dock Of The Bay
The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy)
A Boy Named Sue
A Whiter Shade of Pale
A World Of Our Own
Ain't No Pleasing You
All I Have To Do Is Dream
All Of Me
All Out Of Love
Almost Like the Blues
Always On My Mind
Amazing Grace
American Pie
And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
Annie's Song
Bad Bad Leroy Brown
Bad Habits
Beautiful Sunday
Ben
Better Be Home Soon
Billy Don't Be A Hero
Black Is Black
