David is a solid 22 year young singer songwriter with a dynomite voice, good looks, and a performance that begs listening. His guitar and vocal interaction is something fresh and new, and nothing short of amazingly musical. After starting in coffee houses and small bars in Iowa, David has formed a great fan-base through his pop-rock approach. Influences range from The Beatles, James Taylor, John Mayer and Dave Matthews.

Proving they can HAACK it

Just one year ago, David Haack was a solo musician with a demo album trying to get his foot in the door. Not only did his foot get in, but the door was pushed wide open, allowing him and the rest of the David Haack Band to step comfortably inside. Friday night at the Q Bar, the group will celebrate the release of its first full-length album, Not So Far.
In December 2003, Haack returned to his home town of Ankeny, Iowa, to surround his acoustic guitar and lead vocals with electric guitarist Ryan Pearson, bass player Colin Peterson, and drummer Patrick Baker to form the group.
Not So Far was originally scheduled to be a six-song EP, but when the band began recording at Catamount Studios in Cedar Falls, it discovered that it had time to add songs and create a full album.
Haack said the members were well-prepared even though the members lived in different cities throughout the state and thus could only practice once a week. He thought the distance helped the productivity and settled any nerves during the long recording sessions.
Being ahead of schedule allowed the band to add the short instrumental opening track "Intro" and two solo songs from Haack, "My Friend" and "Back Again." Haack and Peterson agreed that "Intro" was one of their favorite tracks because it set a tone for the album by starting slowly and building toward the end, paralleling the way the band has come along in the past year.
The band pulls its influences from the Beatles, the Doors, Dave Matthews Band, and Radiohead. Its music can resemble John Mayer at first listen, yet the combination of other influences and the strong contributions from all the members sets it apart from such a categorization.
Haack said that although he enjoys the "radio songs" of the album, such as "Divided," "Not So Far," and "Someday," his favorite track is "One Chance" because it is an example of how his writing style has changed now that he writes for an entire band. In the solo version of "One Chance," he was quite rhythmically active on guitar, but now, the band members have integrated so well that Haack is able to back off.
Haack and Peterson said they were pleased with the way the album turned out. Haack added that the first time he and Pearson heard the album the whole way through, it brought tears to their eyes.
"The only down side of recording is that it's always going to be the same on the album," Peterson said. "The songs have already changed since we recorded. Recording is almost incomplete because it's just [a] couple of weekends, and every band I've ever been a fan of I've liked live more than I liked on CD because it always adds something different."
The David Haack Band has become a regular at many small venues throughout the state, and it is now working on playing outside the state. The Q Bar was selected as the location for the release show because of the respect the band has for the Iowa City music scene and the electricity the crowds bring.
Gaining a following has not been easy, the guys say, but through putting up fliers downtown for every show and getting to know the people who come to their shows, the group has used word of mouth to its advantage.
"I have a great time meeting anyone that comes to a show. It's so cool to meet people who want to come hear what you're doing," Haack said. "I want to keep building that friendship base, not a fan base."
Recognition is something that is finally becoming a reality. Haack said that other than being constantly confused with UI alumnus Ashton Kutcher, he was once told by a friend who lived in a dorm that on one of the doors in her hall, some women had taken the fliers from downtown and created a David Haack collage.
He said the name of the album, Not So Far, symbolizes that despite being excited about the album, the David Haack Band has not come very far yet and has only touched on the success it can have in the future.

Playing the almost-famous game..

Playing the almost-famous game in Iowa

Getting famous ain't easy; just ask the David Haack Band.
Named after and pioneered by the 21-year-old Haack, the band, made up of four Iowa natives, is in the slow process of trying to get noticed by major record labels and building a following.
"When I'm trying to promote myself, I don't tell people that I'm great, I just tell them to come see us because I think they'll like us and I know they'll have fun," Haack said. "Then hopefully, next time they'll bring more friends."
Last November, he signed a deal with Alternative Spin - a company out of California that helps musicians and bands get major-label record deals - in hopes of taking his demo album, Triple, to the next level. The deal required him to have a full band, so a month later, he and electric-guitarist Ryan Pearson completed the group by adding bass player Colin Peterson and drummer Patrick Baker.
"My writing has changed now that I have a band that I trust," Haack said. "The songs on the demo are really rhythmically involved on my part because I was so used to being a one-man band. Now, I can write things, and take the song in a certain direction, and then back off because we're able to react and relate to each other so well."
Despite his writing the lead sheet for all the songs, Haack said creating songs is very much a collaborative effort. With the members scattered throughout Iowa, they only get together to practice once a week, but gelling hasn't been a problem, as they continue to perfect and add to their 16 original songs.
"We do a lot of work on our own time," Peterson said. "David records the vocals and guitar by himself and gives us a CD. We then take it home and practice, and when we get [together] the next week, we run through it and usually by the end of practice we're either confident with it or we know it's going to need a lot more work."
Haack said he gets his inspiration from Paul Simon, the Beatles, and Keller Williams, but the most influential musician has been Dave Matthews. Although he and the rest of the band enjoy Matthews, they try to keep their distance from the Dave Matthews Band and its sound; even changing the band's name from David Haack to the David Haack Band caused some indecision.
"I've always wanted to call us David Haack & the Bass Stylings of Colin Peterson, but I guess that was too long," said the 22-year-old Peterson, who has known Haack since high school.
The band will play at the Q Bar on March 26. Haack and Peterson agreed that it was their favorite venue to play in the state.
"Iowa City has the best music scene in Iowa by far," Peterson said. "When you're in a college town, it seems like you've got a lot of students who want to find that local band that they can dig and hang out with - hopefully that can be us."
Katy VanDamme, a UI junior and bartender at the Q, said the band was really upbeat and drew a great crowd at its Feb. 7 show.

For more info on the band or upcoming shows visit http://www.david.haack.net.