Dave Armo was born in Daly City, California. Songwriting for Dave has become an endless endeavor which continues to produce new sounds for an ever-expanding catalog that is seemingly marked by hope and redemption. Fans are known to bring homemade cookies to his live shows, which is something Armo does not understand, but greatly appreciates. In 2004, Armo released his debut album "Late Night Conversations." In 2005, Dave began diverting funds from his graduate student loans to record his second album, "A Leaf In The Breezeway," which was released in December, 2007. A tour in support of the new album has placed Dave in venues across the country.

"This is only the beginning of what we'll be hearing from Dave...and lucky for us." - Deli Magazine

"Our generation's Neil Young."
- Jeff Rolka, San Francisco Producer

Reviews of New Album "Poets On T

"(A) literary type singer/songwriter, Armo isn't aiming for the masses so much as aiming for the heart...Armo is a reservoir of thoughts and feelings that many often look to others to articulate."--Midwest Record

"...very very good discovery ... good songs , super sound, voice and melodies , the musical arrangements are really superb...the californian school in a way ...his music is just beautiful."--Mike Penard, ISA Radio

"Inspired by literature, his lyrics are like novels put to music. He produces such melodic and full songs and sings them with grace, compassion and humor when appropriate...A good example of Independent songwriting"--Keys and Chords

Andrew Griffin Commentary

06.10.04
Review by Andrew Griffin
"A great image-oriented lyricist and melodic tunesmith! Dave Armo's music has a refreshingly positive vibe to it---and we need it now more than ever."

Jeff Rolka Commentary

06.16.04
Review by Jeff Rolka

Dave Armo, the man, the myth, the legend. As I consider my thoughts on Dave Armo, a client and fast friend now, I cannot help but look to the different aspects of my relationship with him to detail the person I've come to know and respect.

In the studio, Dave is willing to do what it takes to serve the song, and create an amazing album. Engineering and helping produce his debut effort "Late Night Conversations" has been the most gratifying project I have done to date. Dave's willingness to pursue perfection led us down paths we had not considered, and allowed me to produce sounds and textures that were the reason digital studios were made. In an environment where the ticking of the clock equates to the ever lessening jangle of change in one's pocketbook, Dave insisted we get the best sounds, the best performances, and best work humanly possible. Sometimes it went quickly, sometimes not, but the goal was always great music.

Songwriting with Dave is at times like having a glimpse into the minds of our great guitar swinging storytellers. His wit and sometimes cynical views are all made understandable by lyrics woven together to take the listener on a journey of life, love, and sadly, love lost. Never getting too down or self-indulgent though, Dave has a way of penning a story that is uniquely his own, but easy for all of us to relate to. I feel confident in saying that Dave is our generation's Neil Young. Witty, colorful, and sometimes, deadly serious.

I look forward to years of knowing a new good friend, of collaborations and new music by someone whom I expect will leave his mark on the re-emerging art of the song. So long as there are stories to tell, Dave will write them, and if you're smart, you'll listen.

"Unencumbered"

Oh to be flying, on a plane, on a plane
No useful crying, I can't explain, I can't explain
And my eloquence didn't make sense
These useless excuses

Feeling more, feeling more now
I want it in the worst way
Even more now

Without direction in my car
I've got my reasons to be driving far
We all return to where we were burned
Now I refuse to stay

Feeling more, feeling more now
I want it in the worst way
Even more now

"Wayside"

Out here, an open road, I'l go this one alone
To wait at all, is to wait too long
I won't ever again, not ever again
Got cables for my nerves,
Some broken, some wound too tight
To loosen them, to wind down right
Is to win freedom's fight, freedom's fight

I'll waste, I'll waste no time by waiting on the wayside
I'll waste, I'll waste no time by waiting on the wayside

I called you once, I called you twice,
I called too many times
You missed me once, you missed me twice
Then you said you wouldn't miss me again
Can you tell me when?

I'll waste, I'll waste no time by waiting on the wayside
I'll waste, I'll waste no time by waiting on the wayside

"To Have A Lover"

She stand in the hallway, waiting, wondering
Clouds in her eyes, wearing her disguise
Stumbling for the door, like she did before
And she's watching, she's watching
As the Sun is falling

She had a reason, she had a lover
Convinced herself to stay to make it all okay
Find yourself a reason to have a lover

He stands in the doorway, waiting, wondering
Shadows on his soul, thought he can't control
Fumbling for the key, the past is all he sees
And he's watching, he's watching
As the sky is falling

She had a reason, she had a lover
Looking for a way to make it all okay
Find yourself a reason to have a lover

You don't need a reason
You don't need a reason
You don't need a reason

"Drowning In Your Tears"

My friend keeps on asking me:
"How come love don't come for free?"
"Just a test," I say to him
"Get it right next time my friend
We're all drowning in your tears
We're all drowning in your tears
I can't shed none of mine
We're all drowning in your tears"

Love has come and gone away
Love has come and gone away
Now heartache is here to stay
Because love has gone away
We're all drowning in your tears
We're all drowning in your tears
I can't shed none of mine
We're all drowning in your tears

I need you today, I need you to stay
You can't leave me this way
Come on love come back around

Where's the one who's done me wrong?
Where's the one who's done me wrong?
Love was here, now it's gone
Love has come and done me wrong

I need you today, I need you to stay
You can't leave me this way
Come on love come back around
Come on love come back around
Come on love come back around

"Westbound On To San Francisco"

Met you on Potrero, South of Market, San Francisco
Leaning on the hood of an abandoned El Camino
Dizzy from the day before
Saw you had some rhythm and you know I've got some too
Opened up my case and strummed a tune for you
Songs are costumes I once wore
Wrote down all the words and you forgot the chords
When you sang along it sounded better than before
Never heard such a beautiful sound

We sang: "Hope, like the Pacific, is an ocean
With no memories in its waves:
Westbound to San Francisco
Now It's time I will leave it all behind
Never heard such a beautiful sound
As westbound

"Mercy Me"

She said "Rescue me, rescue me"
"Rescue me," did I hear you say?
We're inches away, we're worlds apart
I'd tamper with anything, but your heart
Colors changing from blue to gray
I'm reaching for the words to say
Mercy Me, Mercy Me
She don't move for me
No she don't, no she don't
She don't move for me
She said "Cover me, cover me"
"Cover me," did I hear you say?
Hit the lights, our hands will see
Lock the door, lose the key

"Roberta"

Don't close yoru eyes on our dream tonight
Too much of our souls hiding in here for so long
It's been so long, too long to hide
All I really know is this feels so right...so right
On a path that's so wide
The Sun is shining, but no guide
I lose, I find the dream in your eyes
Roberta...one more time
Feeding this frenzy with song
Is how we move on
All I really know is that day is a future away
Much to choose from these parts
I'll trade pride before my heart
Before my heart

"Lonely Tonight"

Thought I had you locked down
Mind and heart yet figured out
Wild imagination, all the parts I left out
Thought I had you pinned down
Thought you ran with the others
All I could not see far beyond all your covers
Far beyond all your covers
If you're feeling lonely tonight
I've got the songs to make it right
Come lose all your innocence with me again
Saw it on the surface
Read it on your face
Wrong everybody was to assume your place
Always the lonely best at their disguise
Masquerading feelings maybe born
Just a little too shy

"Proof"

Up from the dust
It fell from the moon
You know serendipity
Never comes soon
Over yoru shoulder
Under your skin
A light that is shining
Is blue from within
Well I saw you lose yourself
Wandering through our youth
When you said you would believe
Then came searching for proof
Did you write our names
In the notebook I found?
Did you burn yourself
When the flames hit the ground?
We might have lost ourselves
Wandering through our youth
Now I know it meant something
Here I offer you this proof

"Rome"

The train was late
So evil to make us wait
So humid when we rolled in
These sticky, sweaty bodies of sin
The priest has done wrong
Summoned to Rome by the Pope's phone call
I just need, I need to stay for one more day
'Cause I can pass, so easily thorugh these streets of Rome

Caesar's surprise
For the Republic, a friend's demise
Now the power is gone
The power is gone
Got ruins and history to carry on
I just need, I need to stay for one more day
The alabaster stone
These ancient ruins of old
We'll follow cobblestone straight through these streets of Rome
We'll follow cobblestone straight through the story of Rome

Album Description

"Late Night Conversations" is the end result of Dave Armo's nearly two year run in the studio. The project began with words and music Dave began writing in the late hours of the night. Seeking to further himself in his music career, Dave enlisted recording engineer and Bay Area singer/songwriter Jeff Rolka to record a three song demo. A short time later, Jeff introduced Dave to Andrew Griffin - a Bay Area musician and producer. Together Jeff and Andrew began working as a production team for Dave's music. Dave, who did not have a band, was soon fortunate enough to find that a studio band was already set in stone: Dave would play guitar, harmonica, and vocals with Jeff on bass and Andrew on drums. Tapping into Andrew's network of San Francisco musician friends, Dave would enlist Rich McCulley (guitar, mandolin), Gaby Alter (keyboards) and Jordan Feinstein (keyboards) to round out a full rock sound.

Armo, Griffin, and Rolka spent many long days and late nights deep in a creative environment, trying Armo's songs from different directions; experimenting with different treatments until the ultimate take was discovered for each individual song. While some songs took just days to record, others took months. "When one of us would think a tune was finished, another would think of something else to add, or something else that needed to be explored," says Armo. With a lot of patience, the seemingly never satisfied trio finally completed an album's length of material. "Recording this record would not have been possible without Jeff and Andrew," says Dave. "This long and uncertain process was definitely a test in which I could have easily lost my mind. Jeff and Andrew always kept me focused and always pushed me to write and perform better."

A record with both folk and sometimes country-feel rock songs, along with personal ballads "Late Night Conversations" is a collection of memories of a diverse group of Bay Area musicians and writers all performing together. Packed with instrumentation, rich with harmonies, and written from and for the heart, the album promises to add something different to your ears upon each listen.

Bio

Influenced by legendary and modern songwriters such as Neil Young and Mason Jennings, and bands such as the Mother Hips and Wilco, Dave Armo's music is organic and deeply personal. Dave's songs draw on both autobiographical and fictitious stories. "I base my songs on events of my life, on those of others, and generally things that I believe are important," says Dave. All in all whether he uses a creative story or autobiographical events, Armo's purpose in songwriting is to convey emotion. "The events are much less important themselves than the emotions, reactions, and perspectives that they breed," he says. Whatever the subject matter, the songs on his debut album "Late Night Conversations" are all linked by common themes: sorrow and loss overcome by hope and redemption.

Taking nearly two years to complete, "Late Night Conversations" would prove to be a test of Armo's love for writing and music. The album always seemed to be a newborn baby to Dave who constantly calculated how each life decision he made would effect the record. Without any outside interest and no support from a record label, Dave worked full-time as a paralegal in San Francisco to allow the album to be finished. Rather than wait to assemble a band and deal with all the complications that go along with such a process, Armo hired a studio band of some of the Bay Area's finest musicians. "I had to function as a songwriter, but also as an executive producer financing the whole project." It all made sense to Dave who recalls being outside running one day and seeing a bumper sticker that said: "Real musicians have day jobs."

Dave credits the completion and quality of the album to the collective group who got it done. Jeff Rolka, the engineer for "Late Night Conversations" worked in tandem with Andrew Griffin as a production team. Together, Jeff, Andrew, and Dave explored every intricacy of each of Dave's songs often times radically reworking treatments and nixing certain tunes for others. As tracking began Rolka played bass, Griffin played drums, and Dave played guitars and harmonicas. The group became increasingly experimental adding additional session musicians including Rich McCulley on guitar, Gaby Alter and Jordan Feinstein on keyboards, and Samantha Lee on vocals/harmonies. Rolka and Griffin's vocal harmonies enriched every tune on the album.

"I'm searching for the characters, events, and most of all human conditions that will set the next record in motion," says Dave. But don't think that's all necessary. Dave Armo claims that in the course of recording "Late Night Conversations" he has already written enough material for his next release.