••• INTRODUCTION •••
IMAGINE having real live music at your club or party, for less than the price of a DJ...
IMAGINE enjoying the songs you know and love, played just the way you remember them...
IMAGINE hearing full instrumentation in every song, and plenty of rich, full harmony...
Now, imagine all this live music performed by JUST ONE GUY!
That's right, The Quimbys is a live musical show performed entirely by one very talented musician, Dave Gash — a one-man band for the digital age! Click any link above to learn more, or...
Feel free to contact us any time for booking dates, more information, or if you just have questions or comments. You can always reach us at:
Toll-free nationwide: 888-722-0700
San Diego area: 760-295-6320
Email:Come on, forget DJs — anybody can spin a CD! Instead, experience the live music of The Quimbys. You won't believe your ears!
••• OK, BUT HOW? •••
You're probably wondering how just one musician produces the sound of a full band live on stage. Well, it's a combination of talent and technology.
- For starters, Dave plays electric guitar and electronic keyboard (sometimes in the same song!) and sings the lead vocals on each song.
- In addition, Dave's guitar is equipped with a special synthesizer that can duplicate the sound of virtually any instrument, including sax, harmonica, flute, fiddle, banjo, steel drums, even a complete brass or string section.
- Then, rhythm and fill instruments such as bass, drums, tambourine, and so on are played by a laptop computer (the original Quimby) on a sound module device that can also reproduce any instrument.
- Finally, Dave's original vocals are augmented in real time with two- and three-part harmonies and backups — in his own voice — provided by the latest in harmonizer technology and digital audio processing.
This ain't no karaoke setup, it's live music, Baby! Nothing is canned, nothing is dubbed, and nothing is "borrowed" from the original recordings. Every note, every word, every nuance of a song is played live at the very moment you hear it by Dave and his electronic band members. The combined effect is indistinguishable from a five- to seven-piece group — that's why we call The Quimbys "The one-man band that actually sounds like a band!"
••• THE BAND •••
Dave Gash, a lifelong musician and performer, recently moved to California from Texas, where he pleased audiences for over twenty years in groups like "45 RPM", "Ruby Tuesday", and "Third Wish". He is assisted on stage by three electronic band members, without whom the incredible sound of The Quimbys would not be possible. Let's meet the whole band!
Dave sang lead & backup vocals and played lead guitar in the late '70s for "The Boys Next Door", a traveling show band. The Boys played four shows a night, six nights a week, fifty weeks a year (go ahead, do the math!) all over the United States, opening for or performing with legends like Kenny Rogers, Asleep At The Wheel, and David Gates. A skilled instrumentalist and versatile vocalist, Dave's musical ability is complemented by a cheerful and witty stage presence that will engage and amuse you between songs. 
Quimby, the band's namesake, is a Toshiba laptop computer linked to a Sound Canvas synthesizer module. Using MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) software, the laptop part creates and sends signals that tell the synthesizer part what to play. In a way, Quimby acts as a sort of drum-machine-on-steroids for the band, playing rhythm and fill instruments in sync with Dave's vocals, guitar synthesizer, and keyboard. 
Rollo is an amazing Roland guitar synthesizer that is driven by a (duh) guitar, instead of a keyboard like most synthesizers. He can imitate virtually any instrument, so if a song needs anything from a sax riff to a fiddle line to an entire horn section, Dave just flips a switch on his Fender Strat and Rollo magically turns it into whatever instrument is required.
Keyth (get it?) is a Yamaha electronic keyboard that can also duplicate the sounds of many instruments, but really shines on acoustic grand, Rhodes piano, organ, and strings. For rock ballads, love songs, and any tune where guitar is not the main instrument, Keyth produces just the right sounds under the direction of Dave's nimble fingers.
Special thanks to "serious" musician, composer, and programmer Mark Walsen for providing us with a copy of his fabulous software product MIDINotate. If you deal with MIDI files in any way, you owe it to yourself to check out this program! Please visit Mark's business site, Notation Software, Inc.
••• GIGS •••
The Quimbys have performed locally for over four years. Venues have included San Diego's beautiful Paradise Point Resort, the famous Metaphor Cafe in Escondido, the exotic Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island, various North County nightclubs, numerous private parties for local organizations, and multiple shows at the San Diego County Fair — four years in a row!
Here's a list of currently scheduled gigs. Please check back often to see where we're playing next!
Date Location Time 2008 Fri. July 4 Jalapeño Grill & Cantina
503 W. Grand Avenue, Escondido
(760) 233-1104
Map (opens in new window)6:00p - 10:00p Fri. Aug. 22 La Costa Coffee Roasting Co.
6965 El Camino Real, Carlsbad
(760) 438-8160
Map (opens in new window)7:00p - 10:00p ...and beyond! Fri. June 8, 2012 Private Party
(Jeff's 60th Birthday!)
Bridgetown, Western Australia
Info (opens in new window)All bloody night!
••• PHOTOS •••
Here are some performance photos taken at San Diego's prestigious Paradise Point Resort, at Escondido's famous Metaphor Cafe, and at the San Diego County Fair.
Tip: Click on a photo to make it larger; click it a second time to make it small again.
Extra special thanks to my best buddy in the whole world Mike Skinner for his support in this venture and for the Paradise Point photos!
Great big gi-normous thanks to one of the best pro cameramen in the business Jerry Craft for providing the incredible Metaphor Cafe photos! Please visit Jerry's excellent site, Photography Rocks.
And double big thanks to my oldest friend and long-time bandmate Terry Jama for the San Diego Fair photos, and for the promotional video work! Terry offers professional audio and video services of all kinds; please contact him at theMTCgroup@comcast.net.
••• SONG LIST •••
Our repertoire spans four decades of popular music, and includes a hefty dose of classic rock, plus Motown hits, country favorites, golden oldies, dance tunes, love songs, and more. Below is a recent list; check out the broad musical variety offered up by The Quimbys. And if you don't see your favorite here, let us know; we're always adding new tunes. In fact, check the list for songs preceded by the ® symbol — that means we learned the song especially by request!
SONG • ARTIST Brown Eyed Girl • Van Morrison Daydream Believer • The Monkees ® My Maria • Brooks & Dunn Jet Airliner • Steve Miller Margaritaville • Jimmy Buffett My Girl • Smokey Robinson California Dreamin' • Mamas & Papas Peaceful Easy Feeling • The Eagles Hurt So Good • John Mellencamp Jump Jive & Wail • Brian Setzer ® Green Eyed Lady • Sugarloaf ® Norwegian Wood • The Beatles ® I'm Movin' On • Rascal Flatts Baby Come Back • Player Sister Golden Hair • America Long Train Runnin' • Doobie Brothers Take It Easy • The Eagles Travelin' Man • Rick Nelson Your Mama Don't Dance • Loggins & Messina Long Cool Woman • The Hollies China Grove • Doobie Brothers Vehicle • Ides of March ® You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling • Righteous Brothers Shambala • Three Dog Night Boot Scootin' Boogie • Brooks & Dunn Desperado • The Eagles Back in the USSR • The Beatles ® Crocodile Rock • Elton John My Life • Billy Joel ® Wonderful Tonight • Eric Clapton Takin' It to the Street • Doobie Brothers We Can Work It Out • Beatles ® Honky Tonk Women • Rolling Stones The Boys Are Back • Thin Lizzie Day Tripper • The Beatles ® I'm Still Standing • Elton John Memphis • Johnny Rivers Birthday • The Beatles Down On The Corner • Creedence Clearwater Revival Love Potion #9 • Tygers of Pan Tang Midnight Hour • Wilson Pickett Yesterday • The Beatles Pretty Woman • Roy Orbison Brandy • Looking Glass Ramblin' Man • Allman Brothers ® Shooting Star • Bad Company Lonesome Loser • Little River Band ® Cherry Cherry • Neil Diamond Walk of Life • Dire Straits ® You Really Got Me • The Kinks This Boy • The Beatles ® Baker Street • Gerry Rafferty Build Me Up Buttercup • The Foundations Amie • Pure Prairie League The Letter • Box Tops ® Come Monday • Jimmy Buffett Take the Money and Run • Steve Miller Runnin' On Empty • Jackson Browne We're An American Band • Grand Funk Railroad Signs • Five Man Electrical Band Heard It In A Love Song • Marshall Tucker Band ® You Made Me So Very Happy • Blood Sweat & Tears Love Her Madly • The Doors ® No Time • Guess Who He Ain't Heavy • The Hollies Last Train to Clarksville • The Monkees Hollywood Nights • Bob Seger Does Anybody Know What Time It Is? • Chicago Mama Told Me Not To Come • Three Dog Night Summer of '69 • Bryan Adams Heart of Rock and Roll • Huey Lewis Jumpin' Jack Flash • Rolling Stones Let It Ride • Bachman-Turner Overdrive Poor Side of Town • Johnny Rivers ® Baby I'm-A Want You • David Gates & Bread One Toke Over the Line • Brewer & Shipley Free Ride • Edgar Winter Group ® Little Sister • Elvis Presley World Without Love • Peter & Gordon
••• LISTEN •••
The Quimbys' first CD, "Set One", is finally complete and available for purchase! It contains fourteen classic tunes, plus a surprise bonus track, including selections from Neil Diamond, The Monkees, The Beatles, Steve Miller, Three Dog Night, and much more! Here's a free full-length track to whet your appetite: Norwegian Wood by The Beatles (mp3, 2mb)
The CD is burned on a unique retro-look disc that has the appearance of an old vinyl 45RPM record (very cool!), and is only ten bucks — no tax, no postage. To purchase, just click here to open a PayPal window and send $10 to dgash@hypertrain.com. It's fast, easy, and secure. And don't forget to include your name and address in the Note area so we know where to send your CD!
No PayPal account? No PayProblem! Just drop us an and we'll get in touch with you to work it out. There's more than one way to score a Quimby!
Or if you aren't ready to buy the CD just yet...
Here's your chance to hear the full-band sound of The Quimbys for yourself — right here, right now! . Below is a list of brief clips; they're real, live recordings, exactly as performed, with no overdubbing or studio sweetening. There's even a clip of Quimby by himself, so you can hear how the backup instruments sound without Dave. To listen, just click a title — the clip will automatically download and begin playing in your default multimedia application, such as Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, etc.
Jet Airliner • Steve Miller
Brown Eyed Girl • Van Morrison
Daydream Believer • The Monkees
Jump Jive & Wail (saxophone) • Brian Setzer
Boot Scootin' Boogie (fiddle) • Brooks & Dunn
Quimby alone (bass, drums, & tambourine)
Your Mama Don't Dance • Loggins & Messina
My Girl • Smokey Robinson
Hurt So Good • John Mellencamp
My Life • Billy Joel
Wonderful Tonight • Eric Clapton
Takin' It To The Street • Doobie Brothers
Special thanks to my dear friend and fellow Boy Next Door Rick Fox for his invaluable help in producing the sound clips! Please visit Rick's business site, FoxTrax Multimedia.
••• FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) •••
Many of the guests at our gigs want to know more about The Quimbys, and ask some very interesting questions. Here are a few of the most common questions we get, and of course the answers.
Q: What exactly is, er, I mean, are The Quimbys?
A: In a nutshell, The Quimbys is a high-tech one-man stage show consisting of a live musician (me, Dave Gash) on guitar, keyboard, and lead vocals, and a laptop computer playing bass, drums, and backup vocals. The combined effect sounds like a full band.Q: Where did you get the name?
A: I've always called my laptop "Quimby" — no special reason, I just think it's a funny name — and I wanted the act to have a plural-sounding name to support the full band image, so "The Quimbys" just seemed natural.Q: Are you just playing and singing along with CDs?
A: Arg! No, absolutely not! I never use CDs, samples, or any other pre-recorded material. Quimby the laptop actually plays the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) data and the digital audio waveforms in real time, so everything is truly live, every time it's played.Q: But it's still like karaoke, right?
A: Again, no, no, and oh hell no! Don't get me wrong; I don't have anything against karaoke — people love to sing, and karaoke gives them a chance to do that — but that doesn't make them musicians. A Quimbys performance is all real live music, played and sung by a real live musician.Q: What do you get when you play rap music backwards?
A: Um, rap music.Q: Where do your computerized backup tracks come from?
A: Some of the basic MIDI sequences are purchased, some are freebies, and some I build from scratch. But regardless of the original source, acquired sequences are just starting points; I always have to do a lot of reprogramming to get the song into shape for live performance. Drum kits have to be changed, bass lines rewritten, horn or string parts added, verses and choruses shuffled, intros and endings created, etc. Luckily, I'm also a computer geek, so it's kind of second nature for me.Q: So who's doing the backup singing?
A: Me, always. The backup vocals are all Dave, all the time. As I work on a MIDI sequence, I figure out what harmony parts are needed and lay down digital audio tracks as waveforms that are synchronized with the MIDI instruments. Then when Quimby the laptop plays back the completed project, and I sing the lead vocal and play the lead instruments, my "backup singers" are right there behind me, in perfect time with the rhythm section.Q: Okay, I get it, you're singing with yourself; but how do you know where the different harmony parts are supposed to go?
A: Well, you have to have an ear for it, but good teachers certainly help, and largely, I have the great '70s band Three Dog Night to thank for that. These guys were the masters of tight harmony, and I learned everything I know about three-part from them. Now, I can usually sing whatever harmonies are required without even using a reference lead; I just hear the lead vocal in my head and sing along with it.Q: Yeah, but wait, some of those parts are pretty high.
A: You ain't kiddin', Baby! If a song needs a vocal part I can't reach within my normal range, I sing it in falsetto. In fact, for high parts, falsetto usually produces a softer, more blendable sound than a forced natural-range voicing. So yup, all the backup parts, even the really high girly-sounding ones, are all my voice.Q: What do you call a musician without a girlfriend?
A: Homeless.Q: I often hear other instruments while you're playing guitar. Wazzup widdat?
A: My Fender Stratocaster guitar has a built-in synthesizer pickup hooked to a Roland Guitar Synthesizer. By setting a patch on the synth and flipping a switch on the Strat, I can get literally dozens of different instrument sounds from my guitar. Some of the instruments you might hear are: saxophone (Jump Jive & Wail, Your Mama Don't Dance), harmonica (Long Train Runnin'), sitar (Norwegian Wood), flute (California Dreamin', Heard It In A Love Song), steel drums (Margaritaville), country fiddle (Boot Scootin' Boogie), steel-string acoustic guitar (Cherry Cherry, Take the Money and Run), nylon-string acoustic guitar (Yesterday), Hammond organ (Green Eyed Lady), reed organ (Walk of Life), and pedal steel guitar (Peaceful Easy Feeling).Q: Have you done this for a long time?
A: The Quimbys have only been around a couple of years, but I've played professionally for over four decades, in more bands than I can count. I've also been a computer programmer for most of that time, so combining music and technology makes sense for me.Q: Isn't it a lot of work?
A: Oh yeah, tons, but it's a lot of fun too. It takes at least several hours to prepare one song for live performance, and that's if I have a basic sequence to start with. (If I have to start from scratch it can take days.) And that's not counting learning the lyrics and instrumental parts and rehearsing them with the completed sequence.Q: Then why not just form a band or join one?
A: For any musician, finding the right combination of other musicians — people who not only want to do the same kind of music as you, but people you actually like and can work with — is incredibly difficult. When I moved to California in 2003, I auditioned with existing bands, and jammed with players wanting to start new bands, but didn't find anyone I really clicked with. Maybe I'm just getting older and more set in my ways, but ultimately, I figured that if my "band" consisted of just me, I would only have to deal with my own personal schedule, musical preferences, and so on. I was also itching to get into the whole MIDI thing and this was a great way to do it. Thus, The Quimbys was born.Q: What do you call a hot chick who likes to follow musicians around?
A: A female vocalist.Q: How much do you charge to play?
A: Since I don't do this for a living, money isn't my main objective. I like to make $150-250 a night, but it's not a requirement. Although I do charge for private parties, I sometimes work clubs and cafes for tips only. In entertainment, exposure is golden, so I'm happy to play on the cheap just to get out there in front of people.Q: What kind of songs do you play?
A: As you can see from the Song List page, I play "classic rock" almost exclusively, but frankly, that's a pretty broad category these days. A single set might include songs from the '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s; for example, some of the artists I cover are the Beatles, the Eagles, Three Dog Night, Brian Setzer, Queen, Steve Miller, Elton John, Neil Diamond, the Righteous Brothers, Brooks & Dunn, the Monkees, Jimmy Buffett, CCR, and Dire Straits. Every set will contain fast songs, slow songs, a country or crossover song, songs with synthesizer sounds, and a mix of guitar and keyboard tunes.Q: What kind of crowd do you like to play for?
A: Given my repertoire, an age range of 35-55 works best. Although these days a surprising number of young people are at least somewhat familiar with older pop music, a crowd that's mostly made up of twentysomethings probably won't know much of my material. A "mature" crowd tends to better appreciate my song selections.Q: What's your best instrument, guitar or keyboard?
A: Definitely guitar. I play enough keyboard to do the job, but guitar is my primary instrument. For example, in a guitar song I'll do everything, rhythm and lead, plus switch over to synth for a specific instrument riff; but in a keyboard song, I'll often play the main piano or organ chords, and the occasional lead line, and have Quimby back me up with a string or horn section so I don't have to try to play everything at once.Q: What has twenty feet and three teeth?
A: Banjo class.Q: How many songs can you do?
A: The Quimbys' repertoire currently includes about eighty songs, which works out to five or six different sets. But that's more than it sounds like; for instance, I could easily play a Friday/Saturday combo and only repeat a few songs.Q: Do you take requests during a gig?
A: Sure, I'm glad to play requests if I can. As you might imagine, after playing for forty years, I know literally thousands of songs, but if I don't have a MIDI sequence already prepared for a song, we can't play it as a band. It's impossible to "give it a shot", or "just fake it"; Quimby and I either both know it or we don't.Q: What's the difference between a jazz pianist and an ambulance?
A: You have a pretty good idea of where the ambulance is going.Q: Will you learn a specific song if asked?
A: You bet! Take a look at the Song List page; you'll see many songs marked "by request" with a ®; those are songs people have specifically asked me to learn, and I'm usually happy to oblige.Q: How do I contact you?
A: You can reach The Quimbys at:
Toll-free nationwide: 888-722-0700
San Diego area: 760-295-6320
Email:
