Review- Dave Shoemaker: Hesitation Marks
Photo by Emily Wakin
Vulnerability is an attribute that few are comfortable with revealing. We’re taught from a young age not to cry, not to be scared, not to admit when we’re sad or depressed. We are expected to just pick ourselves up by the bootstraps and carry on like nothing happened. So, when you know you need to be vulnerable and when you want to be - but you are afraid it will push away those closest to you - it creates angst and internal struggles. Some compartmentalize those feelings, some push them down to let fester, and others act out. It could be anger, violence, substance abuse or even self-harm and suicide.
Dave Shoemaker finds his catharsis for vulnerability in writing songs, but particularly performing them. When I chatted with him about making the album, he talked about how he doesn’t really like the course of creating an album. He gets too anxious to really enjoy the process and wait for the release. He really just wants to perform his material live. And if you have never seen a Dave Shoemaker performance, you are missing out. I think “Showmaker” is a more fitting name. You really can’t even put a finger on the genre of music he creates. His influences range from metal to bluegrass. He told me that a co-worker asked him what kind of music he writes and he said, “it is a singer-songwriter style, but there is some screaming.” I really thought I was onto something when I suggested coining it “Doom Folk.” Turns out that genre or, rather, sub-genre already exists. So, I’m putting Dave into the Doom Folk category: despairing storytelling. Dave typically performs barefooted, solo acoustic, sometimes accompanied by cellist Seth Murphy, but always brimming with attention-grabbing visceral emotion.
The opening track, “Hell’s Half Empty,” takes you through a rollercoaster of energy and emotion. Dave and Seth recorded two live in-studio takes and landed on the second take to keep. Dave chose to keep it raw, vulnerable and honest – voice cracks and all. I thought humanizing the recording by keeping it flawed was appropriate to the message: everyone is responsible for themselves and their actions, but we are not perfect and we are not the judge. Religion and free will have long been a struggle for Shoemaker and “Hell’s Half Empty” is his way of reasoning with it. He prefers to subscribe to the notion that in all things, do right by others and put your best foot forward.
The album is based on personal experiences and introspection except for “Foreverything.” Instead, this track, released as a single in January 2021, pays homage to his grandparent’s relationship and their 62 years of marriage. It’s about seeing each other through everything life throws at them. They stand the test of time through fading minds and weakening bodies. Simply put, it’s a beautiful song about a beautiful love; one that we all aspire to find and cherish. The acoustic guitar and cello arrangement are subtle and tender which lends to the warmth of the song. The natural grit in Dave’s voice is still evident, yet tender and affectionate.
With a musically demonstrative composition, “Rock That Says My Name” opens with Dave’s acoustic guitar and progresses into a more orchestral-style arrangement with Seth layering his cello solos for the recording. It’s a contemplative ballad that searches for life’s meaning for us as individuals. We weather trials that break us down a little bit more while we continue to search for hope and make some sense of it all. You know you are figuratively walking a path that leads to your own death and death of your loved ones, so what’s it all for? The track is a grim look at how mental health can be consuming when you have questions without answers, when you question your own position and actions, or when you are harboring criticisms for your decisions.
“Enter through this mouth of madness / Without knowing why you’re needed here / And the risk of knowing one day / That you will lose what you hold dear / Shatter in silence are prayers / Fallen on death’s ears / Goddamn this way of living / And the rock that says my name”
Ella Webster joins the duo on fiddle adding a lovely dimension to the emotive song “Weathered Hands of Time.” Going through the generations of men in his family, Dave takes a figurative step back to reminisce on the evolution of a lifetime. Among the prayers of gratitude, there is a fading eagerness; strong hands become less capable and faraway thoughts and worry consume the mind. He thinks about the dreams and aspirations of his own son: Dave has become incredibly aware that his son is watching how he handles the challenges of life and how he will soon learn to navigate it himself despite the obstacles ahead.
Hesitation marks are superficial wounds created by a sharp or bladed object during a suicide attempt. They are usually efforts to build courage before delivering the fatal wound. Shoemaker confronts the struggles of mental health in the final track of the album. Dave chose to make “Hesitation Marks” the title track because it encompassed the theme of the entire album. He shared with me that because of the subject matter, it is a very challenging song for him to sing. And naturally, he is worried about how certain people will react to such a personal and sensitive topic. However bleak it may seem, there is hope and determination in the lyrics.
“Broken dreams / Shattered hopes / Almost lost it all / At the end of the rope / The heart beats with a heavy toll / Forever lost with the scars of my soul / And I don’t want to be in the story / Never look that far back / I just want to be on the road that I’m on / Just keep the train on the tracks”
Collecting his turn of phrases and melodies, Dave Shoemaker has encompassed a transparent, authentic, vulnerable album that showcases his lyricism. Hesitation Marks articulates the feelings that many people face daily or at least one time in their life. The honesty of the songwriting can be therapeutic not only to the writer, but also to the listener. It’s a gift to be able to verbalize experiences in such a way that they touch the listener and bring them peace, knowing that they are not alone and their emotions and reactions are valid. It’s with hope that those who need it seek proper comfort and support to pilot those troubled times.
Dave Shoemaker will be performing his album release show at Laurel Cove Music Festival in Pineville, KY this Friday, June 9th on the Creekside Stage at 9pm. Physical copies of Hesitation Marks will be available that day for purchase and the digital album will be available for download and streaming on Tuesday, June 13th.
Find out more about Dave Shoemaker at the links below:
