Families...
Sound Check
A local boy makes it big as the merchandising manager -of an
increasingly popular rock band, the Verve Pipe.
LYNNE MEREDITH COHN STAFF WRITER
■
helping families.
I
Yad Ezra provides kosher food packages to 1,000 families
every month. The families helped by Yad Ezra include:
■ the elderly ■ working poor ■ disabled ■ single parents
■ new Americais ■ those in emergency situations.
With your help, all families in our community can enjoy a
nutritious and satisfying meat
A weekday meal for 3 small families
$ 18.00
A Holiday meal for 4 small families
$ 36.00
A Shabbat meal for 5 small families
$ 50.00
A Holiday meal for 4 large families
$ 72.00
A year of Holiday meals for 1 family
$ 100.00
A year of Holiday meals for 2 families
$ 200.00
A year of Shabbat meals for 1 small family $ 500.00
Enclosed is my check in the amount of
as a tax deductable contribution to Yad Ezra
to help feed the Jewish hungry. Your contribution is eligible for
a 50% Michigan Tax Credit (subject to certain limitations).
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Mail to: 26641 Harding ■ Oak Park, MI 48237
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THE D ETR O
AEA & CO.
52
Beautiful Clothing, Shoes & Accessories
Matsuda • Industria • Lillith • Tambolini
Sara Sturgeon • Robert Clergerie • Johnny Farrah
Michael Dawkin
Downtown Ann Arbor • 323 Main St. • 313-655-7788
ti
W
hen I was young and has traveled across the conti- follow it" Dave advises others
knew everything ..."
nental United States and Europe who may aspire to seemingly
The lyrics from what as the band's merchandising non-traditional careers. "You've
is perhaps the Verve manager. Last year, the Verve got to be happy."
Pipe's best-known song, "The Pipe did more than 200 shows in
"It's almost impossible to get a
Freshman," say a lot about the 46 states and Canada, and two- job like I have — it's not a job you
band's merchandising manager. plus months in Europe. The sec- can give a resume for. It's defi-
Throwing caution to the wind, ond month in Europe, the band nitely a who-you-know thing,"
says Dave, who feels a "sense of
David Weingarden, a 24-year-old opened up for KISS.
West Bloomfield native, fulfilled
"Until the record came out [on accomplishment" at persevering
a lifelong dream — even though RCA's label], sometimes they in such a tough field.
When the Verve Pipe
doing so meant he had
called Dave, he had two
to leave school just two
classes to go before earn-
classes before gradua-
ing his diploma from
tion from Michigan
MSU. Without looking
State University.
back, he dropped his
But he doesn't regret
tc2 classes, sublet his apart-
it for a minute.
`1- ment and moved his stuff
Dave almost beams
home, ready for the road.
when talking about the
But he does plan to
career he stumbled
finish school. When the
upon. It all began when
band goes into the studio
a friend offered Dave a
to cut a new album,
job doing concert pro-
Dave will head back to
motion — everything
the classroom.
from ushering to secu-
The guys who corn-
rity to merchandise
prise the Verve Pipe —
sales. His first job was
brothers Brian and Brad
selling T-shirts at a Vi-
Vanderark (Brian is lead
olent Femmes concert
vocals and guitar, Brad
at MSU. Dave kept
is bass and vocals), A.J.
with the student-run
Dunning (guitar, vocals),
company, Pop Enter-
Donny Brown (drummer,
tainment, until his se-
vocals) and Doug Correl-
nior year, when he took
la (keyboard and percus-
over as co-director.
sion) — are "nice guys,
"There was always
real laid-back." Coming
music around the
from the Great Lakes
house," says Dave. "I al-
state has something to do
ways needed music to
with it, says Dave.
listen to, and would tell
"Michigan people are
my parents, Tve got to
the coolest people in the
do something in music
Nice Jewish by David Weingarden: The Verve Pipe's
world. Around the world,
to be happy."'
merchandising manager.
From Congregation
if you meet people from
Michigan, you know
Shaamy Zedek and West
Bloomfield High School to the were playing to 10 people," says they're good people."
Verve Pipe has three albums.
sound stages of the United States Dave. "Before we got the tour
bus, we were in a van and Ryder Villains is the latest, following two
and Europe.
Of course, a career in show truck. You just keep on going independent releases on their own
business can be precarious, at the back to places, gain a following." label, LMNO Pop —rye Suffered
least, and his parents tried to
And although he loves what he A Head Injury and Pop Smear.
steer him toward more stable does, Dave admits that the long
'Tye done quite a bit, seen a lot
professions. But the self-de- days are not always glamorous. — I don't know what I want to do
scribed "big Deadhead" and fan But sometimes they are.
[in the long-term], but I want to
ofjazz great Herbie Hancock says
Tooling around New York or stay with the Verve Pipe for a
he couldn't stay away from tunes. Los Angeles between gigs, for ex- while," says Dave, who admits to
Enter Verve Pipe, an East ample. "They're big cities, with being romantically unattached.
Lansing-based band which so much to do; [you could] see a
But romance may not be his
played little-known venues filled different band every night' says top priority. 'Tye learned so much
with faithful fans before signing Dave.
in the last year and a half," says
On a typical day, he wakes up Dave. Whatever the future holds,
with RCA in 1995.
The friend who brought Dave on the tour bus or in a strange ho- it had better be in the music in-
into the biz moved on to be a tour tel, helps lug the band's gear into dustry "because that's my first
coordinator for the Verve Pipe. a new venue, and starts setting love." ❑
They played an East Lansing up.. "Then I do my thing with the
The Verve Pipe will headline
show, and talking with band merchandise. I get in at 2 p.m.
a show April 22 at the Michi-
merni- -c afterwards, Dave of- and don't leave until 3 or 4 in the
- gan State Auditorium, with
fered h., services. A week and a morning."
Sponge and Tonic. Tickets are
half later, they took him up on
Still, "I love it." There's a cer-
available through Ticketrnas-
his offer.
tain satisfaction to following
ter.
Since December 1995, Dave through on your dreams. "Just
o
K