Anthony da Costa – DREAM TOUR

In this Dream Tour segment, the singer-songwriter, Anthony da Costa, reveals who he would want on his ultimate tour lineup.

Anthony da Costa

In this Dream Tour segment, the singer-songwriter, Anthony da Costa, reveals who he would want on his ultimate tour lineup. You can check out their picks, after the break.

Okay, Digital Tour Bus…let’s be honest…at this point, a “dream tour” would be ANY TOUR AT ALL! Am I right!? Okay, okay…let me answer you for real. NOW, it would be very easy for me to pick some pretty insane names from music’s past to be my touring band…I mean, when you tell me “dead or alive” (besides thinking of Bon Jovi, who is very much alive, don’t worry), I start thinking of LEGENDS. Like, sure, it would be cool to jam with Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience on drums…or, you know, why not invite Jaco Pastorius to play bass while Judy Garland sings harmony? That all sounds so weird and fun (and impossible). But I DID want to think of folks that are currently still out there jamming (albeit from their homes at the moment)…People who have inspired me from afar or up close, who I think would have an incredible amount of vibe and soul to offer to my music. Am I naming these people in this here article so that maybe they’ll see it and feel invited and the urge to play music with me? I am in no way going to admit that one way or the other…alright?
OKAY, DRUMS. These are hugely important. I work with so many fantastic drummers all over the country. I have people in Nashville, New York, Austin, Los Angeles…all very unique and special in what they do. However, let’s step outside that box here and name one of my favorite drummers of all time whom I would absolutely love to collaborate with…It’s gotta be Brian Blade. From his vastly influential work with Daniel Lanois to his own Brian Blade Fellowship, the guy has to be one of the most fascinating rhythm makers I have ever seen. Of course, I have to mention his playing on the Lanois-produced Emmylou Harris dream record “Wrecking Ball,” as well as his playing with Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones. I am not a jazzer by any means, and you will notice that my picks might sort of lean that way…the thing is, I am a singer/songwriter who likes to explore larger spaces with electric guitar and melody. I love the idea of having Brian be the foundation of my songs, establishing a groove like no other. He plays between the spaces in the most intentional and delicate way. If you are not familiar, familiarize yourself!
ONTO THE BASS! The power trio is my favorite format in which to play my music. I have worked with many fantastic bassists in my day…but man, I would love to jam with Chris Wood. For those of you who don’t know, Chris is the bassist and harmony vocalist in the amazing Wood Brothers band, whom I’ve had the pleasure of sharing some stages within my day. He is also 1/3 of the seminal “avant-jazz-funk” trio Medeski Martin & Wood (also consisting of keyboardist John Medeski and drummer Billy Martin). Chris plays upright and electric bass…he can also DANCE. I’ve seen him play a bass solo while playing harmonica and dancing like his feet were on fire…I know that doesn’t SOUND elegant, but it definitely was. His picked tone on his Hofner bass is to die for, and he seems to be able to follow any form and play in all of the right places. I mean, at the end of the day, I write singer/songwriter pop/rock that occasionally finds its way into Americana and folk music (sorry, I’ll find a way to condense that in the final draft). But my music is often through-composed with lots of little chord changes, and, well, I feel like Chris could probably handle it (I am laughing out loud at myself right now). Plus, I’d love to be upstaged by his dancing.
FINALLY – I know I just said that I love the power trio format, but if I were to add one fringe/leftfield/special spice instrument to this mix…I would love to play with Adam MacDougall. Adam is a keyboardist who played in the Black Crowes and the Ben Taylor Band. It says on his Wikipedia page that he toured with Macy Gray, which I think is just great…but I am most familiar with him as a member of Circles Around The Sun, an instrumental group led by the late, great Neal Casal. I watched Adam jam at the tribute show to Neal and was just overwhelmingly pleased by his synthesizer grooves. I feel like he could float above my songs in a way that could only enhance, and I dream of noise solo tradeoffs with him. I think I have some friends that play with him. I’ll ask around, in the new world.
Okay, if you’ve made it this far, you’re probably thinking “this is nerdy.” But also, you’re on a website called Digital Tour Bus…so you know, I feel like you’re already there, too. Love, ADC

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