Lockdown doesn’t silence food-mad Dave
where my wife Margaret and I had a drink and virtual chat with folks – it keeps things interactive and fun. Plus, everyone who comes to live gigs knows Margaret, who’s usually selling merch, taking tickets, working with the sound engineer – or all of these things.”
For the upcoming concert, Dave will be sharing news from whisky company Smokehead including a fantastic prize giveaway. Smokehead has supported Arcari’s livestreams and USA tours for the last year or so and they enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship.
“I’d been working with Glengoyne – our local distillery – for a few years and enjoyed some great support including a special run of whisky to mark the launch of my live album.
“When National Reso-phonic Guitars announced the Dave Arcari signature model guitar, the Glengoyne folks suggested a partnership with sister company Smokehead might be a good way to progress things and I readily agreed.
“Smokehead’s branding, image and desire to do things differently and my own ethos complement each other perfectly.
“The guitar was launched in California during my summer USA tour last year and Smokehead – and the brand’s USA distributor – was hugely supportive supplying product for the duration of the tour and helping to promote the shows at national, regional and local levels.”
But livestreams are only part of Arcari’s survival plan.
Since lockdown in March, he has released two singles, an EP and is currently working on another new single and some instrumental music he hopes will get picked up for TV, film, advertising or even games.
His instrumental compositions have been widely used in TV programmes both in the UK and abroad including the BBC series Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs and Julia Bradbury’s Britain’s Best Walks.
He said “While I still sell CDS and vinyl via my online shop, live shows are where most physical music is bought – so physical music sales have taken a hit with lockdown.
“Streaming doesn’t generate a load of cash, so the royalties from performance and airplay of my music has been an important income stream. However, the performance royalties generated from live shows – particularly bigger festivals and venues – has dwindled too, so I’m looking to sync music – that is music ‘synchronised’ in TV, film, games and related use – and the royalties it can generate to help fill the void. It’s a longer game though.
“While the music itself is no longer a great income stream, regular releases keep existing fans engaged and help raise awareness of an artist and their music in the wider respect.”
Arcari hopes a local outdoor, socially-distanced event may be possible mid-september if lockdown guidelines permit. Meantime, Monday’s Smokehead Sessions livestream starts at 8pm at www.facebook. com/davearcarimusic.