Dave "the cat" Mann is a student of the old school of guitar. Dave's playing style combines the feel of many guitar greats, such as Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmore, and Carlos Santana, (...to name a few), with a very funkified rhythm style reminiscent of what good came from the late seventies."Besides Stevie Ray and, more recently, Trey Anastasio of Phish, I have this fascination with the '60's and '70's explosion of English guitarists. They, too, were students of the old blues masters, and they introduced me to the blues. That's where I found my fire. Blues is truly a feeling, more than a style of playing. I thank the Beatles, the Stones, Johnny Mayall, Clapton, Page, Gilmore, and many others for helping me early on to understand where the music inside comes from. I thank Phish for helping me understand how far I can take it. Now, I can only hope to help others understand as well."
Dave moved to Florida from Knoxville, Tennessee in 1983. In Tennessee, he developed a love for rockabilly music led by Brian Setzer and the Stray Cats.
"I'm a big Beatles fan, but the Stray Cats were actually the first influence to make me pick up the guitar. You see, my father died when I was 3, and he left me two things: an extensive album collection, dated through 1973, and a 1972 '55 re-issue Les Paul Custom "Black Beauty" guitar. Growing up, I really had no musical guidance, save blindly listening to different albums. As a child, I listened to who I'd heard of, Elvis and the Beatles, (my favorite album of all time being Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band). When I heard "Stray Cat Strut", though, something clicked and I picked up the Les Paul and learned to play. It's funny because I don't play at all like Brian Setzer."
Moving to a new state allowed Dave to make a change. He had played baseball all his life, but in Florida, baseball lost its zeal and he spent more time on the guitar.
"I've always suspected that my late father has something to do with the direction my life is heading. In life, his love for music led him to my mother. My mom was a singer in Vietnam, and she tried to steer me away from the rough, decadent life of music, but, somehow, I found my way there anyway."
Having played professionally in the Central Florida area since the age of 19, music has become his way of life. Playing in bands eventually led to a proficiency in running live sound and recording. At 24, he taught audio engineering at the Audio Recording Technology Institute (ARTI Studios).
At 30, Dave is happily married and finds endless inspiration in his loving wife, Mandy, his beautiful five year old daughter, Emily, and his amazing son, Davey.
"I'm rich with friends and family. I feel very lucky about that because they've all taught me a lot. I was once told that what really matter is not who is the better player on stage, but whether or not you are playing from your heart. If you try to play like somebody else, then you'll mess up. Everybody does their own thing. If you play what YOU feel, then you can never go wrong."
