I've written songs off and on for most of my life. Sometimes in fits and starts; sometimes in a wave of output. I've recently had a good run with some different ideas running around in my head. Technology makes it so much easier than my earliest efforts with a 4 track cassette recorder. Take a listen by clicking on the song titles~
This fascinating and updated perspective on the events of the American Revolution is decidedly NOT your father's American Revolution. Focusing on those forgotten people who never made it into most historical narratives -- the poor, the enslaved, the first Americans, the women -- this book is an indispensible contribution to the scholarly canon of American history.
None of the usual heroes of traditional histories comes off without the burnish thoroughly polished off. This tome will shake your sensibilities about the beginnings of the United States. Prepare yourself to be "woke!"
Award Winners
Audie Award Winner 2016
Newbery Honor 2016
Odyssey Honor 2016
This is a wonderful recording of a beautiful book. "Echo" transcends the audiobook genre to become a multimedia experience with music interwoven into the telling of four stories that come together in a magical way. I'm proud to have been a part of the creative team that put this together. Along with fellow narrators Mark Bramhall, MacLeod Andrews and Rebecca Soler, I took home my first Audie Award.Listen to an excerpt of Echo
Notable Recordings
This beautiful collection of stories about life in the ER will tug at your heart in unimaginable ways. I had to repeatedly stop and compose myself as the situations overwhelmed me time and again. I felt honored to bring these words to life. Here's what author Phil Green had to say about this Tantor recording:
David, I finally made it through your reading of Trauma Room Two. I could only listen to one story a day as many were loosely based off of real experiences I’ve had and to be honest didn’t exactly want to remember. But your readings were incredible. You nailed the cadence, the pacing, and most importantly the emotion of the stories, of the characters, and of the situations. You brought them to life in a way that gave me chills and to be honest left me almost overwhelmed with all the emotion of the original cases. So thank you. You are a true Artist with a capital A and I feel blessed that you and I together created something beautiful out of some really terrible situations. Best of luck, and thank you. -Phil Green
Read by David de Vries
Two of the more interesting narrations I've tackled of late have been Revolt of the Elites and Prescription for the Future. Christopher Lasch was a fascinating intellectual--initially trained in Critical Theory, his ideas evolved to a position that was neither right nor left. Although many of his theories are highly questionable, now that we are more than twenty years from this 1994 text, written shortly before his untimely death, Lasch finds many ugly truths in our society and provides fodder for deeper questioning about the future of democracy.
Ezekiel Emmanuel is one of the brightest minds in heathcare today - an MD and University of Pennsylvannia professor, and one of the principal architects of the Affordable Care Act, Emmanuel presents some fascinating new approaches to the healthcare crisis. This book gives one hope that the seemingly intractable rise in healthcare costs can, in fact, be ameliorated, while providing a higher standard of care.
Podcasts
New Business Mindset
A New Business Mindset -
Listen to my podcast conversation with Gareth J. Young on a variety of topics under the headline, "Healing the World Through Stories." Gareth and I got to know each other through another conversation at Theatrical Outfit after a performance of "Storefront Church." I've appeared on his show before and we enjoyed it so much, we decided to have another go.
