Today we’d like to introduce you to David Segall.
Hi David, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Raised on roots-rock and soul, I began my music career in Santa Barbara at the age of 17. The musical journey has since taken me throughout the U.S., Europe, and Costa Rica.
I collaborated with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jesse Siebenberg (Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Supertramp) on my most recent album. Since then, I’ve had the honor of playing alongside musical legends like Kenny Loggins, Michael MacDonald and Zach Gill.
I have a four-piece backing band and we play regularly at festivals and special events throughout California. Some of the highlights have been playing for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Summer Solstice Festival, and the original Earth Day Festival.
Inspired by the upbeat music of folks like Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Jason Mraz and Bob Marley, I like to write soulful songs with world grooves that get people up on their feet and dancing. My lyrics emerge from life experiences as a Yogi, surfer, sailor, and devotee of Nature. It’s universal love, self-empowerment and embodying the change we wish to see that lights my creative fire.
I’ve had the honor of performing a lot of music in the nonprofit world, and have been invited to perform at galas for Habitat for Humanity, Santa Barbara Channel Keeper, Youth Interactive, Boys & Girls Club’s “Rally 4 Kids,” and the Surf Happens Foundation to name a few.
I’m currently in the studio working on a string of new singles, which will be compiled into my third album. I’m also gearing up for a tour of all the California harbor communities, which I plan to undertake via my 30’ sailboat.
About a year and a half ago, I launched a music & sailing video/podcast series called Sail and a Song, where a sailing crew and I take singer-songwriters out on the water to share some of their songs and stories. Zach Gill (Jack Johnson’s band & ALO) and Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket) were my first two guests, and I just had the honor of filming an episode with Kenny Loggins, just as he’s beginning the final tour of his 50+ year career.
Born in Chico CA, I grew up in a musical family that moved to Jackson Mississippi when I was just two years old. It was there that I was introduced to Soul, gospel and the delta blues. My family returned to the Central Coast of California five years later, where I continued to study music and began writing songs at the age of 13. In high school, my family moved to Santa Barbara, where I started performing publicly at the iconic Roy’s restaurant lounge. I studied Voice and Theater in the B.F.A. Acting program at UCSB. After passing up on an offer for a full M.F.A. scholarship at the National Theater Conservatory in Denver, I moved to Los Angeles to record my first album in 2007. Three years later, I went on an adventure to Chicago, where I formed a band called Modern Conversation. There, I recorded three EP’s and toured across the Midwest and East Coast. After four years away from the West Coast, I finally returned to Santa Barbara and bought my first 26’ sailboat, which became my home on the water. The music started spreading as I played venues, wineries and events across California. A few years later, the opportunity to tour across Europe presented itself to me, and I got to perform in England, Holland, Spain, France and Italy.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It wasn’t always a smooth road! In 2017, for the first time ever I blew my voice out and developed a polyp and nodules on my vocal cords, leading me to have voice surgery the following year. It’s hard to describe what it’s like as a singer to lose your voice for months and not know if you’ll ever get it back. Thankfully I did, and the experience taught me how to take better care of my voice and body and how to properly rest and regenerate. It also made me a MUCH better guitar player, as I had to expand on my instrumental skills to make up for the deficit in singing. That in turn inspired me to back up other talented singers along the way and dive deeper into collaboration with others
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I write and perform upbeat, positive songs that are very much about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and the rainbow that follows the storm. I’m a relentless optimist and I believe in sharing hope, joy and the power of gratitude through music. For me, it’s all about mindfulness, perspective and having an open and humble heart. That has literally saved my life and my sanity, and I believe music is one of the most powerful and authentic ways to share hope and clarity. I guess what I am most proud of is always asking Love to lead the way in my life and my music and having the courage to (usually) say YES to Love when it comes knocking at my door!
What makes you happy?
Sunshine, fresh air, the ocean, the mountains, forests, animals, and people connected to their own inner joy of living. I feel like Nature carries so much magic inside of her, and connecting to that childlike sense of awe and wonder really lights me up. Also, music makes me happy because it’s a huge part of Nature and can be heard in the song of the birds, the crashing of the waves and the flowing river.
Contact Info:
- Website: DavidSegall.com
- Instagram: @davidsegallmusic
- Facebook: @davidsegallmusic
- Twitter: @dsegallmusic
- Youtube: @davidsegallmusic
