“A superb musician” (Austin American-Statesman) with a
kazoo sponsorship, former cruise ship singer, goat farmer, cabana man’s latest
out Feb. 1st.
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D.B. Rouse as photographed by Darin Dubinsky
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“A superb musician.” — Austin American-Statesman
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D.B. Rouse is America’s least-earnest traveling troubadour.
Offering up all the sincerity, none of the pretense, Rouse is armed with a guitar (nicknamed
“Meal-Ticket”) and a kazoo. In fact,
he is sponsored by Kazoobie Kazoos,
natch. A poet with an absurd sense of humor, the Milwaukee-based former cruise
ship lounge singer, goat farmer, and cabana man, will release a new album Choices
Were Made on February 1st.
Recently, one choice made resulted in Rouse becoming yet another musician
robbed of his gear while on tour. Rouse’s
experience contains an unusual fact, however: The gear was stolen while Rouse was in the vehicle it was stolen
from. With his van doors unlocked due to Rouse
and his wife sleeping off a night of drinking in the back, thieves quietly
worked in the front, absconding with Rouse’s
laptop and most of his instruments.
If you’re asking, “Oh, no! What about Meal-Ticket?!” don’t worry, Meal-Ticket was spared, the tour rolled
on, and while this event makes for a story, it also adds an important
counterpoint to the art made by a guy like D.B.
Rouse.
In other words,
it’s not all fun and kazoos.
“It could have been so much worse,” Rouse admits. “What if we had woken up?
What if they were armed? I was ready to quit,” he confesses. “Ready to quit
touring, quit music, quit everything.”
Instead, after
the insurance company refused to cover the cost of replacement, Rouse reached out to his fans. Owing to
the relationships Rouse has built
through that unique quality of pretense-free sincerity and humor, he was able
to replace the gear.
Even so, he did quit one thing: Drinking.
And with that, Rouse
continued the pursuit of his dream to be “the best damn hobo musician in the
world.”
Not unexpectedly, the negativity of the robbery and
the positive aftermath – the “choices made” –
inform Choices Were Made. The album’s first single “Get My Shit Together” is a prime
example. The title speaks for itself.
Even so, Rouse
speaks for himself, too, offering this confirmation:
“This album is about a person struggling to quit
drinking and get their shit together. It’s about having the courage to leave
behind old habits, and facing the world with your best self forward.”
Other songs on the record, including “Your Jailbird is Coming Home,” new fan
favorite, “The Only Designated Driver in
Milwaukee is Having a Pity Party,” and the inspiration for the album’s
first music video, “About the Bite
Missing From Your Sandwich” all speak to Rouse’s undaunted sense of humor in the face of adversity.
“It is near impossible to tell when a bite has been
stolen from a soup,” he says of the latter song. “This is why soups are the
easiest foods to steal bites from.”
A ridiculous thought to end on, and also true! Believe
the man with the kazoo.
Choices Were Made by D.B. Rouse
is out on February 1st, 2019,
preceded by the single and music video “Get
My Shit Together,” available November
30th.
D.B. Rouse is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.
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D.B. Rouse –
Live
11/16/2018: Milwaukee, WI @ Bremen Cafe
12/15/2018: Iron Mountain, MI @ Sol Blu
12/31/2018: Terlingua, TX @ Starlight Theatre
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D.B. Rouse
Choices
Were Made
Feb. 1st, 2019
(S/R)
Track Listing:
01. Your Jailbird is Coming Home
02. Get My Shit Together
03. Mañana Mañana
04. Streetlight Moon
06. The Only Designated Driver in Milwaukee is Having
a Pity Party
07. Never Again Ever Again
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D.B. Rouse Links
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Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion
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