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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Singer-songwriter Hannon reflects on life’s struggles in EP

Dave Hannon hits The Shop on Saturday night.
Isamu Jordan Correspondent

Dave Hannon weathered stormy waters when he moved from Spokane back to his native Tacoma, but his music kept him anchored.

While he’s bounced back from broken relationships, binge drinking, and a tumultuous go at a music career, Hannon is reflecting on those experiences with a new solo EP that outlines the past few years of his life.

Distraught after a failed relationship, the pop-rock singer-songwriter said he was doing some heavy drinking and moved in with his folks in Tacoma in 2008. But a persistent musician friend pulled him back into performing by booking a tour.

“I was messed up from the breakup but the drummer kept hitting me up. Music helps with a lot of things. It also helps with purging problems and intense emotions,” Hannon said.

Things were going well again for Hannon and his music. He was orchestrating his own album as well as that of a friend, former Spokane singer-songwriter Kristen Marlo. He was in a new relationship. The band had just finished an EP and sold out the release party at the Hard Rock Cafe. Then the drummer quit.

“The band split by May or June in 2012. We were just getting focused on being solid enough to really make a go at it. I had become a much better singer and songwriter and just a more solid individual,” Hannon said. “I’m just yelling at my younger self. You really don’t realize what you have, or what you can do, if you just believe in yourself.”

Hannon forged ahead without his band and is putting the finishing touches on his solo EP, “The Eyes Have It.”

“This record means more to me than I can relate. I wrote a song for my brother who was going through a nasty divorce called ‘Fight It.’ It’s just about hanging in there,” Hannon said. “I was seeing this girl and one song started out as a love song and survived the relationship but now it’s about the unpredictability of life. Meeting her and dating her changed my life. There’s another song that was written when I was going through a dark time. It’s a reminder of a time when things were not necessarily positive. … It’s a reflective record.”

The album features full-band instrumentation, including cello, pedal steel, dobro, and piano, drums, guitar and bass. Hannon has finished the mastering on the new EP and is hoping to meet his online Kickstarter goal of $3,000 by the end of the month.