Carl Nadig

Columnist H @carlnadig

Local musician Davey Dynamite has come a long way from his DeKalb debut in fall 2009 on the now-extinct Java 101 sound stage.

Dynamite performed alongside musicians like Dave Green, Michael Pfingsten and poet Emanuel Vinson. With schoolboy angst in “300 Words or Less,” Dynamite is now at a pivotal moment in his rapidly accelerating music career. With his latest album, “WAITT” is an anthem of self-awareness with a steady acoustic guitar and cool chorus of background vocalists. The album includes special poet appearances by Steven James Duda, Plus Sign, Manuel Montalvo, Henry Brawlins and Jerene-Elise Nal. “WAITT” is an open window into the artistic collective of DeKalb’s punk, spoken word and acoustic underground. Dynamite selflessly starts his first song with a nervous plea, hoping to reach out to his audience through a simple melody. “Let me sing a song. Let it be a simple one. Let the words true and strong. So I don’t sing it wrong.” Like previous albums, “WAITT’s” lyrics are selfless, anti-egocentric and sprinkled with contemporary romantic traits. Much like Dynamite’s early schoolboy angsty “300 Words or Less,” “WAITT” conveys the message of changing settings: moving into a college dormitory, getting a college diploma and finding a full-time job. Dynamite’s lyrics speak for the honest declaration of uncertainty we all feel when we don’t know what’s going to happen next. In his world, every day begins a different chapter, but Dynamite’s lyrics and emotional dedication makes the chapter fresh.

“WAITT” is a solid production of addressing the timid reluctance of embracing change. Dynamite remains almost too comfortable in writing lyrics that revolve around the uncertainty of his future. Would The Beatles have written “Rubber Soul” if they still had the same mindset as they did in their 1963 debut “Please Please Me?” I’m excited to see where Dynamite goes next.