His biggest influences are Jack Kerouac, Robert Brautigan, Baudelaire, Charles Bukowski, John Steinbeck, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Leadbelly, Johnny Cash, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Hank Williams, The Doors, Robert Johnson, Sylvia Plath, Blind Willie McTell, Washboard Sam, Townes Van Zandt, and truck drivers, though he claims everything he has seen, heard, smelled, felt, or tasted has influenced him to a certain degree.
Born in 1984, the son of two teachers and a jinx, prolific songster D.B. Rouse spent most of his youth in Mid-eastern Wisconsin. Of his childhood he has been heard to say, "It was quick."
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During his senior year of High School D.B. got his trusty red four tracker. To date he has written and recorded roughly two hundred songs on it, releasing these on albums to a small cult following.
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D.B went to college at the University of Eau Claire where he honed his skills by playing in the street. "I learned more by playing the street corners of Eau Claire, with all the faces of the drunk city passin' me by, throwing down dollars when I hit the right songs, than I ever did in any college class."
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D.B. would eventually graduate from college a few days short of 2007 with a degree in philosophy, though he admits he spent most his time there studying old blues and americana records, smashing empty liquor bottles, going on road trips, and thinking about dropping out. He has since decided to become a hobo/ rubber tire tramp.
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His biggest influences are Jack Kerouac, Robert Brautigan, Baudelaire, Charles Bukowski, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, Leadbelly, Johnny Cash, Elliott Smith, Bright Eyes, Radiohead, Hank Williams, The Doors, Robert Johnson, Sylvia Plath, Blind Willie McTell, Washboard Sam, Townes Van Zandt, and truck drivers, though he claims everything he has seen, heard, smelled, felt, or tasted has influenced him to a certain degree.
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If you get him drunk he will recite to you what he considers to be the most beautiful poem he has written. It is three lines long.
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D.B. headed down to Nashville in the March of '07 with the intention of moving there, but fell for life on the road instead. He found himself a month later in Oregon, working his way up the coast and living out of his van at rest stops. He spent his days on the road finding greasy spoons and saloons, introducing himself, playing for tips and selling albums. The trip was a success.
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After a brief stint with a fishing job in Alaska, he went back to Eau Claire to write more music, and work in construction as well as at a pawn shop... He is now playing music somewhere in America, going on a giant loop of the country and planning on making it to Maine in time for the blueberry picking season. He was last seen straddling the continental divide somewhere in Wyoming... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
His dream is to one day have enough money to buy a train, to customize it, and go on a music tour through the country via the iron rails with a crew consisting of all his close friends and family. His backup plan involves acquiring a motel and starting a commune.
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Hey Ben -- I've been meaning to tell you that there's a guy who lives in my apt building that could totally be related to you (not for real, but you know). His name is Josh and he's a singer/songwriter from Green Bay / UWEC / Stout, and now McNally. He likes to drink and smoke and do silly things, and he writes songs about quitting smoking and such. He reminds me so much of you both in looks (shaggy hair, beard, etc) and in personality. It'd kind of funny... and comforting. St Paul is going well so far.. I just need a means of making money. Hope all is well with you.
hey duder... just thought i'd drop by and let you know i've taken to playing on water street regularly now.. thought you'd be proud haha. anyways, i wanna do a cover of such great heights, but it's clearly not old enough to be public domain. do you know how i might go about getting the rights to record my own version?
does the sardine man stink? does he look like a sardine. what would happen if he met up with dolphin man? would dolphin man eat him? i used to eat sardines. i put mustard on them. yummmm.
What's up? Cheers for sending over the CDs. The Junction and Washboard Sam are killer tunes. Nice vid of Joshua Brown too, I actually leaned to play that song a while back. Good stuff, makes me want to play it now.
yes... clearly an artist... who obviously doesn't need much time to work on lyrics and music cuz he spends it all on photoshopping pictures haha.
yea i've recorded..ish. i got a brand knew sound board from this guy from my church and mics and stuff, the sound board alone is over $1000 (yea.. woah) so i'm pretty pumped... but i don't have anything final yet, i lost the manual so i just figured out how to record different tracks and find the old projects that i played when a friend was doing the recording work for me (i got this equipment like 6 months ago). anyways, music is good, life is good, what about you? are you still van-ing around the world?
at your next show on the 26th do you think you could bring a copy of any of your cds for me, i'd be willing to pay for them, cause i downloaded the songs you have on this myspace and i think they we're all awesome, and how you did all the instruments by yourself
that one time that you played at that one place...to be honest, i can't rememebr if it was the goat or 420, but i bought two of your cds and left some money. like 7 dollars. i dont know if you got it. but i got the music and it's great.
You're only 24, but you're my twenties-something king, and you're the prettiest, the loveliest boy I've ever seen. Blow out the candles, make a wish come true, for I'll be wishing, that you love me too! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE! ha!
Likewise B. I love finding intricacies in the song as you develop a "relationship" with each and every one. "The melody is like the initial attraction, the words are like getting to know the person" - music & lyrics ( the movie) Definitely applies to your songs, Mr. Storyteller!
aha What a night! Good jam session though! Suprisingly Hannah actually wants to do that on a regular basis! So, we're gunna get another one together soon! Talk to you soon B.
I was, but now I am in Charleston, SC. Tomorrow we are driving to Savannah, GA, spending some hours there, then heading north tp DC. Don't know how far we'll make it, but we are BUSY BUSY BUSY!!!
Its ready my friend. Not me as a musician or my racket as songs, but there is a myspace music page, under "Alexander Scot". I thought I'd extend the personal inviaton to you.
So we leave the continent for about half a year in 4 days, and I'm pretty sure I won't sleep between not and then. So exited. And I'm gonna try my damndest to find you a nice little trinket from the east, something religious maybe, if I can.
You and the lady should have a fine time working somewhere this summer, if what you mentioned pans out. Within the national parks system, surrounded by beauty, doing a job thats, well, ethical? Is should be a nice change.
If you can do anything for me while there, Ben, it would be to wake up with a smile on your face, similar to the one when you woke up the day you left the nak, because you knew that that day you would immerse yourself in the wild.
Though not in proximity, I'll be right there with you,
Thanks a lot, we appreciate it more than you know. Actually, if you'd ever be willing to play a show once we get set up, or donate any money, music, or art, that'd be great.
