Daved Kohls

About me:

My love of music began as a keyboard player in my own central California psychdelic-rock bands during the mid to late 60's.

I enlisted in the Navy for 6 years in late '69 and carried a top secret security clearance while stationed in the Washington state Puget Sound and aboard the USS Hancock aircraft carrier, working on electronic systems (IFF, nav computers, UHF, search & track radars, TACAN, etc) for EA6B and A4F jet bombers.

I married for four years in 1970 to a Stockton girl, Donna Anderson, who gave me my son, Kristian, in 1972. We divorced amicably in 1974 and have remained good friends ever since.

Kristian has, as an adult, become quite succesful in his own right as a prominent drummer in the L.A. music scene and with his own gold-record award winning band, Adema.

During the early 70s I picked up an interest in guitars, fueled by the instrument's portability and a fellow shipmate from Ohio who had played with an early version of the James Gang (pre Joe Walsh). Jim gave me my first acoustic guitar and lessons as a birthday present while stationed near Memphis in 1970. He broke me in teaching me the music of Crosby, Stills & Nash and Jose Feliciano, till orders shipped us off to different corners of the world.

I was honorably discharged in 1975, after which I closed out the 70's living out of an Econoline van, traveling around the country, getting back in touch with myself and my country while rediscovering my passion for all things music.

The early 80's found me in the Pacific Northwest, where I remained active as both a performer and session player, gaining some local celebrity in the Portland, Oregon area until I fell into production and found my true career calling as a Backline technician or, more commonly, 'Roadie'.

Starting out as a keyboard tech with the NW band, Quaterflash, I moved onto guitar teching a year later with a spinoff group, Meinstreet, fronted by Quarterflash's lead guitarist/lead male vocalist, Jack Charles. Eventually I moved onto an up & coming Portland band called The Dan Reed Network, taking them from their formative Northwest club years, through the recording of their debut album in Vancouver, Canada, and the resulting world tour... which led to my friendship with Bill Graham and association with his stable of BGM acts.

In the early 90s I moved back to California, at Bill's request, and worked for years with groups such as Eddie Money, Joe Satriani, Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians, The Replacements, Kantner's Jefferson Starship, Jellyfish, Testament, Savatage, Tom Petty, Santana, and many others until finally hooking up with blues/jazz guitarist Robben Ford in early 1999. I was Robben's tech, stage & production manager, and occasional tour manager for more than 10 years.

These days, over a decade into the 21st century, Gregg Allman is now my primary client. I have continued as Gregory's friend and tech, in both the Allman Brother's Band and with his solo band, Gregg Allman & Friends, since January of 2005.

During his 'down' times I occasionally work with other artists, such as Little Feat, Derek Trucks, Susan Tedeschi, Government Mule, etc.

In recent years I have also started conducting instructional clinics, teaching players the art and particular's of proper guitar cleaning, set-up, and maintenence.