David Saw Feature
By Lauren Barwick

In the past few years, the music of singer-songwriters has become quite popular on top forty radio. Despite what some think, this type of music has been around for a while. Musicians such as Carole King, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, and Carly Simon have created the platform for which these new artists stand. The Latter has helped one man on his musical journey.
David Saw has been writing music since he was a sixteen year old boy living in England. He grew up admiring the music of Neil Young, James Taylor, and Bob Dylan. As luck had it, David met James Taylor and Carly Simon’s son at a pub called the Ginlik. Ben, who was already an accomplished musician in his own right, and David hit it off right away. Since their meeting they have been inseparable. As David explains "we are like an old married couple". Ben brought him back to his home of Martha’s Vineyard to meet his mother. As it turned out Saw connected with Simon as well. David moved into Simon’s house, where he sleeps "20 paces away from her room". Together they create a constant of music that is always flowing through the house.
In early 2007, Carly released an album of soft and soothing music. On this she did a cover of Saw’s "Quite Evening", which was the first song he ever wrote. Also included is a song that he co-wrote with Ben entitled "I’ll Just Remember You". This album, "Into White" has been receiving rave reviews. Although the influence that the Simon-Taylor clan has had on David, he has also performed with other talented artists such as Ray Davies, Sonya Kitchell, and Robert Cray. Saw also performed for Hillary and Bill Clinton on the island this past summer.
Saw has just released his second album, yet it is his first that is under Iris Records which is Ben Taylor and Larry Ciancia’s independent label. The album, named "Broken Down Figure", has been doing exceptionally well. In its first week it made it to the top ten of folk albums on iTunes and his song "Simple Song" made it to the top ten folk songs. He is also the featured "indie spotlight artist" for the entire month of March on the online music store.
"Broken Down Figure" is a very beautiful and honest album. For the most part it is just him and his acoustic guitar. He does not try to overpower the songs with major production; he delivers the songs in a raw way. David says it best by describing it as "mellow". His lyrics are stunning and witty. People love his music for its great lyrics. In the hit song "Simple Song", he describes his passion for someone by saying "I love you like a melody, your running through my head". When I asked David how his music has changed since his first album, his response was that it was "more simple and more straightforward".
One thing that separates the singer-songwriters from today from the ones of the past is the amount of communication between the artists and their fans. With the technological world growing, the line between musicians and listeners has been fading. The social networking website "myspace" has helped David connect with his fans on a more personal level. He is constantly putting up new songs and always appreciates comments about the new work. When I asked him why he named his album "Broken Down Figure" his explained that he left it up to the fans to decide; "The people on Myspace chose between Savannah’s World and Broken Down Figure". The song "Savannah’s World" ironically is about a fourteen year old girl who, on Myspace, asked David to marry her. He sweetly explains in the song "You tell me that there’s no one for you but me. And you write it out for everyone to see. All I am is a face upon a screen. And no one gets hurt if your just imagining". He assures her that he is not the one that she wants by saying "I could never fit in Savannah’s world". These are just some of the songs that David has created that keep the listener attracted by showing emotion and wit in his smart lyrics and beautiful melodies.