Veteran musician makes fans on international stage
Dave Molter with Izzy. (Photo courtesy of Pam Bice)
Dave Molter fronts a band for a benefit concert at the Roxian Theatre in McKees Rocks.
The cover photo for âFoolish Heartâ is by Dave Prelosky, taken at Retro on 8th in Homestead.
Steve Dudas composed the B-side, âAnother Turn Around the Sun.â He since has worked with the likes of Ringo Starr and Ozzy Osbourne.
With just a little digging into recordings of the early 1970s, recordings may be found of Dave Molter playing bass on 45s by bands called BlueByrd and, named after the cat in âBell, Book and Candle,â Pyewacket.
Fast-forward more than a few decades, and the Washington County resident has released his debut CD, âFoolish Heart,â containing the five original compositions he has put out as singles, including the title track.
That would be, more descriptively, the highly successful title track.
âLate summer, I woke up and on the Internet, I see that my song is No. 2 in South Africa,â said Molter, of Scott Township. âAnd I said, âOh, wow. This is great.'â
âFoolish Heartâ actually made it to the top spot on a station in that particular country, according to the Radio Indie Alliance, something Molter hadnât really heard of a year ago. He since has learned, in a major way, the alliance provides independent recording artists with an opportunity for chart placement, based on information provided by indie stations globally.
And some folks who broadcast from places in the likes of Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom have become big Dave Molter fans.
âI have another guy in Sweden who just loves me,â he said. âI think he would adopt me if he could.â
Youâve heard of overnight sensations. In his musical pursuits, Molter pretty much is the opposite.
In 1964, he joined the vast majority of American TV viewers in watching a certain band from Liverpool, England, perform on âThe Ed Sullivan show.â
âMy biggest influence is the Beatles, because without them, I would not have gotten into music,â he said. âIt was an epiphany, pretty much.â
Shortly after, he emulated Paul McCartney â well, except for the playing left-handed part â in taking up the bass guitar. And eventually, he played in the aforementioned bands that released a couple of singles, BlueByrdâs cover of Dave Bartholomewâs âI Hear You Knockingâ and Pyewacketâs âBoogie Boogie Boogie.â
Molter composed the latter and, in fact, was doing plenty of songwriting at the time.
Then came kind of a sabbatical.
âI stopped playing full-time in the â70s and got out into the âreal world,'â he said. âBut I always had music in the back of my mind.â
Meanwhile, he had a career as a writer, including stints with newspapers: He continues to produce his award-winning column for the Observer-Reporter.
âI was lucky enough to retire when I turned 65, and I thought, ânow what am I going to do?â Well, Iâve got these songs,â he said. So he purchased some recording software and went to work on his original material. âAnd then I thought, âIâm getting older and I really should do something with this stuff.'â
In 2018, he began working with veteran musician and producer Buddy Hall of Dormont on what eventually became the âFoolish Heartâ CD.
âWe played in bands together, but for some reason we never worked in the studio together,â Molter said. âBuddy listened to the songs and he said, âIf I hear anything I donât like, Iâll tell you, because if I donât like it, Iâm not going to work on it.â I brought him maybe 15 tunes, and out of those, there was only one that he didnât really feel strongly about.â
The songs selected for the CD represent a mix of styles, reflecting Molterâs own musical background
âWhen I was growing up, my brother was a big band musician. So my friends were listening to Elvis, and I was listening to Stan Kenton and the Four Freshmen,â he recalled. âYou could hear anybody from Nat King Cole to the Four Seasons on your local station.â
In time, Top 40 radio would be carrying some stranger sounds, and Molter captures that late-â60s spirit with the track âBe the Sunshine.â
âI thought, well, Iâm not sure. Thatâs going to be sort of a limited audience, because you have to like psychedelic rock and everything,â he said. âBut then I got all these compliments from DJs and other musicians saying, âThat thing, thatâs great. Thatâs a great tune.'â
More songs on the CD include âMid-Century Man,â an acknowledged ânod to the Byrds and the Beatles,â and another influenced by the Fab Four, âTell Me That You Love Me,â which went to No. 1 in Sweden. The extended-play set wraps up with âFading Away,â which in turn wraps up with a good example of Daveâs way with words:
âI heard youâre leavinâ for a permanent vacation, I got just one thing to say/Drop off my records on your way to the station, I need something to play.â
While Molter and Hall perform most of the music on the CD, joining them are Jim âDocâ Dougherty (slide guitar) and Jason Kendall (saxophone) on âFading Away,â and Joe Munroe (drums, organ and piano) and Pete Hewlett (backing vocals) on âFoolish Heart.â
Also playing on the title track is Pyewacket guitarist of yesteryear Steve Dudas.
âHe was just an amazing player, and everybody knew he wasnât going to hang around Pittsburgh forever. So Steve moved to L.A.,â Molter recalled. âIâm watching VH1 one day, and itâs âBehind the Musicâ with Ringo Starr. I really wasnât paying attention, and I happen to look up and see Steve Dudas playing with Ringo Starr. And I said, âOh, Iâm a friend to a famous person.'â
As far as how well the CD turned out, he gives a great deal of credit to Hall.
âI always tell people Buddy is my George Martin,â Molter said, referencing the late legend who brought the Beatlesâ recordings to fruition. âThe songs would not have been nearly as good if I had done the producing. We kind of co-produced, but 90% of it is Buddy.â
They also have another song that has been released as a single, âOh Woman Donât You Cry,â which has its genesis as a â70s-era composing collaboration with Rich Boguszewski, who played guitar with BlueByrd.
And the plan is to come out later this year with a full-fledged Dave Molter album of a dozen songs or more.
In the meantime, heâs having fun as a septuagenarian musician.
âI think playing keeps you young,â he said. âIt certainly helps me.â
For more information, visit davemoltermusic.com.