Dave Vargo Walks with Spirits Both Lost and Found As He Explores The Streets Of Ghost Towns Out On 3/27
Teaming up again with Tim Panella in the studio to capture that creative synergy of guitars and gritty vocals
“Vargo excels at capturing his listeners’ attention and mining the gravitas inherent in each offering.” – American Songwriter
New single “Anything At All” out on Jan 30
New Jersey roots rocker Dave Vargo once again brings the guitar riff, the big chorus, and insightful lyrics back for his new album, Ghost Towns, set to be released March 27. Once again, he teamed up with Tim Pannella (Ray LaMontagne, Nicole Atkins, Paramore) at Lakehouse Recording Studios with Tim on drums, Todd Lanka on bass, Danielle Marrone on backing vocals, and Dave on guitar and lead vocals.
“Call it Americana, but it is really more a definitive statement by a singular talent who is exploring his boundaries as both a guitar specialist and a songsmith.” – Lonesome Highway
Dave’s influences span from Wilco, Lucinda Williams, and John Hiatt to Will Hoge, and he was excited about their exceptional music; however, he was equally enraptured by their lyricism. “I loved the musicality, the quality of the lyrics, infusing meaning into music.”
The songs on Ghost Towns are cryptic and poetic, filled with empathy for the characters Dave writes about, including himself. Along with his robust, sometimes gritty voice, he takes you through a storytelling landscape. Dave’s guitar skills run the gamut from technically difficult licks and sweet solos to warm melodies that stay with you long after listening to them. This album is meant to be listened to from top to bottom, with songs like “Anything At All,” “Tales To Tell,” and “Those Little Things” – think Album Oriented Rock Radio format from the 1970s and 80s, no skips, no flips; only start overs.
“…choruses are amazingly strong and stay with you for days…” – The Aquarian
“Anything At All”
This is the last song that I wrote for the album. Like 99% of my songs, the music came first. I then chisel away until the lyrics reveal themselves. I had some notes on my phone- dust, gonna miss this view, hopping fences- that kind of fit together about the end of a relationship. When it’s over, do you miss anything at all?
“No idea just what’s been missing
Hopping fences almost to goodbye
More than once, it had a chance to go the distance
How much is left when everything’s a lie”
“Tales To Tell”
I found the line ‘Tells to tell’ in my notes on my phone. I wrote the lyrics around someone looking to find a place to start over—an old place with plenty of history, stories, and ghosts.
“Just pick some small town
Where history’s stakes it’s claim
No eyes that know you
But they know the pain”
“Those Little Things”
A good friend of mine endured a hellacious, lengthy battle with cancer. One that she lost in the end. I tried to speak to her as often as I could. No matter how bad she felt, how bad the treatments were, she always sounded happy and optimistic. I asked her how she made it through the bad days and stayed so positive. She told me that she focused on the little good things that happened. That there were always good things mixed in with the bad. I tried to capture that in this song.
“Some days there’s little things
that prove you’re not wrong
Those little things
Keep you holding on
To the life you live for
The one you’d die for
Can’t afford to fall anymore”
About Dave Vargo: Digging into Dave’s musical journey and how he got here reveals many avenues of education, from the college classroom to the international stage. A New Jersey native had his eye on the guitar from an early age. A graduate of Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Dave’s musical career has a winding path of notable experiences, including solo recordings and performances, group collaborations, session work, and performances with Phoebe Snow, Rupert Holmes, and Vonda Shepard, as well as touring with musical sensation Whitney Houston. All have led to his current proclivity as a singer-songwriter who embraces a unique blend of Americana, country, rock, and folk.
“His vocal style is direct but not lacking the luster of a rustic folk-rocker in complete control of his own artistic narrative, while his approach to instrumental fireworks has never left critics or fans disappointed – even in an era heavily favoring minimalism well outside of his aesthetic realm.” – The Indie Source
Dave has released three albums over the years: Burning Through (2016), Spaces In Between (2019), Crooked Miles (2022), and Ghost Towns (2026), being his fourth. Each of his albums has been critically acclaimed by critics and warmly received by fans. Accolades from national press American Songwriter to Jersey’s favorite weekly, The Aquarian, to over in Lonesome Highway in the U.K.
Along with regular shows across New Jersey and neighboring states, including Connecticut and Pennsylvania, Dave is actively involved in the NJ music scene as both an event organizer and a leader. From 2016 to 2019, he organized “The Pierce Sessions,” monthly performance showcases at Pierce Presbyterian Church in Farmingdale, New Jersey. He also launched the “Not Quite Nashville” songwriter series in 2021, which now takes place at Calgo Gardens in Freehold, New Jersey. And a very special weekly music event is Dave’s “2forTuesday” series on Facebook, which has garnered a substantial following. Started during the pandemic to give singer-songwriters a chance to perform, the program is still running strong at 295+ episodes and counting! Dave can regularly be found performing throughout the tri-state area as a soloist and collaborator, as well as at annual Jersey Shore events like Light Of Day.
As Ghost Towns closes out, Dave he in reflection mode as our world turns faster than ever, songs are supposed to help us heal, break, and heal again. “I am not a prolific writer. It takes time for the songs to emerge. It takes even longer for a collection to come together. I’m not really sure where the songs come from most of the time. But I’m sure happy when they do. I feel really good about this collection of songs and stories. I can’t wait to share them.”- Dave Vargo
