You'll want to check out the article link, to see all the pretty pictures.

http://74.52.71.146/dispatch/blogzone/src/...upcoming-album/

David Cook talks about upcoming York show, his music and his next album
September 16th, 2009 Posted in Uncategorized

Back in March, when David Cook played a show at Penn State York, the 1,000-plus seat Pullo Performing Arts Center sold out in a week.

His debut album had recently gone platinum; his tour of college campuses was well under way.

Six months later, the season seven American Idol is still on tour and preparing for a Friday night show at a considerably larger venue, the Toyota Grandstand at the York Fair. (Go here for ticket information.)

That debut album is still on the Billboard 200, 42 weeks after its release. And David’s latest single, “Come Back To Me,” is number 17 on the adult contemporary singles chart; it previously cracked the top 10 on the Billboard’s adult top 40.

Idol Chatter interviewed David Tuesday, the same day someone discovered 30-second snippets of 11 unreleased songs on the Internet. Those “weren’t meant for public consumption,” David said. Here’s a link to that portion of the interview.

The good news for David Cook fans: He’s already working on music for album number two. Here’s what David had to say about his music, his next album, the upcoming show in York and a variety of other topics.

Make sure to check back late Friday night for a review and photos from the York Fair show.

Idol Chatter: Lots of fans who heard those song snippets the other day kept saying on Twitter: “Please give us a deluxe version of the first album.” Are there any plans for anything along those lines?

David Cook: “We’ve kind of had some casual talk about it, but so far, nothing firm has come up. I’m not opposed to it. I just want to make sure if it’s done, it’s done the right way. I imagine if it’s going to happen, the ball should be rolling in the next couple of weeks.”

Chatter: You did the college tour. You passed your 100th show last month. You’ve got events scheduled through mid-November. How long to you plan to stay on tour?

David: “The goal right now is to stay on tour until the end of the year, then get into the studio to work on another record. I think the goal is to not stop working. I figure if I’m keeping busy, then I have a reason to stay busy.”

Chatter: I know you’re less than a year removed from the release of your first album. But have you started thinking about that second album?

David: “Absolutely. We’ve started writing for another record already. We really don’t have anything prepared to start playing in public yet. That’s another thing we’re kind of up in the air about. Do we play it now and get a gauge on it? Do we try to hold onto it until it’s time for the record? There’s all sorts of options out there."

Chatter: There are songs on your set lists that aren’t on the first album. So those aren’t songs up for consideration for the second album?

David: “Not necessarily. I wanted this tour to be about showing people that we were more than just the last year and a half. So some of the songs that we play live are songs that I put on (the independent album) Analog Heart in 2006, songs that I played with the band back in Tulsa. I just wanted to show more of the spectrum, a little bit. So as far as those songs making the record, it really hasn’t been discussed. But I wouldn’t take that as a no or a yes.”

Chatter: And what’s the timetable for the new album? Did I hear you say you’d like to get back in the studio at the start of the year?

David: “We’re going to try to get in, I want to say February and try to get a new record out by the summer.”

Chatter: “Come Back To Me” is your current single. Any plans to release another single anytime soon?

David: “That’s another thing that’s been casually talked about. I think right now “Come Back To Me” is still doing what we want it to do. When and if that changes, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But right now, I’m really enjoying seeing the kind of longevity “Come Back To Me” has had."

Chatter: You were here for a college show back in March. I think we were something like show number 27 on the long list. Have you changed your set since then, or will York Fair fans essentially see the same show?

David: “We play different set lists every night. I think since show 27 we’ve worked up new covers and switched some stuff around. And some songs have sort of evolved as the tour has gone on that have really kind of taken on a different vibe. I think the people who came to our last show in York, I don’t think they’d be disappointed if they came out again.”

Chatter: You were on Good Morning America this summer and performed a very rocked-out version of Fleetwood Mac’s “Little Lies” with Kris Allen and Adam Lambert. Any reason you selected that song for that particular occasion?

David: “It’s a cover we’ve played for a while. If we didn’t play it in York, I’m pretty sure we played it around York. We’d been working on it for a while, and it was something we thought Adam and Kris would sound great on. Kudos to them. They’ve got a ton of stuff going on, and they came in and got it done. It’s a fun song for us. We’ve done enough to it to where I don’t think people necessarily expect it the first time they hear it.”

Chatter: You had a lot of success with different interpretations of popular songs on Idol. As a recording artist, what’s your philosophy about putting cover songs on your albums?

David: “My philosophy is, right now I’m really trying to establish my music and myself as an artist. I don’t know that putting a cover on a record would be the right move right now. Down the line, if we can get some longevity out of this, I don’t think I’d be opposed to it. It’s just a wait-and-see attitude. But I’m really proud of the original music we’ve put out and humbled by the reaction it’s received.”

Chatter: Now, you’re a big sports fan, and you got to perform at the All-Star game Home Run derby. Tell me what that was like.

David: “That was like a pinch-me moment. I just remember walking up on stage and seeing a lot of the ball players sitting out in foul territory and thinking, ‘Oh, Lord.’ I did get a chance to meet some of them. I actually got to meet a lot of the guys from Baseball Tonight. I got to meet John Kruk and David Winfield, which was huge for me, and Peter Gammons. I got to meet Hank Aaron while I was there. It was just kid-in-the-candy-store stuff.”

Chatter: You’re raising money for cancer research in honor of your brother through Race for Hope, correct?

David: “Absolutely. I’ve got a great relationship with ABC Squared (ABC2, The Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure Organization). I think, especially with Patrick Swayze passing away the other day, and Sen. Kennedy, plus my brother, it’s just … I hate watching people go from it. The sooner we can get a cure, the better.”

(Chatter Note: David’s Team in Race for Hope, D.C., 2009 has raised more than $135,000 compared to a goal of $75,000. Go here for more information.)

Chatter: Judging from some of the Tweets I was reading last week, it sounded as though some of your former Idol colleagues were trying to organize a season seven reunion around your show at the Fonda Theater (in Los Angeles, Calif.). Did that work out?

David: “They came, yeah. I have to say that was one of the nicest things. I think it speaks volumes about the relationship we all had when we were on the show. I’ve been really bummed … that’s the one bad thing about being on the road as much as we have — family and friends, I don’t get to see them nearly as much as I’d like. So to get to catch up with everybody for that evening was really, really cool. It sounds like everybody’s doing great things. I’m a fan of every one of them.”

(Chatter Note: Among those who showed were Ramiele Malubay, Michael Johns, Carly Smithson, Brooke White, Jason Castro, Syesha Mercado.)

Now for a couple of questions sent me by David Cook fans, who apparently still had the Video Music Awards on their minds Tuesday.

Chatter: Pro-Kanye or Pro-Taylor?

David: Pro-Taylor.

Chatter: Favorite Lady Gaga song?

David: (Laughter) “I don’t like to dance, so it’s not ‘Just Dance.’ Wow, man, I don’t know. I always think that lyric about the disco stick is funny, so whichever song that is.” (”LoveGames,” just for the record.)

Chatter: What was your nickname growing up?

David: “Cookie. Just because of my last name. People weren’t trying too hard, I don’t think.”

I had more questions from fans to ask, but David also had other interviews to do.

Want more? Here’s a link to the interview Idol Chatter ran prior to the March show.

And, like I said, check back Friday for a concert review and photos.

Edited

I really enjoyed reading that. Great interview, with some different questions. Thanks for posting.

Bump (FYI - The links inside the article copied in my first post are now functioning.)

Great interview. Some original questions in this one.

can't wait for the next album

awwwshuuum thanks sooo much! pumped to see what comes next from him!! =D

I also loved this article:
Peoria Civic Center - Journal Star

A question for David Cook: Are you always composing a song in your head and is it hard to turn off?
No, I'm not always composing a song in my head, but that doesn't mean that I don't do it a lot. Before, there were a lot of distractions, like a job and all that stuff. Now, my job is music, so I think about it a lot more. But in the same regard, I still enjoy it, so that's a plus.

PJS: Do you find any certain things in your life that trigger the creative juices?

On plane flights and taking showers I usually come up with my best ideas. I don't know why, but that's usually when my head is clear enough to actually weed through all the crap.

@songkat: Ask him about his music. His dog. His holiday plans. Anything but Idol.

I have a black Scottish terrier named Dublin.

PJS: Does your dog tour with you?

He did, and then we were in New York and he got a little anxious while I was out and destroyed my hotel room. My dog's way more rock star than I could ever be. He's back in Kansas City, my little brother takes care of him. He did everything short of gluing the furniture on the ceiling. I just walked in and was like, 'Damn.'

PJS: What are your holiday plans?

My little brother is graduating from college (University of Central Missouri), so I'm going to go be the doting brother there. My birthday is five days before Christmas, the Chiefs are going to be in town a couple of times, so I'll be in Kansas City just relaxing for a minute. (Cook is turning 27. He has homes in both Los Angeles and Kansas City).

@Lainey02: Ask David how he enjoyed his "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" experience and when it's going to air.

We took a two-week break from shows the second half of October and I got a chance to do a lot of really cool things and one of the things I got to do was head to Indiana, where my both of my parents are from and film an episode of Extreme Makever: Home Edition." It was cool to be able to do something that wasn't about playing a show or writing a song and do something that was bigger than me and bigger than this. It was fun. I got to get my hands dirty and actually be involved.

I think it's going to air in January, but they keep me in the dark on these things.

PJS: What specific tasks did you take on?

By the time I got there they had already demolished the old house, but I got a chance to put on some of the drywall and the decorative brick on the front of the house and help design rooms, so I was all over the place.

My first job out of college, I moved to Tulsa to start a band and I took a job painting apartment complexes. And hated it. It's part of the story now, I suppose.

@Laurie_0: Feelings about the tour ending?

Dec. 2 is our last show. It's sad. This has been nine months of my life, and in that aspect, I'm bummed. But I'm also really excited about getting to work on another record and building more of a catalogue and hopefully extending the legs on this thing. We've been really fortunate to have what's happened to us happen - a platinum record and two platinum singles and all that is massive. So it's onward and upward, I hope.

@ItsAFugue: D.C. said that he wants to use piano influences on his next CD...are there any other new influences he plans to experiment with?

I don't want to make the same record again, and I definitely want there to be a progression. But there's also something to be said for not ostracizing the people who got into the last one. So we're just going to try to expand a little bit. I really want to broaden the scope and incorporate new instrumentation and try different things. I know specifically I want to get into more strings and piano and more riff-based guitar. On the last record, we did a lot of churning-it-out guitars and let that wall of sound be the basis for a lot of these songs. I want to get into more riff-based stuff, bands like Injected and Big Wreck are bands that I really get into and they were always really good about finding riffs.

@holdtolight: Who will David be writing with on his new CD?

Not sure yet. I've always said I have no qualms about working with anybody, I think great songs can come from anywhere. I just want to make a great record and hopefully keep playing great shows. I'm hoping the shows I'm doing now are great.

PJS: One writer wrote that he is coming down from Chicago and bringing a friend from South Africa to the Peoria show. How does it feel to have fans all over the world?

I'm extremely humbled and flattered by that. I remember being in shock the first time I flew out to L.A., and to fly from South Africa is quite a bit loftier. I just don't ever want to get to the point where I feel like any of us are taking that for granted, so it really is a matter of putting a premium on putting out substantive, good music and backing it up with a good live show. I feel like if we can do those two things, everything else will fall into place.

PJS: What can we expect at the show?

The night before the Peoria show is the one-year anniversary of the record being out, so we're working on some big stuff for that and invariably we'll bring that with us to Peoria. So I'm excited to get out there. I came off the "Idol" tour and there were a lot of bells and whistles, it was a big production. I wanted to get back to, for lack of a less cliche way to say it, back to the roots of the whole thing. The guys that I play with now are guys that I've been in bands with prior to, and in some cases I've been friends with them for a long time, so it's just a matter of coming out on stage and having fun and cracking jokes and trying to play these songs for the best of our ability and really try to engage the audience.

Both interviews are fantastic. Thanks for sharing.

I am going to the show in Peoria on Thursday and I can not wait! I hope that he does doe some exciting stuff since it will be 1 day and year since the album came out!!! I hope he has a great show...not that I have ANY doubts!!!!!!!

We will need recaps.... please !!!!!!

I just hope there is something to recap