See Drake White Sing Spirited ‘Livin’ the Dream’ Inside a Van
With a wide-open, organic sound rooted in traditional country, blues and soul, Drake White‘s Spark LP, out today on Dot Records, stands as one of the year’s most intoxicating releases.
Earlier this summer, White and his band piled their equipment into a psychedelically-adorned, solar-powered van, which serves as a mobile recording studio for a traveling project known as “Jam in the Van.” Set up at Base Camp, the pop-up camping experience in Coachella Valley where the massive Coachella Valley Music and Arts festival is held, White and his four-piece outfit the Big Fire played up the “jam” aspect of the experience, unleashing a seven-minute version of his soulful single, “Livin’ the Dream.”
“We’re trying to create moments, opportunities for people to come out and forget about their worries. . . and enjoy music, enjoy art for a night,” White tells Rolling Stone Country of his electrifying live shows. “Being in that moment is my favorite place to be on earth, in front of people and sharing experiences.”
On Tuesday, August 23rd, White will take his “Dream” to ABC’s Good Morning America, one day after he participates in the Housing Works Songwriters Night. Hosted by Shane McAnally, the event also includes Old Dominion’s Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi along with Walker Hayes and will benefit Housing Works, Inc.’s efforts to end AIDS and homelessness in NYC.
Also slated for next week is White’s coast-to-coast “Flight to Light the Spark,” on August 24th. Throughout the unique cross-country adventure, the singer-songwriter will stop in each time zone to give back to local communities and organizations, including Friends of Firefighters (New York City), Musicians on Call (Denver), North Texas Foodbank in partnership with the Ford Community Fund (Dallas), the Boys & Girls Club (Wichita, Kansas) and the Western Surfing Association in partnership with Salt Life (Los Angeles). More information is available at White’s Giving the Dream website.