The Threads Project
Academic | Performer | Musician | Public Speaker | War Veteran
"Alone we can do little, Together we can do so much".
Threads brings together a remarkable ensemble of musicians—each one deeply woven into the fabric of my life. Some are fellow veterans whose stories echo my own. Others are long-time bandmates and long-term friends who I have a musical connection with.
The project consists of three albums. The first features stripped-down versions of selected tracks, recorded with minimal arrangement. The second is a collection of blues-rock songs. The third presents a chronological sequence of original material reflecting life as a veteran.
At its heart, Threads is about connection—musical, personal, emotional. It weaves stories of resilience, memory, and becoming in a way only music can. Each note, each lyric, each collaboration is a thread in a larger tapestry that will resonant the way only music can.
"I gently tugged at the very end of a small thread to see what would happen".
In 2023, while selling some guitar gear, I met John. We stood in the rain under a bus shelter in Calstock and spoke about music and our deep-rooted passion for it. He used to be a sound engineer, and after hearing a few of my demos, offered to tidy them up. A few days later, I received an email from him that read:
“Dave, why have you never gone into a studio and recorded these?”
It made me pause. Why hadn’t I? I suppose I’d always been content with the raw honesty of my songs. But sometimes life offers you a fork in the road, and in that moment beneath that bus shelter I tugged at a small thread to see where it might lead.
John introduced me to his friend Mal, who runs a studio in Calstock. And so, in May 2023, I stepped into the studio to record several songs with bandmates from Dudlow Crow: Harry, Andy, Brett, and Steve.
Soon I found myself digging through my old moleskin journals, hard drives, dusty C90 cassettes that wheezed into life after 25 years, and half-baked Logic demos. The six original recordings grew I recreated, re-recorded, stripped back and stitched together fragments from across my life. Collaboration remained at the core of it all. Today, Threads spans 21 songs
I’m proud of the work but more importantly, it never would’ve happened without pulling that small thread and following where it led.
So, here is a heartfelt thank you to all those very talented people who helped me along the way.