A drummer since he was twelve years old (and a pro from age 15 – local gigs at first, and then 5 years with comic Jerry Van Dyke), Dave eventually hooked up with Los Angeles guitarist and friend Steve Barton in a Beatles tribute band. Flying home after the disastrous end of a tour of Japan (unbeknownst to the band, the producers of the show had used the Broadway show Beatlemania’s materials to promote it and everyone got sued), Dave and Steve decided to start a band doing Steve’s songs; they added Dave’s college pal Larry Dekker on bass, and stole songwriter/guitarist Robert Darlington from another LA band, and called their project Translator. (Dave also recorded with cult faves Slow Children in 1980 and is on their hit songs Vanessa Vacillating and President Am I.)
After a few months of gigs in LA, Translator had started to feel that the industry-oriented music scene didn’t welcome their style of open creativity), so they moved to San Francisco, which they felt would be more accepting. Within a month Translator were snapped up by the popular local label 415 Records. During the recording of their first album ‘Heartbeats and Triggers’ (produced by Bangles and Paul McCartney producer David Kahne) the label was bought by CBS/Sony.
The record received ecstatic reviews for the humanity of its lyrics and mix of punk energy with harmony vocals and adventurous musicianship – Rolling Stone called the inclusion of actual ballads amid frenetic energy “Not only touching, but brave.” The video for their hit song ‘Everywhere That I’m Not,’ a top 200 Billboard hit, was on MTV the first week of the network and the song remains popular on 80’s radio. In 1983, the video for their anti-war song “Sleeping Snakes” was rejected by MTV for being “too political” but the delightful 1985 film done in India for the song ‘Come With Me’ was popular on the network and helped the song become the band’s second hit.
Translator did three other albums for Sony (‘No Time Like Now’ (also a Kahne production), followed by ‘Translator’ and ‘Evening of the Harvest’ (produced by Ramones and Talking Heads engineer Ed Stasium), and ‘Everywhere That We Were, the Best of Translator’ was released in the 1990’s by Sony. Translator is also featured on many 80’s compilation albums. A recording from the band’s first EP, the Beatles instrumental ‘Cry For a Shadow’ was erroneously promoted by Beatlefan Magazine as being a recording of the surviving Beatles during their ‘Beatles Anthology’ sessions – this was finally denied by Apple Records forcing a retraction by Rolling Stone and the LA Times of their excited announcement of new and unheard Beatles music. Translator were thrilled to have been mistaken for their musical heroes.
Throughout the Sony era Translator traveled incessantly, working with Gang of Four, B52s, Psychedelic Furs, and David Bowie, and headlining their own tours.
Translator is noted in many publications detailing the era, from the All Music Guide through Crawdaddy Magazine founder Paul Williams’ book ‘The Map,’ renowned author David Talbot’s ‘Season of the Witch,’ and the 2023 book ‘415 Records and the Rise of New Wave’ by pop music author and critic Bill Kopp in which Translator are extensively quoted and discussed.
Once the Sony deal was over, Translator took a hiatus and Dave recorded and toured with San Francisco’s legendary American Music Club (‘Engine’ LP) and New Jersey’s Winter Hours (‘Winter Hours’ LP), eventually joining the orchestra at the San Francisco production of the international circus show Teatro Zinzanni backing Joan Baez, Maria Muldaur, and Duffy Bishop, among others, plus circus acts from around the globe. After a 7-year run, Dave left TZ and joined punk icons Dead Kennedys for a UK tour and sill records with them (the latest, a single of “Smash the State” is featured on the 2025 DOA tribute album “No Escape From What You Are”).
Dave still plays with his college-era prog rock band Bounty, Translator, and with Steve Barton on his well-regarded solo albums, as well as selected sessions where his wide breadth of styles and uniquely musical approach makes him a highly desired addition to creative recording. Steve and Dave music for the soundtrack of a short film by bay area filmmaker Dana Moe based on the Stephen King short story ‘Mute,’ which was successful in film festivals worldwide.
A new Translator album ‘Translator Live at the Farm’ (a live recording of their final San Francisco concert in 1986 plus two new songs) has been released by Liberation Hall records. The new single “These Days to Come/With Your Dreams” was released in March 2025. Steve Barton’s ‘Time Hard Won’ which Dave co-produced was recently released on UK label Right Track Records.
Steve and Dave also have a hit holiday single (‘Just Like Christmas’ & ‘Happy New Year’) featuring Peter Buck of REM and Debbi Peterson of The Bangles, produced by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos.
