David LaMotte

Speaker • Author • Musician

Music News

A new video and a few songs for Valentine’s Day

Feb 14, 2024
Yeah, I know… it’s a Hallmark holiday, but it’s a good excuse to share a few love songs. The big news, though, is the unveiling of a new video for my song The Way It’s Done. Beth Wood sang with me on this one on Still, and months later, we shot a video together.  I […]

A new video and a few songs for Valentine’s Day

by David LaMotte

Yeah, I know… it’s a Hallmark holiday, but it’s a good excuse to share a few love songs. The big news, though, is the unveiling of a new video for my song The Way It’s Done. Beth Wood sang with me on this one on Still, and months later, we shot a video together.  I […]

You’re gonna need a bigger stocking…

Dec 11, 2023
…if you’re trying to put Wyoming in there, or Montreat, or Guatemala, or Scotland. If you need things that really do fit in stockings, I can hook you up on bookmarks, guitar pick tins full of guitar picks, or bumper stickers, CDs, books, etc., but, as someone once wrote in a song, “there’s no present […]

You’re gonna need a bigger stocking…

by David LaMotte

…if you’re trying to put Wyoming in there, or Montreat, or Guatemala, or Scotland. If you need things that really do fit in stockings, I can hook you up on bookmarks, guitar pick tins full of guitar picks, or bumper stickers, CDs, books, etc., but, as someone once wrote in a song, “there’s no present […]

open magazine showing the title words "Look Away" above a song lyric, article, and two photos.

‘Look Away’ in ‘Fellowship’ magazine

Aug 6, 2023
  I have long been a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), the United States’ oldest peacemaking organization, and I hold them in high esteem. It was pretty amazing for me to open up the most recent edition of their magazine, Fellowship, and find this two-page spread about my song, Look Away, and the […]

‘Look Away’ in ‘Fellowship’ magazine

by David LaMotte

open magazine showing the title words "Look Away" above a song lyric, article, and two photos.

  I have long been a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR), the United States’ oldest peacemaking organization, and I hold them in high esteem. It was pretty amazing for me to open up the most recent edition of their magazine, Fellowship, and find this two-page spread about my song, Look Away, and the […]

New Word Video for my song Thinkin’

Nov 14, 2022
Here’s a new music video for my song “Thinkin’” that I’m very excited to share with you! I’m planning on releasing three new music videos before the end of the year, so keep in touch by subscribing to my YouTube channel now. I would also love for y’all to sign up for my mailing list […]

New Word Video for my song Thinkin’

by Stephen Roach Knight

Here’s a new music video for my song “Thinkin’” that I’m very excited to share with you! I’m planning on releasing three new music videos before the end of the year, so keep in touch by subscribing to my YouTube channel now. I would also love for y’all to sign up for my mailing list […]

Support good causes and get a special concert and collector’s vinyl

Feb 18, 2022
Hey friends! I hope you can join me for this very special event.  There are only about 20 seats left for this one (as of Friday morning), out of 50 total, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Faith4Justice and BeLoved Asheville, two great organizations in Asheville. The concert will happen at American Vinyl […]

Support good causes and get a special concert and collector’s vinyl

by David LaMotte

Hey friends! I hope you can join me for this very special event.  There are only about 20 seats left for this one (as of Friday morning), out of 50 total, and 100% of the proceeds will go to Faith4Justice and BeLoved Asheville, two great organizations in Asheville. The concert will happen at American Vinyl […]

Looking back on 2020

Dec 30, 2020
We are almost there, friends… 2020 is coming to a close. As the Washington Post wrote this morning, 2020 has been 97 months long, and it’s hard to remember all that has happened. I kind of like New Year’s Eve, in general.  I think it is important to mark time, to acknowledge the passing of […]

Looking back on 2020

by David LaMotte

We are almost there, friends… 2020 is coming to a close. As the Washington Post wrote this morning, 2020 has been 97 months long, and it’s hard to remember all that has happened. I kind of like New Year’s Eve, in general.  I think it is important to mark time, to acknowledge the passing of […]

‘Braided Prayer’ Free screening Dec. 6

Nov 24, 2020
In historically divisive times, it’s good to be reminded that we don’t have to be the same in order to form deep friendships and create community and art together. Please join us on Sunday, December 6, at 4:00 PM Eastern, to see this new 18-minute documentary from John Kennedy and David Saich. The one-hour online program […]

‘Braided Prayer’ Free screening Dec. 6

by David LaMotte

In historically divisive times, it’s good to be reminded that we don’t have to be the same in order to form deep friendships and create community and art together. Please join us on Sunday, December 6, at 4:00 PM Eastern, to see this new 18-minute documentary from John Kennedy and David Saich. The one-hour online program […]

A hymn for these days

Jul 3, 2020
 In 2019, I was commissioned by the North Carolina Council of Churches to write a hymn in honor of their eighty-fifth anniversary in 2020. Though the lyrics were written months before the world’s focus turned to the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and racism, the hymn seems to resonate with these turbulent times, and calls […]

A hymn for these days

by David LaMotte

 In 2019, I was commissioned by the North Carolina Council of Churches to write a hymn in honor of their eighty-fifth anniversary in 2020. Though the lyrics were written months before the world’s focus turned to the twin pandemics of Covid-19 and racism, the hymn seems to resonate with these turbulent times, and calls […]

Online shows and conversations

Apr 15, 2020
Hey friends, Blessings on you and yours in these strange and turbulent times.  Like everyone, I’m navigating day by day, trying to figure out where I’m needed and what I can do from here.  My friend Gareth Higgins gave me a mantra for these times (and others, for that matter): “Bring what you have. Ask […]

Online shows and conversations

by David LaMotte

Hey friends, Blessings on you and yours in these strange and turbulent times.  Like everyone, I’m navigating day by day, trying to figure out where I’m needed and what I can do from here.  My friend Gareth Higgins gave me a mantra for these times (and others, for that matter): “Bring what you have. Ask […]

March 13 Concert at White Horse will be live-streamed

Feb 24, 2020
Hey friends — I’m playing at my hometown venue, the White Horse, on March 13, with special guest Brian Hilligoss. Come on by, if you can make it! I’ve got some new songs to share that I’m really excited about, and it promises to be a really beautiful evening.  Tickets are available here.  And if […]

March 13 Concert at White Horse will be live-streamed

by David LaMotte

Hey friends — I’m playing at my hometown venue, the White Horse, on March 13, with special guest Brian Hilligoss. Come on by, if you can make it! I’ve got some new songs to share that I’m really excited about, and it promises to be a really beautiful evening.  Tickets are available here.  And if […]

A new song finished, a new book begun…

Jan 17, 2020
Greetings from Fancy Gap, Virginia. My friend David has a beautiful cabin here, and let me hide out for a few days to write.  Sometimes it takes getting away, especially when there is a big project to work on, like a book, and I am so grateful to have a place to be that is […]

A new song finished, a new book begun…

by David LaMotte

Greetings from Fancy Gap, Virginia. My friend David has a beautiful cabin here, and let me hide out for a few days to write.  Sometimes it takes getting away, especially when there is a big project to work on, like a book, and I am so grateful to have a place to be that is […]

An invitation to create something new with me

Dec 9, 2019
Dear friends, Sixteen days ago I launched a new project, and as of now, 59 folks have signed up to be a part of it.  It’s an exciting adventure — a smaller group of folks who are taking a deeper dive with me into creating a digital community, and who are supporting the work I […]

An invitation to create something new with me

by David LaMotte

Dear friends, Sixteen days ago I launched a new project, and as of now, 59 folks have signed up to be a part of it.  It’s an exciting adventure — a smaller group of folks who are taking a deeper dive with me into creating a digital community, and who are supporting the work I […]

Where The Kindness Went

Sep 10, 2019
I’ve had more than a few conversations with folks recently who have said they feel like kindness is going out of the world. I get that, and I know better than to think that my experience is everyone’s. That said, I don’t believe there is any shortage of kindness. I just think it’s not getting […]

Where The Kindness Went

by David LaMotte

I’ve had more than a few conversations with folks recently who have said they feel like kindness is going out of the world. I get that, and I know better than to think that my experience is everyone’s. That said, I don’t believe there is any shortage of kindness. I just think it’s not getting […]

Abraham Jam Returns!

Jun 9, 2019
Put July 27, 2019 on your calendar to celebrate the birth of Abraham Jam’s second CD, following last year’s live album, tentatively titled ‘White Moon.’  Dawud, Billy, and I have been hard at work in the studio with Chris Rosser for the last few months, cooking up this batch of eleven songs, including our own […]

Abraham Jam Returns!

by David LaMotte

Put July 27, 2019 on your calendar to celebrate the birth of Abraham Jam’s second CD, following last year’s live album, tentatively titled ‘White Moon.’  Dawud, Billy, and I have been hard at work in the studio with Chris Rosser for the last few months, cooking up this batch of eleven songs, including our own […]

Big Benefit Show!

May 29, 2019
On Sunday, June 9, at 4PM, I’ll be performing at Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC for a big benefit show.  I’ve invited five amazing musical acts to join me, and all proceeds will go to good work that the Rotary Club of Asheville is doing, both locally and abroad.  I’ll be playing two sets […]

Big Benefit Show!

by David LaMotte

On Sunday, June 9, at 4PM, I’ll be performing at Diana Wortham Theatre in Asheville, NC for a big benefit show.  I’ve invited five amazing musical acts to join me, and all proceeds will go to good work that the Rotary Club of Asheville is doing, both locally and abroad.  I’ll be playing two sets […]

A new song

Oct 16, 2018
Here’s a newer song for you, as summer changes to fall… September Me © 2018 David LaMotte Man, I love the summer, with its wet green life just buzzing everywhere But there’s nothing like the first scent of the turning when you catch it in the air There’s something like a promise in a cobalt […]

A new song

by David LaMotte

Here’s a newer song for you, as summer changes to fall… September Me © 2018 David LaMotte Man, I love the summer, with its wet green life just buzzing everywhere But there’s nothing like the first scent of the turning when you catch it in the air There’s something like a promise in a cobalt […]

In the News…

Aug 9, 2018
Well-respected music writer Bill Kopp, author of Reinventing Pink Floyd, wrote this article for Asheville’s Arts & Entertainment magazine Mountain Xpress.  The full article appears here.   For many Asheville-based musicians, making music is just one of the things they do. Cobbling together a financially sustainable lifestyle means taking on one or more part-time side […]

In the News…

by David LaMotte

Well-respected music writer Bill Kopp, author of Reinventing Pink Floyd, wrote this article for Asheville’s Arts & Entertainment magazine Mountain Xpress.  The full article appears here.   For many Asheville-based musicians, making music is just one of the things they do. Cobbling together a financially sustainable lifestyle means taking on one or more part-time side […]

Abraham Jam: making the case that harmony > unity

Jun 1, 2018
  A Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian walk into a recording studio… It’s no joke. Actually, it’s the musical project that is capturing most of my energy and imagination these days.  My long-time friend Billy Jonas, who is Jewish, and my dear friend Dawud Wharnsby, who is Muslim, and me, a Quakerterian Christian, have […]

Abraham Jam: making the case that harmony > unity

by David LaMotte

  A Muslim, a Jew, and a Christian walk into a recording studio… It’s no joke. Actually, it’s the musical project that is capturing most of my energy and imagination these days.  My long-time friend Billy Jonas, who is Jewish, and my dear friend Dawud Wharnsby, who is Muslim, and me, a Quakerterian Christian, have […]

My TEDx talk

Jan 9, 2018
Hi friends, My TEDx talk has just been released, and I’m happy that I can finally share it with folks who weren’t there. Check it out, and let me know what you think…

My TEDx talk

by David LaMotte

Hi friends, My TEDx talk has just been released, and I’m happy that I can finally share it with folks who weren’t there. Check it out, and let me know what you think…

Home from Alaska, my 50th state

Oct 14, 2016
On Monday night I returned to North Carolina from a ten-day run of events in California and Alaska.  It was a wonderful trip, and even had some downtime in it, which is not always the case in my crazy schedule.  

It also marked my fiftieth state to perform in professionally.  Having offered concerts in Anchorage […]

Home from Alaska, my 50th state

by David LaMotte

On Monday night I returned to North Carolina from a ten-day run of events in California and Alaska.  It was a wonderful trip, and even had some downtime in it, which is not always the case in my crazy schedule.  

It also marked my fiftieth state to perform in professionally.  Having offered concerts in Anchorage […]

New CD debuts at #8 on the Folk-DJ charts!

Oct 4, 2016
Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska, where tonight I’ll play a concert in my fiftieth state.  Great fun to be here, to play music for folks, to see some old friends, make some new ones, and if all goes according to plan, to go visit a glacier tomorrow and get in a bit of a hike before […]

New CD debuts at #8 on the Folk-DJ charts!

by David LaMotte

Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska, where tonight I’ll play a concert in my fiftieth state.  Great fun to be here, to play music for folks, to see some old friends, make some new ones, and if all goes according to plan, to go visit a glacier tomorrow and get in a bit of a hike before […]

Music and silence

Aug 9, 2016
Among the most powerful experiences I have had at live concerts is one of silence rather than music. Occasionally, a song, usually in a minor key, arrives with such power, conviction, and depth that when it ends, no one is willing to break the silence. The last notes linger until they fade, and a long […]

Music and silence

by David LaMotte

Among the most powerful experiences I have had at live concerts is one of silence rather than music. Occasionally, a song, usually in a minor key, arrives with such power, conviction, and depth that when it ends, no one is willing to break the silence. The last notes linger until they fade, and a long […]

Thank you!!! New album fully funded…

Jul 6, 2016
I am overwhelmed and moved by the support that folks have shown for my new CD project, The Other Way Around, which was fully funded by a Kickstarter campaign in which 468 people, from all over the world, chipped in to raise over $41,000 in exchange for various rewards, to make it happen. The new […]

Thank you!!! New album fully funded…

by David LaMotte

I am overwhelmed and moved by the support that folks have shown for my new CD project, The Other Way Around, which was fully funded by a Kickstarter campaign in which 468 people, from all over the world, chipped in to raise over $41,000 in exchange for various rewards, to make it happen. The new […]

Kickstarting the new CD

May 14, 2016
Wow!! It’s Day four of the Kickstarter effort to make my first abum in ten years.  There are twelve songs on it, none of which I have recorded before, and there are musicians from all over the world playing on the record. Literally. Every inhabited continent is represented. Kickstarter is a cool website that invites […]

Kickstarting the new CD

by David LaMotte

Wow!! It’s Day four of the Kickstarter effort to make my first abum in ten years.  There are twelve songs on it, none of which I have recorded before, and there are musicians from all over the world playing on the record. Literally. Every inhabited continent is represented. Kickstarter is a cool website that invites […]

Eight places left at my retreat — want to come?

Jun 11, 2015
I have been invited by others to lead retreats and conferences in many states and on several continents for many years, but I have never before designed my own event so that I can give people who come for the weekend the richest and most wonderful experience I can come up with. Until now. This […]

Eight places left at my retreat — want to come?

by David LaMotte

I have been invited by others to lead retreats and conferences in many states and on several continents for many years, but I have never before designed my own event so that I can give people who come for the weekend the richest and most wonderful experience I can come up with. Until now. This […]

Box Sets back in stock

May 14, 2015
After a bit of time revising and updating the content on the USB box sets, we are happy to report that they are back in stock. These digital box sets contain… well, pretty much everything I’ve ever done.  High quality MP3 versions of all eleven CDs (including liner notes, and my very first recording, Barefoot, […]

Box Sets back in stock

by David LaMotte

After a bit of time revising and updating the content on the USB box sets, we are happy to report that they are back in stock. These digital box sets contain… well, pretty much everything I’ve ever done.  High quality MP3 versions of all eleven CDs (including liner notes, and my very first recording, Barefoot, […]

The Three Davids Ride Again!

May 14, 2015
We had so much fun at our sold-out show in Asheville in February that we were all eager to book another one — but where to play next? Clearly, what we needed was a concert promoter named David. Happily, concert promoter David Sardinha is the curator of a wonderful concert series in Cary, North Carolina, an […]

The Three Davids Ride Again!

by David LaMotte

We had so much fun at our sold-out show in Asheville in February that we were all eager to book another one — but where to play next? Clearly, what we needed was a concert promoter named David. Happily, concert promoter David Sardinha is the curator of a wonderful concert series in Cary, North Carolina, an […]

The Three Davids @ Diana Wortham

Jan 29, 2015
I don’t know when I’ve been as excited about a concert as I am about this one. Last summer I was boarding a flight to Asheville from Atlanta, coming home from a show somewhere, when I spotted a familiar hat in the crowd boarding the plane.  I made my way over to greet my friend […]

The Three Davids @ Diana Wortham

by David LaMotte

I don’t know when I’ve been as excited about a concert as I am about this one. Last summer I was boarding a flight to Asheville from Atlanta, coming home from a show somewhere, when I spotted a familiar hat in the crowd boarding the plane.  I made my way over to greet my friend […]

Free Live Webcast of release party!

Oct 11, 2014
Here’s great last-minute news! For those of you who can’t join us in person on Oct. 12, 2014 at the White Horse, Black Mountain, to celebrate the release of my new book, Worldchanging 101: Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness, we will now be live streaming the event via ConcertWindow.com.  I’ll be playing a few songs […]

Free Live Webcast of release party!

by David LaMotte

Here’s great last-minute news! For those of you who can’t join us in person on Oct. 12, 2014 at the White Horse, Black Mountain, to celebrate the release of my new book, Worldchanging 101: Challenging the Myth of Powerlessness, we will now be live streaming the event via ConcertWindow.com.  I’ll be playing a few songs […]

Celebrating the new book!

Aug 28, 2014
I don’t think I’ve felt this excited, anxious and anticipatory since Mason was born! After four and a half years of writing, and a fairly intense year of editing, design and layout, my new book, Worldchanging 101, is in the proverbial oven, and about to be picked up by the proverbial stork (which has 18 […]

Celebrating the new book!

by David LaMotte

I don’t think I’ve felt this excited, anxious and anticipatory since Mason was born! After four and a half years of writing, and a fairly intense year of editing, design and layout, my new book, Worldchanging 101, is in the proverbial oven, and about to be picked up by the proverbial stork (which has 18 […]

How to Clean Dirty Water with a Guitar

Aug 28, 2014
My newest guitar is a Taylor Holden Village GS Mini.  I love it for lots of reasons, not the least of which is where it came from — and where it’s going.  This little instrument is doing a lot of good in the world, and that good is not limited to the music being played […]

How to Clean Dirty Water with a Guitar

by David LaMotte

My newest guitar is a Taylor Holden Village GS Mini.  I love it for lots of reasons, not the least of which is where it came from — and where it’s going.  This little instrument is doing a lot of good in the world, and that good is not limited to the music being played […]

What I Learned From Pete Seeger

Jan 28, 2014
It’s late Monday night and I’m staying up by the wood stove trying to catch up on some work.  Or at least I was. My plans for the night just changed.  A few minutes ago I received a note from my friend Laura saying that Pete Seeger left us about an hour ago.  Apparently the […]

What I Learned From Pete Seeger

by David LaMotte

It’s late Monday night and I’m staying up by the wood stove trying to catch up on some work.  Or at least I was. My plans for the night just changed.  A few minutes ago I received a note from my friend Laura saying that Pete Seeger left us about an hour ago.  Apparently the […]

Not the same Auld Lang Syne

Jan 10, 2014
On New Year’s Eve, ringing in 2014, I was invited to play a few songs as part of a show organized by friend BJ Leiderman (of NPR theme song fame) at the White Horse in Black Mountain, NC. It was a fun night, with a broad variety of music and even some poetry. Mostly it […]

Not the same Auld Lang Syne

by David LaMotte

On New Year’s Eve, ringing in 2014, I was invited to play a few songs as part of a show organized by friend BJ Leiderman (of NPR theme song fame) at the White Horse in Black Mountain, NC. It was a fun night, with a broad variety of music and even some poetry. Mostly it […]

They’re here! They’re here! They’re here!

Nov 6, 2013
UPS brought the new ‘Best Of David LaMotte’ CDs to the door last night after dark (it was a long, impatient wait!), and today we will be mailing them out. We’re really excited about the new record around here.  It contains fourteen songs, including new versions of some older songs with talented guest musicians joining […]

They’re here! They’re here! They’re here!

by David LaMotte

UPS brought the new ‘Best Of David LaMotte’ CDs to the door last night after dark (it was a long, impatient wait!), and today we will be mailing them out. We’re really excited about the new record around here.  It contains fourteen songs, including new versions of some older songs with talented guest musicians joining […]

New ‘Best Of David LaMotte’ CD release

Oct 12, 2013
It’s amazing to find myself putting out a retrospective record.  I’ve been a professional musician for twenty-two years, though, so I guess it’s time! Over those couple decades I’ve put out ten records, and the eleventh, coming out now, is a look back across my years of making music. I considered calling it “Greatest Hits,” […]

New ‘Best Of David LaMotte’ CD release

by David LaMotte

It’s amazing to find myself putting out a retrospective record.  I’ve been a professional musician for twenty-two years, though, so I guess it’s time! Over those couple decades I’ve put out ten records, and the eleventh, coming out now, is a look back across my years of making music. I considered calling it “Greatest Hits,” […]

Worldchanging in your town…

Oct 7, 2013
It’s been a whirlwind of a day with a few meetings related to releasing my new ‘Best Of’ CD, some writing for an online community, two connections with longtime friends, meetings with the folks at Kudzu, the design company I’m working with these days, to finalize this cool flier right here—–> …and a talk at […]

Worldchanging in your town…

by David LaMotte

It’s been a whirlwind of a day with a few meetings related to releasing my new ‘Best Of’ CD, some writing for an online community, two connections with longtime friends, meetings with the folks at Kudzu, the design company I’m working with these days, to finalize this cool flier right here—–> …and a talk at […]