David began performing in Athens, Georgia in the fall of 1995 and formed a band called Salt in the spring of 1997. The band featured Ken Corsini (guitars), Gabe Fernandez (drums), Pete Fuller (guitars), and Drew Lawson (bass), and was often joined by Jeff Fricks (keyboards). They soon found shows in Athens and around the state, moving from a small show at DT’s to the opening slot for the Vigilantes of Love at the 40Watt club in a few months. SALT recorded a five-song EP in early November 1999. After SALT’s amicable split in September of 2000, David released a 10-song collection, between here and there, in January 2001 of recordings from the previous summer. This album features four studio tracks with sparse instrumental and vocal accompaniments and six live tracks from a show with Kevin Mann. In the fall of 2003, David began work on a new album with producer and drummer Josh Brackett (Rubyhorse, Atticus Fault, Abra Moore). He enlisted the help of Drew Lawson (bass; Vigilantes of Love), Matt Gramling (guitar; Red Letter Blonde), Jess Hopkins (guitar; Red Letter Blonde), Joey Huffman (keys; Matchbox Twenty, The Georgia Satellites, Shawn Mullins), and his wife Courtney (vocals). Once Out Loud, released April 15th, 2004, includes eleven songs recorded over roughly nine months in The House of Roy in Marietta, Georgia.