The Official PIUMA Website

PIUMA (Dave Small), singer/songwriter/composer
I’ve loved music for as long as I can remember. Even when I was very little, four or five years old maybe, I can remember droning out a low note on the piano and finding all its higher-note friends. I started seriously learning the guitar at twelve and I have known that music was my path ever since.

During high school, in Los Angeles, I started writing on my acoustic and playing open mics, showcases, and later my own sets at cafes along the strip. Writing songs was such a release; I finally had a way to say all the things that I had been thinking and feeling, but didn’t know how or when to say. Then I started writing and performing with The Dharma Bums at The Whiskey and Roxy. The thrill that I got from jamming in front of a larger crowd with a full band gave me a rush that I am addicted to. There is no better way to connect with a large group of people than through a concert (at least in my opinion).

Favorite Band: Pink Floyd
Perfect weather: cool, sunny, and windy
Perfect day: Sleep in, mid-day a hike or beach day, shower, good Mexican food dinner, some beers and a good concert, movie, or party.
What do I want to do before I die: Travel the world, of course!
Sports: Soccer, body surfing, backpacking, surf fishing
Heroes: John Lennon, Bob Marley, MLK Jr., Gandhi.

I wanted to hit the music industry right then and there, but my better judgment took me to college at The University of Colorado, Boulder where I studied musicology and sociology. Throughout college, after learning about all the horrible injustices that exist in the world, I became an avid activist. The Dharma Bums moved out to Boulder and we gave it a good run, but you know the story.

After my senior year, I took a detour from seriously starting my career in music and decided to devote two years of my life to serving those less fortunate as I joined Teach for America. I taught a literacy intervention class in a middle school in Watts. Those were the two hardest years of my life.

I felt so emotionally drained from the experience, I could barely write music, although I managed to write and perform at Highland Grounds, occasionally. In 2006, I finished my two year commitment and hit the ground running! I finished building my recording studio in January, and founded my music group throughout 2007. Now I am writing and recording my first record! Don’t think that my activism stopped after two years! I have been developing Rising World Benefit Concerts in order to help raise funds for nonprofits as well as awareness of important social and environmental issues. Check the community page!