DURANGO, Colo. - In January 2007, on the eve of the release of Formula 151’s ambitious double-CD, Yesterday’s Tomorrow, singer/songwriter Dave Mensch was philosophical. If the CD didn’t sell, and music as a career turned out to be a bust, he would revert to Plan B – go back to school and become a counselor.

Plan B didn’t happen, and a growing cadre of Formula 151 music fans are more than relieved – as is one rock star in the making: Dave Mensch.

“He has all the goods and he’s defining them, refining them and expanding them every day,” said Scott “Scooter” Smith of Scooter’s Place, who has engineered and produced successful recording artists from across the country. “He still has a long road to go and every day you just have to keep working on it. I’m not saying he’s going to be an overnight sensation, but he has the goods to make it if he wants to.”

“He’s one of the hardest working guys in show business locally,” echoed Dina Davis, program director at KPTE-FM, which plays Formula 151 music in regular rotation. “Dave has passion and great commitment for his art.”

Indeed, Mensch has gone from playing some 20 live shows per year, to roughly 250, either as part of Formula 151 or solo. He’s writing voraciously, testing out new songs at his regular solo shows around town, playing larger gigs with the full band as often as the schedule will allow, and has just gone back into the studio at Scooter’s Place to lay the preliminary groundwork for a new Formula 151 CD, a solo Dave Mensch album – or both. Music is now officially Mensch’s day job, and he’s embraced it.

Formula 151 - (LtoR) Mike Kornelson, Dave Mensch, Katherine Jetter and Steve Dejka - perform at the recent Relay for Life.

“I want to play as much as I can, any place, anywhere,” he said. “With any small business owner, I feel like it’s important to continually be working until you’re at that place you have been seeking, and to push as hard as you possibly can. For me as a musician, that means never turning down a gig.”

Born William David Mensch III in Phoenix, Ariz., Mensch didn’t set out to be a musician or a songwriter. He enjoyed early musical theater exposure through the Aspen-based “Kids Live” program launched by John Denver and Tom Crum, which he attended along with his three sisters during summers throughout his youth.

“And my mom pulled out a lot of her hair trying to get me to practice,” he said, admitting his foray with the piano didn’t last long. He didn’t truly begin to explore his own voice and music until his early years at Arizona State University when he dabbled on his roommate’s guitar and tried his hand at writing songs. When he transferred to Fort Lewis College, where he came to study business, he bought his first guitar at Durango’s Katzin Music, and would sit on campus, creating songs on the fly as passersby tossed out ideas or words.

Truly a self-taught musician, Mensch joined the band Prima Facia as lead singer for a time, opening at Echo Basin for performers such as 38 Special, Kansas, Dan Fogelberg, Charlie Daniels and more. Mensch’s experience during his tenure with Prima Facia was, however, challenging at best, and it failed to allow his true creativity to emerge. The tensions within the band and influences of the industry led to excess, and recognizing he had a problem, Mensch, at age 25, checked himself into rehab.

“Twenty-nine days, up in Estes Park in a place called Harmony,” said Mensch, who now hasn’t had a drink for nearly five years. “It was probably one of the best experiences of my life. I think even beyond the rehabilitation for substance abuse, there are so many tools that they give you for life experiences in general. It was amazing to me to be learning those things at 25. Why didn’t anybody tell me these things when I was 12 or 2? I could have used them this whole time.”

 A spiritual and admittedly emotional person, Mensch now pours his personal experiences, or those he’s observed through others, into his songs. His musical influences range from John Denver and Jewel, to Dave Matthews and Incubus, though his favorite for the past several years has been Bob Schneider.

“As a singer/songwriter, I can’t really peg my music as ‘This is what category it belongs in.’ But once a song’s done, you can kind of tell which way it might lean,” said Mensch, adding one new song could be considered country. “I don’t set out to write acoustic rock, but that’s definitely what comes out the majority of the time.”

“Most of his songs stem from the fact that he likes to play the acoustic guitar,” said Smith. “Some of it could translate to electric, but a lot of it stays there. So that’s the singer/songwriter part of it, and then it evolves into more of a band scene with Formula 151.”

Not one to write on demand about any given topic, Mensch’s songs tend to spark and come out early in the day, when he’s just awakened and still groggy, or late at night after a show when he’s still fully energized. All of his lyrics are written by hand in what he calls his “black book” – a lined journal that shows the evolution of each song, including notes and dates.

But while the lyrics are written out in detail, the music isn’t. Mensch’s music and guitar arrangements are all in his head. He doesn’t read or write music.

“Dave’s songs are refreshing and easy to listen to,” said Davis. “I remember when I first heard Dave perform, I thought his voice had a similarity to Creed’s lead singer Scott Stapp, but Dave has the ability to take his vocals to a level that surpasses most.”

Mensch performs at the CD release party for Rhythms of Durango.

“He’s very, very talented,” said Smith. “An amazing voice. There is nothing wrong with schooled musicians, but with Dave, it’s all just coming out of him. It just shows you what a gift he has and he’s starting to push on it and make it grow.”

Because he has committed to music as his “real” job, Mensch is taking time to work on his interpretations of his songs, trying different vocal techniques to portray more emotion through his voice. When he plays – be it to a crowd or when he’s alone in the basement – he attempts to shut down external influences, focusing on all facets of the songs.

“I would say that I am lost in one of the safest places that I know when I’m playing music,” said Mensch, who notes that he enjoys seeing how others interpret his songs. “All of these songs are definitely attached to the inside of me… but what I get out of it, the relief is so powerful, it keeps me wanting to go back and share some more, relating my experiences through poetry. I love the interaction of sharing with people and the return of giving out a piece of myself and watching it come back from fans. It’s a really powerful thing.”

While his job truly is also his hobby, and Mensch admits he loves his fans, he does force himself to take “downtime.” He’s realized he needs to rest his body and his voice on his days off, as well as try to exercise and eat healthy – a challenge, considering his irregular performance schedule. When he can take the time, he enjoys running, wakeboarding and golf – getting out in the sun, but, as might be expected, he’s very conscious of injuring his hands and arms.

“I’m not a big fan of garbage disposals,” he admitted.

Friendly, easy-going and quite accessible around Durango – something Mensch wants to maintain – he’s recognizing the need to “get out” of town.

“You can only be so famous in your own town,” said Smith, a graduate of the Berklee College of Music. “If you want to spread the word, and be a recording artist, you’ve got to get out. If somebody can come and see you five nights a week for free, it’s going to be hard for them to spend $20 on a concert ticket. If you really want to start a fan base and you actually do want to be a successful musician not only playing live, but as far as selling product, you have to get out. You can’t expect other areas to be interested in you if you don’t go there.”

Formula 151 at Round 2 of the Bodog Battle of the Bands.

Mensch got a taste of this during the Bodog Battle of the Bands, which this past year took Formula 151 to Denver and then on to Las Vegas and exposed the group to a much wider audience, plus gave the members “the feel” of being on a true road trip. Formula 151 was well received and made it as far as the semi-finals.

In April, Mensch, at a friend’s urging, also traveled to the Kona Coast of Hawaii. His three initial gigs expanded to nine during his 12 days on the island. So positive was the reception that the F151 “Power Trio” (Mensch, bass player Mike Kornelson and drummer Steve Dejka) will be returning to Kona in September. Cellist Katherine Jetter resumes her Fort Lewis teaching schedule in the fall.

“I’m really trying to push my solo career as far as I can go,” said Mensch, emphasizing that he absolutely doesn’t want to leave the band behind, but traveling solo allows for much more mobility – plus the other three players do have “day jobs.” “Any time I’m taking them away from those, they should be compensated, and that makes it difficult to travel and get into new cities. I’ll play for food and tips at any new place that would have me to test me out. I can do that on my own, but I can’t really do that with three other people counting on me.”

Formula 151 currently has two CDs, the aforementioned Yesterday’s Tomorrow and the inaugural effort Down on the Beaten Road. The band is also featured on the compilation CD, Rhythms of Durango Vol. 1 and 2 (and 3, to be released this fall). The fans are hungry for Mensch and the band to record new material.

“I’m not putting a timeline on this particular project,” said Mensch, explaining that he had imposed deadlines for the first two CDs. “I pushed us a little too fast on both albums. We could have spent a little more time at certain points. I do want to do a solo album because I play so many solo shows that I’d love to have something to sell that reflects what I’m doing right then. But I have a lot of songs I’ve written that are definitely band-oriented.”

On a new album, Mensch doesn’t anticipate use of a lead guitar as on Yesterday’s Tomorrow, so he hopes the other instruments will “shine brighter” and fill in the gap. Also, because he has so much more material from which to choose, the band will take time in selecting songs.

“I’m going to push everybody to their maximum ability,” he said, reminding that to succeed, he and the band need to put in the time to get there.

“Success is only determined by what you want to do and how far you want to take it,” said Smith. “You don’t have to be a multi-platinum artist to be successful.”

“I’m hoping Dave remembers us ‘little people’ when he finally becomes famous,” says The Point’s Davis, verbalizing the sentiments of many adding, “Dave and Formula 151 are slated for greatness and I am looking forward to saying, ‘I knew him when…’”

Visit www.myspace.com/f151 for information on Formula 151/Dave Mensch show dates, CD purchase and bookings.

indiana@durangodowntown.com