Here I am plotting to overthrow the government with my Gretsch guitar. (I'm joking, but the FBI actually thinks like that. They're paranoid of anyone with the power to influence public opinion.)

Objectives

• To defend myself, Dave Sharp, and my band, The American Hot Club Band, from vicious personal attacks from anti-Christian fanatics.

• To uphold the first amendment to the United States Constitution, especially "freedom of speech."

• To expose Outta the Way Cafe (nightclub near Washington, DC) as a listening post for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to monitor the activities of local musicians.

Summary

This article tells a story of trouble that befell myself, Dave Sharp, as a musician after performing regularly at a restaurant/night club called Outta the Way Cafe in Derwood, Maryland. I performed at OTWC's weekly open mics, without pay, for approximately one year, from February 2005 through February 2006. What is the nature of the trouble I experienced? As far as I can determine, many people are upset with me for doing exactly what John Adams advised: "to read, think, speak, and write." Some people at OTWC think I read, think, speak, and write too much. A great deal of the controversy centers around my perceived views about Israel, although I never voiced political views about Israel or anything else to individuals associated with OTWC.

Actually, my story is consistent with allegations made by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt in their blockbuster book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, published August 27, 2007 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. According to Amazon.com's editorial review, the book's thesis is the Israeli lobby, American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has "an almost unchallenged hold on Congress." Mearsheimer and Walt assert that AIPAC "has pressured the U.S. government into Middle East policies that are strategically and morally unjustifiable: lavish financial subsidies for Israel despite its occupation of Palestinian territories; needless American confrontations with Israel's foes Syria and Iran; uncritical support of Israel's 2006 bombing of Lebanon, which violated the laws of war; and the Iraq war, which almost certainly would not have occurred had [the Israel lobby] been absent."

I applaud Mr. Mearsheimer and Mr. Walt for having the courage to write such a book, not necessarily because I agree with every word they wrote, but because our first amendment right of free speech has become badly eroded due to cultural censorship regarding public discussions about Israel. Judging by the authors' names, I assume at least one is Jewish, which makes such courage even more remarkable. Their book is timely with respect to problems I experienced by Zionist fanatics at Outta the Way Cafe. In short, Mearsheimer and Walt raise an important question in their book. Are Americans truly allowed to "read, think, speak, and write" about matters critical of Israel?

Outta the Way Cafe - Background

Some may accuse me of sour grapes because Outta the Way Cafe has never hired me or my band to play there. I can see why people might think that, but honestly, if the owner would call and offer me a gig, I would respectfully decline. The place is simply too infested with people whom I consider extremely undesirable. From my personal experience, I view the place as the heart of darkness. In fact, I make a special point not to associate with people from that place, because trouble always follows. On the other hand, if the owner would grant me a tape recorded interview, to tell his side of the story and answer questions, I would be more than happy to oblige.

The primary owner of OTWC is Chip Berman, a local business man who enjoys a significant amount of business from local musicians, but he gives them little in return. Mr. Berman apparently allows his political views to influence the bands he hires to perform at his cafe. For example, Mr. Berman regularly hires a band, the Newports, whose bandleader, Blaine Smith, is an Evangelical Christian Minister and founder of Nehemiah Ministries in Damascus, Maryland. Mr. Smith has appeared on television with well-known Evangelical Christians such as Pat Robertson on the TV program, The 700 Club.

But all healthy friendships must come to an end. In November 2007, Blaine Smith wrote a scathing message for Pat Robertson on a CNN blog after Robertson endorsed pro-choice Republican presidential candidate, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani. Blaine Smith blew his cool and wrote the following message:

For more information about Blaine Smith, click here.

Mr. Berman also hires conservative Baltimore attorney Bill Mulroney's band, The Second Wind Bandits. Mr. Mulroney is widely known for being one of the worst performers in the Washington, DC area. Yet he gets gigs at OTWC because he spews right-wing rhetoric at shows in support of the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War, and the global war on terror which is code for pogroms to exterminate all Arabs and Muslims on the planet. (For more information about Bill Mulroney, click here.)

As previously stated, I performed at Outta the Way Cafe for approximately one year, from February 2005 through February 2006, at weekly open mics. During that time I met several strange people. Eventually, I decided not to go back because the place appeared to be nothing but trouble. Although it has not been confirmed, I suspect the Outta the Way Cafe is a listening post for the FBI. In other words, I suspect the FBI plants informants at OTWC to monitor the activities of local musicians who might resist the Iraq War and the war on terrorism in general. I do not know this with absolute certainty, but I endured lots of very strange problems for the year that I frequented the Outta the Way Cafe, so I decided to stay away.

For more information about Chip Berman and his club, Outta the Way Cafe, click here.

My Story

My name is Dave Sharp, musician, songwriter, humanitarian, Christian, sixth-generation American. I reside in Montgomery County, Maryland. Many may know of my musical group, the American Hot Club Band. We play 60s rock and 60s soul, plus some 50s rockabilly and a few originals. You can learn about the AHCB at the following URL:

The American Hot Club Band is quickly gaining popularity, but unfortunately, we are having trouble getting work. We have experienced several instances of playing gigs, getting great crowd response, then club owners/managers refuse to re-hire us or even return our calls. In other words, we appear to be black listed in the Washington, DC/Baltimore area.

The major point I wish to make in this article is it appears that someone with significant power and influence in the United States government is monitoring the activities of musicians in the Washington, DC area and perhaps the entire country. Who would do such a thing? Could it be the Bush Administration is cracking down on rock stars, or potential rock stars, in an attempt to thwart all opposition to its foreign policy? If so, it would make sense that such a program would be part of a larger intelligence effort to manage growing discontent over the Iraq War. My personal experiences since February 2005 suggest that Outta the Way Cafe is an FBI listening post. In my opinion, its mission is to monitor the activities of musicians and songwriters in Washington, DC and surrounding areas. There is compelling circumstantial evidence indicating that the stated listening post is run by Chip Berman and Blaine Smith.

This listening post, which is a type of spy network, has apparently targeted me as undesirable and a "dreamer of dreams." There is definitely an effort to "poison the well," or discredit me, as a means of preventing my band from being hired at local clubs.

The Judge's Bench Pub on main street Ellicott City. Watch out for this place! Jane the owner rips off musicians big time.

For example, the American Hot Club Band performed February 23, 2008 at a place called The Judge's Bench Pub in Ellicott City, Maryland. Jane, the owner, told us she would pay approximately X dollars if we packed the place, which we did. Then Jane stiffed us by approximately one third what she had promised, and she refused to re-hire us. Perhaps Jane is dishonest, but her demeanor does not seem deceitful or fraudulent. I was somewhat puzzled by her post-gig behavior. Then I googled "American Hot Club Band" and noticed a disgusting hate page about me that appeared on the first page of website listings. Not only did the hate page belittle me personally, it also contained highly inflammatory comments about the American Hot Club Band. The stated hate page can be viewed at the following URL:

The David Sharp FAQ

http://home.nyc.rr.com/whammo/david_sharp_faq.htm

As you can see, the author of the hate page does not subscribe to John Adams' belief that Americans should "read, think, speak, and write," on all topics. Open discussion about Israel are apparently off limits, as John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt claim in their book, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy.

I also noticed that someone using the moniker, "MrK," had posted an enormous amount of negative messages about me on Israel Today's website. The postings were dated within a week of the AHCB's appearance at the Judge's Bench Pub on February 23, 2008. Israel Today's website uses the following URL:

http://www.israeltoday.co.il

I do not know precisely what happened at The Judge's Bench Pub, but it is certainly plausible that whoever took the time to discredit me on Israel Today's website would think nothing of contacting The Judge's Bench Pub and telling the owner not to re-hire me. All this individual would have to do is call or e-mail Jane and tell her some made-up negative stories about me. You would be surprised what many people will believe without doing any fact checking whatsoever. And pub/bar owners are typically not the sharpest knives in the drawer. In addition, the stated hate page makes several inflammatory comments regarding my alleged opinions about Jews and the Holocaust. Such comments tend to place some people in an involuntary state of hysteria. It's similar to accusing someone of being a wife beater, or child-molester, or rapist. The charges themselves are so inflammatory that many people will jump to the conclusion that the accused person is guilty without examining any evidence presented. What about due process? I suppose when the Bolsheviks at Israel Today call someone a anti-Semitic, there's no point in having a discussion because Jehovah has spoken.

Israel Today - The Anti-Christian Racist Website

Besides being un-American in every sense, MrK appears to be good friends with anti-Christian bigots who post regularly on Israel Today. These posters often refer to Jesus as a "bastard" whose mother was a "whore." I realize that Americans are taught to respect all faiths, but there are limits to what Christians must endure. These godless heathens hide behind a contrived religion that follows an ancient racial creed that calls for utter destruction of all non-members.

Besides being anti-Christian Jesus haters, MrK and his anti-American friends at Israel Today frequently quote from Old Testament books like Deuteronomy, Numbers and Leviticus. Many Christians concur that these and other Old Testament books are the complete opposite of Christian thought, that the substance of Jesus' teachings negate these ancient writings which defined the racial creed that is the basis of a master race in Israel.

Motivation for Destroying the American Hot Club Band

Previously I mentioned that someone has created the following hate page about me and my band, but the big question is why?

The David Sharp FAQ

http://home.nyc.rr.com/whammo/david_sharp_faq.htm

Why would someone create such a hateful page about me? Why would MrK post inflammatory messages about me on the anti-Christian website, Israel Today? I am not overly religious, although I was raised Christian, and I look to the teachings of Jesus as a moral compass that guides my life. But I am not particularly into the whole thing about Jesus being the son of God or rising from the dead. Although the Israel Today crowd generally detests Christians, there is no obvious reason to target me above other Christians. In Deuteronomy, it says: "if there rise among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams... [he] shall be put to death." I can envision certain fanatics viewing me as a prophet or a dreamer of dreams. I would never claim to be a prophet, but a dreamer of dreams is somewhat accurate. Consequently, the motive for harassment could be as simple as that. Remember, we are talking about an ancient cult that uses deadly force to achieve its goals, as clearly stated in Deuteronomy.

It is worth noting that the excerpt from Deuteronomy is a good example of why Jesus opposed the high priests of the Sanhedrin, specifically the Pharisees and the scribes. They wrote barbaric directives like this to enslave their own people psychologically, but they claimed everything they wrote came from the word of Jehovah, which was a brazen lie. Jesus called them on that point, and they hated him for it. Eventually they killed him, for he too was a "dreamer of dreams."

Within that context, there are two for reasons for the harassment, in my opinion. First, it occurred to me long ago that when the ruling class of any nation decides to wage war, the leaders probably make an enemies list of potential opponents to that war. And history teaches us that the most powerful resistance to the Vietnam War in the 60s were rock stars and their fans. Rock concerts were often synonymous with anti-war rallies. At Woodstock, Jimi Hendrix played the Star Spangled Banner on his electric guitar, Country Joe McDonald sang "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag," which became an anti-war anthem to many young people.

Nearly 40 years have passed since Woodstock, but the US Government has a long memory. I expect the FBI, CIA, and other promoters of war have learned from their mistakes from the 60s. What did they learn? Keep a lid on rock music. That is a big reason why I am being harassed, but not the only reason, in my opinion.

The second reason may seem insane, but it's easy to understand. On the cited hate page, the author (aka, Eric B.) claims that I have written "several books outlining...bizarre conspiracy theories regarding the murders of JFK and John Lennon." Eric B. accuses me of writing the following two books using the pseudonym of renowned Internet writer, Salvador Astucia:

• Opium Lords: Israel, the Golden Triangle, and the Kennedy Assassination

• Rethinking John Lennon’s Assassination: The FBI’s War on Rock Stars

To make a long story short, these two books claim that the respective individuals, JFK and Lennon, were victims of governmental conspiracies. Apparently there must be something to Mr. Astucia's work because several people are quite upset with me primarily because they think I am him. (For more information regarding why people may be trying to destroy the American Hot Club Band, click here.)

Free Speech and Pseudonyms

MrK and the creator of the stated hate page (aka, The David Sharp FAQ) are probably the same person, in my opinion. But if they are not, they are obviously supporters of Israel. Therefore, I shall refer to both entities as one, and I shall call him Mr. Zion for the remainder of this article.

Mr. Zion claims it is improper to use a pseudonym to write controversial books. Since when? Who does Mr. Zion think he is? This is America where we have free speech. What country is this guy from? Mr. Zion’s main argument is that people who use pseudonyms are somehow acting improperly. This is obviously a distorted view of reality. Some of our greatest writers have used pseudonyms. Mark Twain's real name was Samuel Clemens. Lewis Carroll's real name was Charles Dodgson. George Orwell's real name was Eric Blair. O. Henry's real name was William Sydney Porter. A more contemporary example is Peter Tremayne whose real name is Peter Berresford Ellis, historian, literary biographer and expert on Celtic history and culture. It's ridiculous to claim that using a pseudonym is wrong or improper. So if anyone hears any rumors that Dave Sharp uses a pen name, please remember that pen names are as American as apple pie.

But even more to the point: What difference does it make if an author DOES use a pen name? Is "1984" any less compelling because it was written by "George Orwell"? Or "Tom Sawyer" any less compelling because it was written by "Mark Twain"? It seems to me that Mr. Zion is complaining because he doesn't like the content of the writing, not because he is against pen names! It seems Mr. Zion's ox is being gored by the writings.

As previously stated, Mr. Astucia accuses Mr. Zion (aka, Robert Rosen) of being involved in a conspiracy to murder John Lennon. If true, this would certainly solve the riddle of why Mr. Zion is harassing me, since he obviously believes that I am Mr. Astucia.

William Chase, Special Minion in Charge of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office (He looks like he ate his first born for breakfast.) His office has harassed me in the past.

Political Songs

Some people became quite upset with me when the AHCB released a song/recording in June 2006 entitled, False Prophets, which criticized America's invasion of Iraq in March 2003. I am a political activist and have written controversial songs in the past. For example, in 1993, I wrote and recorded a song entitled Clinging to the Truth, which dealt the President Kennedy's assassination. The song was the title track for a CD by the same name, which received quite a bit of media coverage in the Washington, DC area because it was released on the 30th anniversary of Kennedy's murder.

Over the years I have remained active both musically and politically. I attended two anti-Iraq war rallies -- one in October 2002, before the US invasion of Iraq began in March 2003, and one in September 2005, which marked a shift of public opinion against the war. As previously stated, my band released an anti-Iraq war song/CD (False Prophets) in June 2006. As a result of this and other political activities, the FBI has sent agents to question me more than once. Of course they created a pretext for the visits, but their true objective was clear: to plant terror in my mind. (Note: Mr. Astucia claims that he too was harassed by FBI. Some may say this is proof that we are the same person; however, it only proves the FBI is an annoying organization and should be abolished.) Unfortunately, many conservative people assume that anyone is a criminal if they are questioned by the FBI. This a big mistake because, contrary to popular belief, the FBI's main function is propaganda. FBI agents are expected to act as flacks, or press agents, representing the bureau. Each agent is expected to maintain cordial relationships with journalists and newspaper/magazine editors in the agent's assigned geographic region. Consequently, agents are expected to dress well, the way a press agent representing a famous celebrity must dress. This explains why FBI officials get upset when people like Salvador Astucia, John Lennon, Martin Luther King, Jr., and myself alter public opinion on various topics without their permission. This is essentially why the FBI doesn't like me, because they believe I interfere with their vast propaganda machine. In other words, they think I'm a "prophet" and a "dreamer of dreams."

Some may question my assertion that the FBI's primary function is propaganda, but it is not merely my observation. William Sullivan wrote the same thing in his book, The Bureau: My Thirty Years in Hoover's FBI. Sullivan was J. Edgar Hoover's top aide for thirty years. Sullivan wrote the following text in his book:

The FBI seems to be paranoid because they apparently think I might become famous, thus having a vast forum to express my views on various topics. America's collective values have certainly taken quite a detour since the days of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington.

The American Hot Club Band is planning to release a CD shortly, and word has apparently spread among certain people that the CD contains more tunes with anti-war lyrics. On the previous occasions when I was questioned by FBI agents, the agents stated that they worked out of the Baltimore, Maryland field office. So if the FBI is playing dirty tricks again, they're probably doing it from the Baltimore field office like before. William Chase is currently the special minion in charge of the FBI's Baltimore field office. Therefore, if the FBI is harassing me again, then Mr. Chase would be the person assigned to get me blacklisted in the music business.

I have made several attempts to talk with Mr. Chase by phone. I have even called my Senator's office and requested a face to face meeting with him, and he has steadfastly refused to talk or meet with me. In fact, the Baltimore field office turns their phone system off for a good portion of the day, so when a tax payer calls he/she gets a recording. You can't even leave a message.

NOTE: William D. Chase has stepped down as Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Baltimore field office since the initial publication of this article on March 30, 2008. Mr. Chase was temporarily replaced by Acting Special Agent in Charge, Brian W. Lynch. (SOURCE: FBI website.) On April 18, 2008, the FBI issued a press release stating that Agent William Chase had retired from the FBI, and would be replaced by Ms. Amy Jo Lyons as the Special Agent in Charge of the Baltimore office. To read more about Ms. Lyons, click here. To see the stated FBI press release from April 18, 2008, click the following URL"

http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel08/lyons041808.htm

(DS, 04/27/2008)

Searching for Mr. Zion's Helper: John Blake
The story I am about to tell is but one example of why I suspect OTWC is an FBI listening post that monitors activities of local musicians. On August 2005, I had a run-in with an individual named John Blake, a hack musician/guitar player at a jam session at an American Legion post in Rockville, Maryland. The build up to the confrontation with Mr. Blake occurred approximately six weeks prior. Around June 2005, Mr. Blake approached me after I had finished a musical performance at OTWC on their open mic night. "Didn't I see you perform at Borders in Gaithersburg [MD] several years ago?" Mr. Blake asked.

"Yes," I replied. "I played at Borders. It was around 1998, I think," I replied.

"Does [name omitted] still play bass for you?" Mr. Blake asked.

"No," I replied. "I haven't talked to him in several years." I was somewhat surprised that Mr. Blake remembered the name of my bassist from seven years ago. I recorded a CD with that particular bassist, and we played a few gigs together now and then, but we weren't renowned as a duo.

Shortly thereafter, I received an e-mail from an individual that had been harassing me, but only on the Internet. The e-mail made reference to my gig "at Borders." It seemed obvious that the information about Borders must have come from John Blake. I viewed the person who sent the e-mail as a criminal because he had sent death threat e-mails in the past, which I reported to the Montgomery County Police.

A few weeks later, I saw Mr. Blake at a jam session at an American Legion hall in Rockville. He walked outside to the parking lot, so I followed him. I walked right up to him, looked him in the eye and asked, "Are you FBI?" He began to talk nervously in a manner that made me think he probably was, either directly or indirectly. I suspected he was an FBI informant as opposed to a bona fide agent; however, I never confirmed it absolutely because such treachery is difficult to prove. When I asked if he was a federal agent, I did not expect him to answer truthfully. I just stared in his eyes as I asked the question to determine if he was lying when he responded. In my opinion, he was definitely lying when he denied being an agent of some sort. To further satisfy my curiosity, I made unpleasant comments about J. Edgar Hoover's penchant for male lovers. At that point, Mr. Blake's eyes became filled with anger, his face turned red, and I was thoroughly convinced that he was an undercover informant, or connected with an intelligence network in some capacity.

Contrary to popular belief, if Mr. Blake was an FBI informant assigned to monitor me for any reason, it would not be a violation of federal laws because the FBI has carte blanch to spy on Americans any way they choose with virtually no oversight from Congress or the president. Occasionally the feds get in hot water, but it's usually because they've done something that looks bad, not because it was illegal. Under current US law, FBI agents are essentially above the law, and so are their paid informants. In my opinion, this is an intolerable situation. The FBI problem can only be remedied by complete abolition of the agency and prohibiting agents from working for other intelligence agencies, police departments, or military groups in federal, state, local, or private sectors. Enforcement of federal laws was once the exclusive domain of the U.S. Marshals Service. America needs to return to a policy where trained federal police officers enforce federal laws instead of the present arrangement where vast a federal agency employs thousands of pretty boy press agents (aka, FBI agents) to push propaganda to news outlets who in turn disseminate same propaganda to the American public.

For the record, when I confronted Mr. Blake at the Rockville American Legion hall, he was accompanied by a middle aged male who later played bass guitar in the ensuing jam session. Later that evening, after things calmed down, I clearly overheard this individual state to the post commander that he worked for "NSA" (National Security Agency).

At the time that I confronted Mr. Blake, I did not know his name. Afterwards, I started asking around and learned that his name was John Blake; however, I was advised by guitarist Scott Geshen that Mr. Blake used aliases, and his real name might be "Fields."

"If the police have no DMV/MVA record for BLAKE, try FIELD," Geshen advised via e-mail. "I'm asking myself why a person uses aliases in the first place. I know he lives in Germantown, and I stayed there until he kicked me out, but I don't know the house number or the street name. Again, I'M NOT PROTECTING HIM. In fact I'm considering my own safety." (See e-mail summaries from Bill Mulroney, Scott Geshen and myself.)
 

Prior to communicating with Scott Geshen, I contacted Bill Mulroney to learn more about John Blake. (For more information about Bill Mulroney, click here.) At the time, I only knew Mr. Blake's first name was John, so I wanted to learn his full name, and find out where he lived so I could forward the information to the Montgomery County Police. I thought Mulroney might be able to help me because he had organized the jam session (at a Rockville American Legion hall) where the confrontation had occurred between Mr. Blake and myself. On August 9, 2005, I sent an e-mail to Mulroney regarding John Blake. Singer Luisa Rose had given me John Blake's first name, but indicated that she did not know his last name. In the e-mail to Mulroney, I described Mr. Blake, said I only knew his name was John, but I believed he was involved in criminal activity, and suspected he was a rogue FBI informant.

I asked Mulroney the following question in an e-mail: "What is the guy's name who played guitar and sang 'Proud Mary' with a group of other people at your Saturday night gig? His first name is 'John' and he looks Jewish, although I don't know that he actually is... This John person brought his own bass player and they had a female vocalist named Dominique. It is important that I find out John's last name because I believe he is involved in serious criminal activities...Anyway, I intend to file a police report against this John guy and just let them handle it, rather than attacking him personally and getting myself thrown in jail."

I also advised Mulroney that Mr. Blake appeared to be involved in sending e-mail death threats, although I was not sure if he was the sender, or if he was communicating with the sender.
 

The next day Mulroney called me and we talked for about an hour, but he was somewhat evasive regarding Mr. Blake. He also sent me an e-mail giving me similarly evasive information.

"I can't remember John's last name off the top of my head," Mulroney replied in an e-mail, "but I've seen him around for years and have talked to him many times. He has always seemed like a nice guy. He has played with Scott Geshen in at least one band in the past-the 8 balls was the name. I think Scott stayed at his apartment when Scott fell on hard times last year. Are you sure you've got the right guy?"

Mulroney's opinion of Mr. Blake was dramatically different from Mr. Geshen's.  As previously stated, Geshen indicated that Blake let him stay at his place "until he kicked me [him] out." Geshen seemed afraid of Blake and stated that he was "considering my [his] own safety." (See e-mail summaries from Bill Mulroney, Scott Geshen and myself.)

On August 11, 2005, Mr. Mulroney sent me another e-mail with highly unusual advice, considering he was an attorney. Mr. Mulroney told me not to complain to the police about John Blake, otherwise I would be banned from future jam sessions at the American Legion hall in Rockville, Maryland.

"Dave, I hope you will think carefully on the matters we talked about before pressing charges," Mulroney wrote. "Candidly, I would like to continue an open door policy at the Legion gig each month. But bad blood and violence will end in a flash what I'm trying to have there each month-people won't come if they fear confrontations will occur during the night." (See e-mail summaries from Bill Mulroney and myself.)

I wondered why Mr. Mulroney was protecting someone he claimed not to know.

The Communist Connection

On August 13, 2005, I sent an e-mailed to Scott Geshen asking about John Blake. I contacted Mr. Geshen because Bill Mulroney had indicated that Geshen and Blake had been roommates for a period of time. Like Mulroney, I met Mr. Geshen through playing open mics at Outta the Way Cafe. From May 2005 through February 2006, Scott and I played in a band called Luisa and the Reverbs. The band was comprised entirely of people I had met at Outta the Way Cafe. (For more information about Scott Geshen, click here.)

Lusia Rose was the band leader of Luisa and the Reverbs. She was managed by her husband, Ken Sleeman (aka, Ken Carpenter). Luisa seemed like a decent person, but Ken was quite another story. On several occasions, Mr. Sleeman boasted that he was a bona fide Communist, something that I thought was extremely weird. I had never met a Communist in person before, and assumed it was a practical joke at first. But it was no joke. Looking back, it's odd that the only Communist I had ever known personally was someone I met at Outta the Way Cafe. (For more information about Ken Sleeman and his Communist leanings, click here.)

(NOTE: An ironic twist is Ken Sleeman books his wife to perform at local veterans organizations like the American Legion Hall and the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Wheaton, Maryland, and surrounding areas. Again Mr. Sleeman uses the alias, Ken Carpenter, apparently as a means of fooling the veterans.)

Back to the story, I sent Mr. Geshen an e-mail asking about an individual named John Blake because I suspected Mr. Blake was stalking me, or knew someone who was. Mr. Geshen replied to my e-mails immediately, and we chatted on the phone a few times about Mr. Blake. At first Mr. Geshen was supportive, then things changed. Nevertheless, he advised me that John Blake was a computer programmer who worked, as a contractor, for the Department of Energy (DOE), the agency that controls and monitors America’s stockpile of nuclear weapons. He advised that Mr. Blake worked on his computer constantly and was a very "quirky" person. (See e-mails with Scott Geshen and myself.)

I never found any contact information for John Blake, so it seemed pointless to contact the police.

The Sudden Destruction of Luisa and the Reverbs

Approximately five months after the John Blake incident, Luisa and the Reverbs fell apart suddenly. Actually, they were destroyed by the band's bassist, Gary Garvin. He started sending mean-spirited e-mails to other band members, and he telephoned them and talked trash. Most of his trash-talk used twisted logic where he blamed me for several decisions made by band leader Luisa Rose. He claimed I put a lot of pressure on him to learn new material, which was false. I tried to explain what happened rationally via e-mail. I advised that it was Luisa's decision to learn new songs, and I supported her, but I didn't care if he learned them or not. I certainly never pressured anyone to learn material against their will, but I wrote chord charts for Luisa and sent them to Gary, so I suppose that created a pretext for making me the bad guy. "I'm not going to read any more of the nonsense!" Gary declared. He wasn't interested in talking things through and being reasonable. His mission was to utterly destroy the band, just as the band was beginning to get several bookings/gigs. Eventually Gary created so much division and turmoil that the entire band quit, except for Luisa and me. (For more information about Gary Garvin, and how he destroyed Luisa and the Reverbs, click here.)

I told Luisa and Ken that it wasn't a big deal. The band members who quit were just mediocre musicians anyway, in my opinion. They could easily be replaced, especially since the band was getting more paying gigs which would attract reasonably good musicians. But Ken panicked and became difficult to work with. Eventually I dropped Luisa because Ken had become so obstinate and manipulative after the sudden breakup of the original band; however, he never viewed Garvin, Geshen and Conversano for what they truly were: three moochers who played with several bands and picked up any gigs they could find. They were hardly loyal band members and never had been. They were mercenaries, carpetbaggers, users. I had always seen them in that light.

Around the same time someone created an earlier iteration of the following hate page:

The David Sharp FAQ

http://home.nyc.rr.com/whammo/david_sharp_faq.htm

On the original iteration of the hate page, there was a comment section, like a blog. A few unfriendly messages were posted, but they used fake names. Then on February 15, 2006, former-Reverbs drummer Andy Conversano posted the following message using the moniker, "Hired Drum":

"Up until a couple of weeks ago I was in a band with the Dave Sharp pictured on this web-site. I find it hard to believe this is the same guy you all write about but I only know him thru the band."

I knew it was Andy because Luisa and the Reverbs was the only band I played in at that time. Andy was the drummer and we broke up about two weeks early. There was no question that Andy Conversano had written the message. If Andy had seen the hate page, that meant that Gary Garvin and Scott Geshen had probably seen it as well. And if Gary Garvin had seen it, that was probably the real reason he was angry.

But if Mr. Garvin was angry about the hate page, the question is WHY? Andy Conversano saw it, and his message indicated that he was confused by the hate page, but not angry. Why would Mr. Garvin be angry enough to destroy a band? Was he given the assignment to destroy the band? If so, then by whom?

I didn't connect the dots until quite some time later, but Blaine Smith entered the picture when Mr. Garvin destroyed Luisa and the Reverbs. Within a few days after the breakup, I had replacement musicians (guitarist, bassist, and drummer) to play four outstanding gigs that we had already booked before the breakup. (NOTE: Garvin, Conversano and Geshen all decided not to honor their outstanding gig commitments, which is extremely unprofessional by any musician's standard.) I talked directly with Luisa and she seemed quite relieved that replacement players were already in place. I told her not to worry that I would get the musicians in shape with practice CDs, chord charts, rehearsals, and so on. Then out of the blue, her husband Ken calls me and schedules a meeting with him, Luisa, and me.

To make a long story short, at the meeting, Ken announced that Gary Garvin had made arrangements with Blaine Smith's band, the Newports, to play a pending gig at the Olney Tavern that Ken and Luisa had booked for Luisa and the Reverbs. Ken said the reason they were doing it was because the Newports played a lot of high-dollar private parties, and they would consider letting Luisa be a backup singer if she would give them the gig at the Olney Tavern. It was not a point of negotiation. Ken had essentially given one of my gigs to Blaine Smith's band. Essentially Pastor Blaine had stolen my gig. That's why I started checking his background and quickly discovered that he was an Evangelical Christian minister and founder of Nehemiah Ministries.

But why would the Newports want to play at the Olney Tavern? At the time, it only paid $200, and the Newports had approximately ten band members, so they would only make approximately $20 per member. Perhaps they wanted another club gig even if the pay wasn't very much, or perhaps there was an ulterior motive. It is possible that Blaine Smith was completely aware of the hate page about me (just as Luisa's drummer, Andy Conversano, was aware of it and posted a message on its message board). Being an Old Testament bible thumper, it is quite plausible that Pastor Blaine had appointed himself as the chief rabbi to destroy the "prophet," the "dreamer of dreams," ME. (For more information about Blaine Smith, click here.)

It is worth noting that Mr. Garvin boasts of being former-Navy (served four years), claims to be a draftsman for the Department of the Navy, and he claims to work at a building in the vicinity of the CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia, although he has never admitted to working for the CIA.

Washington

Jefferson

Adams

Conclusion

Immediately after Gary Garvin destroyed Luisa and the Reverbs, I formed my own band called The American Hot Club Band. Within six months we released a maxi single of the song, False Prophets. Lots of strange things began to happen presumably because the song is anti-Iraq War. Musicians called or e-mailed complaining about one thing or another. A drummer I once worked with e-mailed and demanded that I remove his photo and name from my website. Naturally I asked why. He said he was trying to get a security clearance and was afraid he might not get it if his picture was on my website. I e-mailed back and said the explanation did not make sense because my music website was not overtly political, notwithstanding one political song, which I seriously doubt would cause someone's security clearance to be revoked. Other things happened of a similar nature.

Then last fall, the American Hot Club Band got several gigs at once, and we suddenly turned into an impressive live band. We decided to play mostly 60s rock and soul tunes and a few 50s rockabilly songs as well. Crowds started reacting. At a recent gig, they got pretty wild, but the club was too small to get too out of control. That's when the mysterious hate page re-emerged with a higher priority in the google search engine. (The David Sharp FAQ - http://home.nyc.rr.com/whammo/david_sharp_faq.htm) In other words, if you do a Google search on the American Hot Club Band, the hate page displays on the first page of search responses. On that hate page, where multiple inflammatory accusations are made against me (anti-Semitic, Holocaust Denier, and so on). Obviously the page was designed to thwart my efforts to get work for the American Hot Club Band. Around the same time, I was assaulted by anti-Christians on Israel Today's website, where many posters believe in an ancient creed of racial superiority and utter destruction of Gentiles per the hateful teachings of Deuteronomy, Numbers, Leviticus and other disgusting anti-Christian spewings from the Old Testament. As previously mentioned, these posters at Israel Today often refer to Jesus as a "bastard" whose mother was a "whore." Many boast of teaching their young children to spit at images of Jesus.

A lot of strange things have happened since my band released the song, False Prophets, and since I befriended the cast of characters at Outta the Way Cafe (evangelical Christian Blaine Smith, Communist Ken Sleeman, worst performer in DC Bill Mulroney). It is not out of the question to think that Chip Berman's Outta the Way Cafe is an FBI listening post to monitor the activities of musicians who frequent his night club. After all, Outta the Way Cafe is in Derwood, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, DC, the most powerful nation on the planet. If ever there was a city where rock music would be thwarted for political purposes, it would certainly be Washington, DC. It is not out of the question to think that John Blake was an FBI informant as I suspected, and the folks at Outta the Way Cafe and the FBI became unnerved when I looked Mr. Blake in the eye and asked, "Are you FBI?" Then a few months later, Gary Garvin was apparently given the assignment to destroy the band I was playing in at the time: Luisa and the Reverbs. But they weren't a very good band anyway.

The cited hate page has been around for approximately two years, but is was just recently given a higher priority with Google. How was this done? I don't know. Why was it done? Pure harassment. Someone is trying to destroy the American Hot Club Band because we're a top notch band and because someone apparently views me as a "prophet" and a "dreamer of dreams" who must be destroyed. In other words, this individual fears anyone with the courage to "read, think, speak, and write."

SOURCES:

(1) On Nov. 11, 2007, Blaine Smith posted a nasty message about Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani on CNN blog: Political Ticker: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/11/07/robertson-to-endorse-giuliani/