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 When Dan was 12 years old, his Italian-born grandmother, a descendant of the Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli (according to family legend), gifted him with an accordion purchased on a trip to her homeland. She advised him, "Danny, learn to play the accordion and the girls will flock to you." Practicing only in the car on the way to lessons, the lurching movements of the car inhibited any coordination and led to a permanent musical distortion (being left-handed didn't help either). Sadly, after one year of lessons, Dan decided to trade in the accordion and any prospects of flocking girls for the allure of the acoustic guitar. Since that time, playing the guitar and any other string instrument that captures his curiosity has been an enduring passion.
It was during the disco years that he cried out, "O Brother Where Art Thou?", and took up the banjo. Then came his discovery and subsequent obsession of lap-style slide instruments.
Constantly seeking out new musical adventures, he has played in groups, solo, and as a sideman. He enjoys the opportunity to play with like-minded musicians and often organizes shows featuring various songwriters. Solo, he won the Towne Crier Invitational Open Mike in 1997. A current adventure has been as a sideman for singer/songwriter Terence Martin, a winner of the 2004 Falcon Ridge Emerging Artist Showcase. Dan's lap-slide guitar work can be heard on Terence's albums, Waterproof and Sleeper.
What's next? Performing (see calendar) and promoting his debut album, Delivering The Cake.
VENUES PLAYED
New York City
- Bottom Line
- Makor
- Bitter End
- Irving Plaza
- CBGB's Gallery
- Sunn Music Company
- Postcrypt Coffeehouse
- Living Room
New York
- Towne Crier Cafe, Pawling (open mike winner 1997)
- Tarrytown Music Hall, Tarrytown
- Turning Point, Piermont
- Bodles Opera House, Chester
- Emelin Theater, Mamaroneck
- Main Stage Coffeehouse, White Plains
- Common Sense Cafe, Port Chester
- Hammond House Concert, Valhalla
- Bethel- 2000, Woodstock
- Muscoot Farm, Somers
- Falcon Ridge Festival, Hillsdale ( winner emerging artist showcase 2004)
- Tribeshill Music Festival, Vallhalla
- Watercolor Cafe, Larchmont
- Walkabout Clearwater Coffeehouse, Katonah
- Lost And Found Coffeehouse, Bedford Hills
Connecticut
- Rich Forum, Stamford
- Acoustic Cafe, Bridgeport
- The Space, Hamden
- New Haven Folk Alliance, New Haven
- International Festival of Arts and Ideas, New Haven
- 12th Note Coffeehouse, Stratford
- Vanilla Bean Cafe, Pomfret
- Rowayton Coffeehouse, Norwalk
- First Night Norwalk
- First Night Westport
- Westport Arts Festival
- Bartlett Arboretum Concert Series, Stamford
- Mark Twain Library, Redding
- The Buttonwood Tree, Middletown
- Greenwich Arts Council, Greenwich
Massachusetts
- The Burren, Cambridge
- Passims, Cambridge
- Fire and Water, Northampton
- The Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River
- The Iron Horse Cafe, Northampton
- Kendall Cafe, Cambridge
New Jersey
- Outpost in the Burbs, Montclair
- Coffee With A Conscience, Springfield
Rhode Island
- Daily Bread, Block Island
Pennsylvania
- Musical Lairs House Concert, Bryn Mawr
- The Point, Bryn Mawr
Tennessee
- Bluebird Cafe, Nashville
- Miller's Plaza, Chattanooga
Georgia
OPENING ACT FOR:
David Grisman
Phoebe Snow
Richie Havens
Roseanne Cash
Jonathan Edwards
Chris Smither
Lucy Kaplansky
Eric Andersen
Vance Gilbert
Christine Lavin
Tony Trishka
Cheryl Wheeler
The Kennedy's
Aztec Two Step
Jimmy LaFave
Cliff Eberhardt
Geoff Muldaur
Tish Hinojosa
Susan McKeown
Susan Wener
Dan Seals
Sloan Wainwright
Amy Fradon
Anne Hills
Freedy Johnston
Suzy Roche
Jennifer Kimball
Brooks Williams
Mark Erelli
Gandolf Murphy
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