Journal
Thoughts, tales, ideas, and recommendations from Dan

2/27/07 -  Hey all - happy Year of the Fire Pig! Hope everyone is well. Life is moving along and I'm lining up some gigs for the spring...be sure to check the "live" page regularly over the next few weeks.  I've also been working on a few new tunes and beginning to toy with the idea of recording again....no promises or details just yet, but the seed has been planted....

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10/07/06 - First off, a big thanks to everyone at Tabor Academy for tonight's show.  It was great to meet a lot of you and I had a good time with you all.  Hope to see you again and don't be a stranger!  Tonight I have a few music recommendations for you all: the new Josh Ritter CD, The Animals Years is really fantastic - some beautiful songs on there and Josh is simply incredible.  See him live if you never have before.  Paul Simon's new one, Surprise, is great too. It's really different in some ways, with Brian Eno producing, but it's still Paul Simon at the heart and an album with a lot of depth to it. Last but not least, check out Michael Franti and Spearhead's Yell Fire!  This is great stuff - their best yet - an amazing fusion of hip-hop, reggae, rock, and folk that is both socially-conscious and spiritually focused.  A very important album for our time.  Oh yeah, and if you haven't heard this album that came out last winter, Burning For Music, I'd check that out, too.  I hear it's available on iTunes now.

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7/22/06 - Well, I see it's been quite a long time since I've posted an entry here! Thanks everyone for continually checking in to see what's going on. All is well and since I've last written I've enjoyed playing some really exciting gigs, including an open mic feature at Club Passim, which was a blast. Thanks to all of you who braved the rainy evening and made it out! I also have a myspace page now, at www.myspace.com/danglennmusic. In addition to some tracks from the album, I've put a live mp3 of "Burning For Music" from the Passim gig up there for you all to hear. So come by, check out the page, and add me as a friend! Meanwhile, I've been having a pretty relaxed summer and have been working on some new songs. Many of them have been slow to develop, which is different for me than a lot of my other songs which often burst out over the course of a couple of hours. A lot of these have slowly blossomed over months or years - the result of an initial burst that was promising but didn't quite go where it needed to go, followed by several periods of a bit of work and a lot of time on the shelf. But they're now beginning to come into their own and I hope to break out a few this fall. The next gig on tap is Friday, September 8 at the Second Friday Coffeehouse in Belmont. I'm playing a split bill with "the Rev" Edmund Robinson and will be playing first, at 7:30pm. Hope you can make it out! Until then, enjoy the rest of your sweet summer.....

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1/7/06 - Words cannot express my gratitude to all the people who came to celebrate the release of Burning For Music  last night.  I was awed and touched by everyone's presence there.  And I am, of course, completely blown away by the thrill of playing with the musicians I played with last night.  There is nothing like playing with a group like that - and I am so grateful to all of them for everything they gave on the recording and at the show.  I am also eternally thankful for so many other people who helped me to get this show off the ground - my crazy wisdom amazing dharma brother/producer/engineer Nick on sound (who also recorded the show as well), my mom for the snacks, Anna for everything,  Roger Miller for the sound equipment, Tori and Liam for being the greatest roadies in history, everyone who traveled long distances from places like Vermont, New Hampshire, the north shore, and Costa Rica, and for old friends and new.  I hope that all of you who were there had a great time - I sure did. 
 

12/15/05 - Well friends, the day has finally arrived.  My debut album is now available (just in time for the holidays!).  I'm completely thrilled to finally be able to share this music with everyone.  Once you hear the album, if you like it, I hope that you will all be part of a grassroots effort to spread the music.  Please pass the word along to friends and family and I hope to see everyone at the official release party on January 6.  Enjoy the season and happy holidays!
 

11/30/05 - I played up at UNH tonight at a little student café - it was a lot of fun.  I've had a little cold the past few days and woke up this morning with a throat that was not in good shape for singing, but it held up pretty well until the end of the set neared.  My voice is gone now but it was well worth it.  Thanks so much to Molly for all the energy in making this happen, to Derrick at Panache, and to everyone who came.  It was great to meet a lot of you and I hope you all  had as good a time as I did.  The album will be ready in just about two weeks, so I will keep you all posted about that!  Next show is the January 6 CD release! 
 

10/5/05 - Hey everyone - I hope the fall is off to a great start for you.  We've been hard at work finishing up the album, and are in the final stages of mixing now.  The album will be titled Burning For Music and will be released in December (exact date TBA).  We'll be having a CD release show too - planning is in the works, so we'll let you know as soon as that's confirmed.  Also, look for new tour dates to be added soon - after the album is released, I'll be playing out a lot more.  As you can see, the site has a new look as well - so be sure to poke around and explore.  The Burning For Music track list is available now too - you can look at it here.  Cover art is now available too.

As I've said many times, this has really been an incredible process.  I'm so grateful to everyone who has helped to make it happen.  And most of all, I can't wait to share this music with all of you. 
 

9/2/05 - Due to some circumstances beyond our control involving a downstairs neighbor of our studio who apparently doesn't like raucous drums shaking her living room, we had to move our sessions with drummer Andrew Laubacher to a different studio.  Fortunately, Jack Tomaiolo and James Murphy of Dream On Studios in Essex were wonderfully accommodating and scheduled us on very short notice.  Andrew tore it up and has without a doubt reached superhero status in my book.  Check out the photos section for some great shots of Andrew, Jack, and James from earlier this week.  That'll just about do it for the recording process - it won't be long now....
 

8/30/05 - After a few weeks away, both Dan and Nick returned to Boston refreshed and ready to complete the album.  Last week was a really productive week, with multi-intrumentalist Dinty Child doing some unbelievable work and really bringing the songs to a new level.  Our young stud of a drummer, Andrew Laubacher, also spent some time in the studio before the wrath of an elderly neighbor forced us to quit early.  Not to be deterred, we will push onward at Dream On Studios in Essex this week to finish the drum tracking.  We're nearing completion on the project and soon will begin the mixing project.  We're thrilled about how things are going, and I can't wait to share these songs with you all.
 

8/7/05 - A brief update as we move into the late stages of the summer....recording is on a brief hiatus as Nick is in Colorado for a few weeks and I am heading out on a two-week road trip with my cousin Michael and my friend Tim.  We'll pick up again the last week in August and at that time will be close to wrapping things up; after that will come the mixing process.  When it will be completely finished and ready is still up in the air, but I will keep you all up to date on the track list, release date and release party info, as well as upcoming performances.

The house concert with Rich last night was a blast.  We were so grateful to have so many people attend, and we had a lot of fun playing together.  People seemed to have a really good time.  If you missed it, you can check out the photos in the photo section and the setlist in (guess where) the setlist section.  We did a mix of Rich's tunes and my tunes with a few covers thrown in there.  Rich's beauty, "Once Upon A Time I Was Respectable", his blues tune "Out In The Cold", and the lively "Sandcastle" all got great reviews from the crowd, and I had a chance to debut a few songs from the new album, "All In Good Time", "Without A Hope Or A Care" and "Rainbows All My Life", as well as fan favorites "Farewell Sweet Summer", "Down The Road" and "The World Says No". 

When I get back from the road trip it'll be nearing time to bid farewell to this sweet summer....it has been an amazing one, and I certainly plan to savor the final few weeks.  The secret is that fall here in New England can make your heart swell too - the trees, the apples, the town fairs and festivals, the crisp night air.  So we'll try to remember that as we bid adieu.  Stay tuned....
 

7/28/05 - After a week away from working on the album, we were back at it yesterday doing a lot of work with Richard on the keyboards as well as finishing up vocals.  The music continues to evolve and take shape.  Nick and I are working hard but we are sure to take plenty of breaks to play NHL 2004 on Playstation2.  He got his first two wins against me yesterday in some intense games.  In the afternoon, Dan's Minnesota Wild came back from down 2-0 to send the game into OT against Nick's Vancouver Canucks, only to then lose in sudden death.  In the nightcap, Nick's Dallas Stars took down Dan's Colorado Avalanche in a ferocious battle, 2-1.  The series now stands at 3 wins for Dan, 2 for Nick, and 2 ties.  We are also eating lots of frozen grapes, a new snack that Nick has introduced to me. 
 

7/15/05 - It's been a busy week.  We continued with a lot of work on vocals and Sam's bass parts.  Sam really came in and tore it up the other night.  I've also been rehearsing with our drummer and am excited about what he'll bring to the project.  It's amazing to me to hear the songs begin to come to life - I can't wait to be able to share this music with you all. 
 

7/8/05 - Nick and I finished laying down the majority of the vocal and guitar tracks today for the twelve songs that are going to be on the album.  The songs are a mix of brand new ones, some old favorites from The Attic Sessions, and some lesser-known older ones brought out of the vault to new life.  It's been an incredible process for me to go through - and I'm thrilled with how things are going.  Now the real fun part comes - bringing in the rest of the band to play with us.  The real creative journey begins here - and these guys are really going to make the songs come to life.  Multi-instrumentalist Dinty Child of The Funky White Honkies and Sessions Americana will be playing mandolin, electric guitar, fiddle, and who knows what else.  Folk and jazz pianist Richard Curzi will play keyboards.  As I mentioned earlier, Sam Stearns, who played in Joe Deveau's band in the late nineties will play acoustic and electric bass.  The drummer...a special surprise still to be announced.
 

6/23/05 - Yes folks, you read the news page right - we have begun recording the album.  I am working with my good friend, producer and engineer Nick Kranz at his home studio in Somerville.  The plan is to record throughout the next several weeks.  Yesterday was our first day in the studio - it was really exciting to get in there and begin the process.  Nick and I worked together to lay down guitar and vocal tracks for six songs.  We continue today, with the hope of having a foundation down so that after we get back from a trip to Halifax for a week, we can begin bringing in the other musicians as well.  My friend and childhood next door neighbor, Sam Stearns, is going to play bass on the recording.  We're going to keep the rest of the band a secret for a little while longer.....just to build the suspense.  Check back regularly for updates - and see the photos section for shots from the studio. 
 

6/13/05 - I just love summer - there is nothing greater than these steamy hot days and warm, sweet-smelling nights.  Here is my favorite summer poem:

Again did the
      earth shift
Again did the
        nights grow
             short,
And the days long

And the people
         of the earth
              were glad
and celebrated
           each in their
                own ways

-Diane Lee Moomey

6/10/05 - A little change in the recording plans....details to let you know of soon.....
 

5/19/05 - I want to send out a huge thanks to everyone who came out to the Belmont celebration this week.  I really appreciate all the support and it was great to see so many familiar faces.  Thanks to Julia Sable for lending her beautiful voice, and to Jean Gauthier and everyone else who helped organize  the event.  The whole thing got me hungry to play more. 
 

5/11/05 - Hello everyone - welcome to the site!  I hope you're enjoying it and that you will come out and hear me play sometime.  This part of the site is basically just a way for me to run my mouth and write about anything and everything.  What I'd like to share with you all first is that this is an insane time for new albums!  There are a lot that just came out that I would highly recommend.  Bruce Springsteen's Devils and Dust is really beautiful - definitely the most polished and most uplifting of his three acoustic albums (Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad).  Last week, two fantastic albums came out - Haughty Melodic by Mike Doughty and a two-disc offering from Ryan Adams called Cold Roses.  Doughty was the front man of Soul Coughing (an awesome band you should also check out - listen to Ruby Vroom first), and this is an incredible follow-up to Skittish, which is just him and an acoustic guitar.  The new album is simply great from start to finish.  The Ryan Adams album has been called a cross between The Grateful Dead's American Beauty and Neil Young's Harvest - it has that vibe.  Yesterday the new DMB album was released and I really dig it.  Some of the old school fans are bashing the effort, because the band went with a hip-hop producer, Mark Batson, who has produced Eminem and 50 Cent.  But it's a really fantastic record - a little bit different, but still DMB at its core.  I also just got the new Ben Folds album but haven't listened to it yet.  Next week comes Rebel, Sweetheart from The Wallflowers, one of my favorite bands. 

I'm also psyched because I've come up with a tentative plan for this summer which involves a lot of traveling and road trips.  It's been a couple of years since my last one, and I'm feeling the itch.  There won't be a whole lot of playing opportunities, since I won't be around much, but when I am in Boston I am going to try to get to open mikes as much as I can.  Then in the fall I'll start playing more regularly and do some recording.  After a real dry spell I've written some new songs recently and hopefully the summer will bring about more. 

That's all for now - take care.
-Dan

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