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So after stumbling upon Dan in the last three months I fell in love with his attitude towards music. I am a massive fan of John Mayer (HIS OLD STUFF!!!) and there is not a lot that can surpass him in my honest opinion. John Mayer presents a song to you in a fantastically structured many with some of the best build work and he is an amazing lyricist. Dan does not present a song to you. He throws the song in your face. Every bend, pull off, and insane pick up switch selecting note comes from the heart. He is so forceful and super melodic. I was extremely impressed with how Dan managed to take the whole room on a journey. When you hang on every note that someone plays....you know what I mean? Dan maybe said four lines in one of the songs but he told me so much more with what he played. I was completely moved by Dans performance. If you appreciate music on a deeper level, on a level where its beyond the physical I urge you to go and watch Dan live as it is an experience that really speaks to the deep part of your soul.


"When the music is right, you do not need lyrics." -Someone awesome
    welcome to the Dam appreciation club....and i concur with every lil word you have used.

    some here may resent the references to other muso's saying dan aint in the same class but being a mature adult i say pooooo to them ?
      Dan is a great player, and very entertaining to watch. He wrings every note out of that Strat. 8)

      That said, I'd like to hear him branch out a little in terms of finding his own sound on his recorded stuff. He has an amazing voice to go along with all the guitar wizardry, but sticks very closely to the overall blues formula to the extent that it can sound a bit derivative.

      In the same way that Mayer and Bonamassa put their own spin on the blues, Patlansky is more than capable of doing the same. I suppose it's the choice between remaining "authentic" or going "progressive".
        ShreddySmurf wrote: I suppose it's the choice between remaining "authentic" or going "progressive".
        Sounding generic is not authentic. None of the great blues players of the past sounded like some typical "blue guy" as portrayed in the media. All of the great blues players had their own sound. There's nothing progressive and inauthentic about that. Likewise there's nothing "authentic" about sounding like every non blues fan's idea of a blues singer.
          singemonkey wrote:
          Sounding generic is not authentic. None of the great blues players of the past sounded like some typical "blue guy" as portrayed in the media. All of the great blues players had their own sound. There's nothing progressive and inauthentic about that. Likewise there's nothing "authentic" about sounding like every non blues fan's idea of a blues singer.
          Sure, sure...I'll reword then. ?

          Let's call it the choice between being an SRV-clone (which sounds unflattering, but that's what some people aim for, so more power to them) or taking that as a basis for moving forward with your own sound (which is more or less what Mayer has done with a lot of his music). I know some guys who are thrilled that Dan plays the music exactly the way he plays it, precisely because he sounds so much like SRV.

          Your last sentence confuses me somewhat. Must be honest that I'm less inclined to label a certain style of singing as "blues" or "not blues". Mayer has a much sweeter voice and vocal delivery than Dan, but both of them can sing the blues.
            ShreddySmurf wrote: Dan is a great player, and very entertaining to watch. He wrings every note out of that Strat. 8)

            That said, I'd like to hear him branch out a little in terms of finding his own sound on his recorded stuff. He has an amazing voice to go along with all the guitar wizardry, but sticks very closely to the overall blues formula to the extent that it can sound a bit derivative.

            In the same way that Mayer and Bonamassa put their own spin on the blues, Patlansky is more than capable of doing the same. I suppose it's the choice between remaining "authentic" or going "progressive".
            Hmmmm..... I don't think people get wiser as they get older, they just see more, and they see it come around again. This is at least the third serious global financial depression in my life time, I've seen bell bottoms come into and out of fashion at least twice, and when I listened to Mayer's latest album (and I have, twice, all the way through) I couldn't help but think it sounded rather a lot like Stephen Stills. I couldn't make up my mind if he was paying tribute to an influence (a whole album of that, without specific mention or a couple of covers?) or had been looking around for a new sound and dug into his dad's record collection. I kept on thinking the next track was going to be "Love The One You're With".
              X-rated Bob wrote:
              Hmmmm..... I don't think people get wiser as they get older, they just see more, and they see it come around again. This is at least the third serious global financial depression in my life time, I've seen bell bottoms come into and out of fashion at least twice, and when I listened to Mayer's latest album (and I have, twice, all the way through) I couldn't help but think it sounded rather a lot like Stephen Stills. I couldn't make up my mind if he was paying tribute to an influence (a whole album of that, without specific mention or a couple of covers?) or had been looking around for a new sound and dug into his dad's record collection. I kept on thinking the next track was going to be "Love The One You're With".
              Mayer's latest album does indeed smell a lot like any old brand of acoustic Americana you'd care to name. Not surprising considering how much time he has been spending the last few years in the company of the USA's country music scene. Also, Mayer is now a reasonably established brand all by himself, so he can probably get away with doing a whole country-acoustic album and still retain much of his fan base, although he has been on record as saying he doesn't like people to compartmentalise his "sound", and wants to continually explore other directions.

              Here I'm talking more about the stuff from his Continuum album however, which is the bluesiest of all his albums and is a better representation of how he tends to play live. You can hear a definite blues undercurrent throughout the album, but it avoids sounding like an outright copy of, say, an SRV album or a Clapton album or an Albert King album (but also is unmistakably a blend of those influences - and others - too). That's what I'd like to see from Dan: some kind of personal spin on the basic template he uses.
                IceCreamMan wrote: welcome to the Dam appreciation club....and i concur with every lil word you have used.

                some here may resent the references to other muso's saying dan aint in the same class but being a mature adult i say pooooo to them ?
                Why thank you good Sir ?
                  ShreddySmurf wrote: Mayer's latest album does indeed smell a lot like any old brand of acoustic Americana you'd care to name. Not surprising considering how much time he has been spending the last few years in the company of the USA's country music scene. Also, Mayer is now a reasonably established brand all by himself, so he can probably get away with doing a whole country-acoustic album and still retain much of his fan base, although he has been on record as saying he doesn't like people to compartmentalise his "sound", and wants to continually explore other directions.
                  Just to clarify, I have no issue with people having influences. Very few people these days are total originals who have emerged without anything from the past coloring what they do now. Indeed some of my favourite albums and artists have worn influences on their sleeve, have said out loud that they're proud. Neil Young paid homage to Hank Williams on After The Gold Rush (but not for the whole album) and generally Neil has never shied away from country music. John Hiatt often has his soul influences on display, including Barry White on the song "Have A Little Faith In Me". 'Taint no crime to have influences, and to let them out.

                    I've got a profound respect for Mayer's new album and the ambition to "continually explore other directions". I love Dans stuff too (he deserves every accolade bestowed!).

                    Be careful not to get in that only "blues rut", there's a spectrum of interesting and brilliant playing out there. My favorite guitarist was Eddie Shaver who had the ability of playing blues, country, metal, rock and everything else in one solo.

                    I have personally found the more you try various genres the more you establish a genuine respect for them and the players who make this a better world.

                    MUSIC and LYRICS having been speaking and feeding my soul for years! In fact it’s the only think that make any sense on the god-forsaken planet! IMHO!
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