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Dan Jones and the Squids are a rock band from Eugene, Oregon. The latest long player is "totally human," out now on Daily Records. The Squids are an ever-morphing collective forming around the songwriting talents of prolific indie troubador Dan Jones; nowadays The Squids feature bassist Brian Patrick, guitarist Ryan Tocchini and multi-instrumentalist Dave Snider. Playing behind Dan's albums One Man Submarine (2003), Get Sounds Now (2005), and Totally Human (2007), the band played shows with Mike Watt, John Doe, Dinosaur Jr, Curt Kirkwood, Castanets, Stew, The Decemberists, Calvin Johnson, The Minus 5, Arthur Lee, and Marah. Steve Wynn describes the Squids as "solo Pete Townshend meets '69 era Velvet Underground." Mike Watt says "I'm thinking D. Boon would dig a cat like Dan Jones."In print and online the music of Dan Jones has amassed a pile of press and comparisons to everyone from Tobin Sprout to Neil Young. Touring the Northwest from Seattle to Sacramento, the band makes friends and inspires fans, bands and songwriters everywhere they go. Totally Human delivers the goods one more time: breakneck postpunk, psychedelic album rock, power pop. And when Dan isn't leading the charge and making amazing records at studios like Gung Ho, Big Timbre, and Wavelength, he's posting intimate, vibey home-recordings on danjonesmusic.com, a 4-track tape in progress frequented by Squid freaks all over the world.Jones has been singing his omnibus of post-punk songcraft since 2000, when he self-released his acclaimed, off-the-cuff For Your Radio. ("Any given verse of his songs packs more wit than a roomful of singer-songwriters could muster in a month of open mikes," said The Willamette Week then). Dozens of americana folk fans wait for Dan to make another album like this, though it is hard to not know what you are doing and succeed at it twice. In 2003 Leisure King Productions (Tom Heinl, The Visible Men) released Dan's One Man Submarine, a collection of americana, punk-influenced power pop, and garagey rock songs--an impeccably-produced big budget record that began to hint at what makes Dan tick. The Portland Oregonian called the record irresistibly tuneful, while the Cincinnati City Beats Positively Yeah Yeah Yeah column declared Dan a "late-blooming master songwriter" and the record a stunning indie gem. electric, haunting, spontaneous, and fun."In 2005 Dan started his label Daily Records and released Get Sounds Now. The Oregonian says Get Sounds Now " shines with Jones musical maturity," citing iconic musical influences Lou Reed and The Minutemen. "The angst and angles within the story lines come across with a wry humor and sympathy...never the urgent, needy, in-your-face variety." The Eugene Weekly says "Jones scores with Get Sounds Now...strong song after strong song." The Willamette Week calls Jones' work "brilliant" and "irresistable." As for his solo gigs, The Portland Mercury kindly invites the listener to "smash your head against the acoustic punk rock."
