Member Since: 10/23/2005
Band Website: dangarner.blogspot.com/
Band Members: A FIRST REVIEW OF "25 THINGS":
25 THINGS/Dan GarnerA sprawling, ambitious project with 25 songs, ³25 Things² paints a diverse
sonic and lyrical landscape that showcases Garner¹s broad diversity of
musical influences.At times displaying the perceptive intellect of a Leonard Cohen, at
others, exposing a Warren Zevon playful slyness, ³25 Things² cooks up a
gumbo that sacrifices stylistic continuity for an always surprising and
satisfying ³eclectricity.²On the opening cut, ³I Told You Before,² Garner attempts to impart
world-wizended wisdom to his children, and that lyrical maturity is
masterfully counterbalanced with the raw musical energy of a proto-power
punk music bed. This is a great device for luring the kids in to listen to
the message with music they can relate to. Telling an obstinate,
know-it-all teen, ³you¹ve got more issues than Time Magazine² smartly sums
up every parents dilemma with their rebels with or without causes.Garner moves from the energetic power of proto-punk to the realm of
³sensitive singer/songwriter² with effortless ease. In ³You¹re So
Beautiful² he tells the object of his affections that ³you¹re so beautiful,
you don¹t even know.² This is a subtle but searing romantic line guaranteed
to make a heart melt, right up there in a league with ³you had me at
hello.²On several notable cuts like ³What Makes The World Go Round,² ³Someone Who
Can² and the unsentimentally nostalgic ³Bossier Strip² Garner slips into
the smooth blues grooves indigenous to this area .Garner is not only a prolific writer but a well-versed student of the
musical history of this area and beyond. Given that talent, Garner
references several genre and artists without sounding like he is copying
any of them.His vocals do occasionally evoke early Dylan and Nick Drake, even Michael
Franks here and there, but he never appears to be doing a cover. And, since
he wrote all the songs on the CD, he has kept everything well within the
range of his voice.There are some stand out guest star s on ³25 Things² including guitarists
Mark Griffith, Ron Johnson and Dave Green; background vocalists Cookie
Garner and Amelia Blake and The Ever Ready Gospel Singers to name a few.
Ron Johnson¹s fluid, blistering lead work on ³Someone Who Can² channels
Stevie Ray Vaughn¹s swagger and Dave Green adds an alternative and
progressive fire to ³I Told You Before.² Griffith¹s ferocious space blues
attack on ³Bossier Strip² seems to come from a Boom Boom Room in a parallel
dimension.The closing title cut gives us a hilarious menu of arm chair philosophical
nuggets encased in a musical shell of talking blues a la early Dylan. They
are guaranteed to make you think - and to make you smile, if not laugh out
loud. Remember, ³it ain¹t the jeans that make your butt look fat.²Tales of love both lost and found; insights both profound and tongue in
cheek; superlative songwriting craft; and vocals comfortable in their own
skin. These elements make for one of the most entertaining and enjoyable
releases in recent memory.All songs written by Dan Garner.Produced by Dan GarnerMastered and Released by Why The Hell Not RecordsArt Design: J.K. Potter--------------------------------------Karl Hasten, The Forum
THE NEW CDs ARE MOVING LIKE MONKEYS!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ever mind the Rule of Three Three times what thou givest returns to thee This lesson well, thou must learn Thee only gets what thou dost earn