For nearly 25 years, Dan Weintraub's music was
held at bay as his life followed a more conventional course. But after a
successful stretch in the academic world, his love of creating music
reemerged with an undeniable intensity. The prolific songwriter's rapidly
expanding music catalog, featuring seven releases between 2007 and 2008,
is best described as the product of a burning passion. Each of the albums,
primarily self-produced in his home studio, represent a step in his
evolution as a musician and writer. From his country and folk influenced
debut entitled The Gap Between to the latest alternative rock driven
releases, Suddenly Nothing, How They Hide and Malibu Cocktail, Weintraub
is quickly refining his voice of creative expression and claiming a place
among the most notable singer/songwriters in the New England region. In
his youth, Weintraub drifted along enamored of the greats of classic rock
- Steely Dan, The Allman Brothers, Traffic, Warren Zevon, and Jethro Tull.
During his time at Brandeis University in the mid 1980s, he became
politically active, finding himself in jail after protesting the CIA's
on-campus recruiting practices and the college's decision to invest in
South African businesses during Apartheid. Around the same time, musical
endeavors began taking a prominent role in his life. First, he worked as a
DJ at the school's radio station, an opportunity that led him to explore
new worlds of diverse musical styles and genres. Shortly after, Dan began
learning to play the guitar; he took to the instrument naturally as a
self-taught strummer and fingerpicker. As Weintraub's abilities developed,
the focus on his craft intensified and he started playing acoustic sets at
local coffeehouses, highlighted by an opening slot for Tracy Chapman. Upon
graduating, real-life responsibilities loomed over his musical aspirations
and he was eventually forced to put the guitar aside to focus on a career
as an educator. From his angst filled protests to his progressive teaching
style, Weintraub could be characterized as an outspoken champion for
honesty and morality. These qualities, although admirable for shaping
young minds, often became a troublesome force in more rigidly structured
schools. But his no non-sense approach allowed him to quickly ascend the
educational hierarchy until he found himself working in New York as a high
school principal. The heavy demands of the high-ranking job, however, were
problematic for Weintraub's family life. Ultimately, he chose to step down
from his position, finding himself in a state of limbo. All the while,
staring at him from the corner, the old guitar patiently waited for him to
start strumming once again. During this period of uncertainty and turmoil,
many of Weintraub's college mates were reaching the pinnacle of
high-powered careers as he was starting anew. Now in his mid 40s, he is
chasing his calling of music with unrelenting fervor and a renewed sense
of purpose. Over the course of seven albums, his sound has skewed in
several directions, but at the core he is a solo acoustic
singer/songwriter – a man alone on stage with his guitar. Weintraub's
songwriting is like being granted uncensored access to the most intimate
thoughts of an insightful mind, and in doing so the albums pull listeners
to the depths of the artist’s soul. His acute consciousness removes the
sugar-coating on reality, at times making for dark, brooding, and cynical
lyrical content. Yet his infectious hooks and lighthearted melodies create
a sense of complexity and contrast, much along the archetype of an Elliott
Smith or Rufus Wainwright. Weintraub's smooth yet unassuming vocal sound
is evocative of John Mellencamp or Gerry Beckley (America). The
combination of such qualities, along with a blending of folk, country, and
alternative punk elements, has given Dan Weintraub a familiar yet truly
unique sound that has drawn comparisons to John Prine, Neil Young, The
Cramps, and Joe Jackson. While much of his early work, including The Gap
Between, Rudderless, Loose Ends, and What's Your Point, has been true to
the singer/songwriter mold, his latest releases, Suddenly Nothing, How
They Hide and Malibu Cocktail, showcase his versatility as he experiments
with rock influences. This shift in sound is partly due to an invitation
extended to Weintraub to collaborate with Geza X (Dead Kennedys, The
Avengers, and Black Flag), a producer most noted for his work during the
height of the Los Angeles punk movement of the 1980s. Self-described to
have loner tendencies, he remains adamant that his focus will be on the
solo acoustic music, but the burgeoning international acclaim for the
tracks produced with Geza could certainly be the impetus for more
produced, full band work in the future. As an artist who truly loves his
craft, Dan Weintraub aspires to release 10 new tracks each month, and – in
an effort to embrace the digital music revolution – over 70 of those
tracks are available for free download on DanWeintraub.net.
