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Contact: dan@dan-whitehouse.com
Click here to buy 'Home Composting' Vol. 3 - a home made collection of demos and rehearsal recordings
I am a singer and I have written some songs. I love to perform them when and wherever I am invited to, and sometimes when I'm not.
I am currently recording an album and playing live with a really lovely band of talented, tender and innovative musicians: John on Cajon, June on Piano, Steve Bass and Tom on Violin.
Recently we've been lucky enough to play support to many wonderful artists such as Kaki King, Lykke Li, Joseph Arthur, Josh Ritter, Maria McKee, Paddy Casey, Julian Cope and Foy Vance...it's been great!
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My Whole Massive Long Life Story Of What Makes Me So Amazing And Different From Everyone Else...
My earliest musical memory is dancing on a brown/yellow two tone velvet sofa to Beatles songs with my sister Jo and my Mom and Dad. My Dad (http://www.wcrfm.com/) is really enthusiastic about things he cares about and one of those is Radio. This meant the house was always full of records and radios, and my parents didn't mind when I watched Back to The Future (http://www.bttfmovie.com/ ) on repeat as they liked the Johnny B Good bit (I liked the speaker blowing section best).
I started playing piano at 6 years old and had a great teacher called Jill Pugh who taught me Rolling Stones songs when I complained about the associated board exams.
In 1991 I got an acoustic guitar from a junk shop for £8 and one my parent’s friends called Bill became my teacher. I went to his house on Wednesdays after school and he really ignited my senses with 50s rock n roll like Eddie Cochran and Buddy Holly. Bill also played Lonnie Donegan (http://www.lonniedoneganinc.com ) and George Formby (http://www.georgeformby.co.uk/)on the ukulele, an instrument which at the time I had no interest in but now I really want to learn how to play. He’s a lovely man.
My birthday is September 3rd so I was always the oldest in my school year (apart from Michelle who was the same age), and that combined with being the first born has left me with a great sense of self-importance. This manifests itself in some ugly ways - like sometimes I talk about myself too much - but sometimes it makes me really blossom and I can use it to make others smile which is good.
I spent a large part of my ‘early years’ living in Bay Area California where my parents were teachers. This may explain my love for Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne and many other Americana/Country artists. (http://www.radiolistings.co.uk/programmes/take_it_easy___california_cool.html)
I spent the whole rest of my life living in Wolverhampton and then about six years in Harrow - this may explain why I don’t take myself too seriously and one of my favorite meals is beans on toast.
When I was 17 I played guitar for a fantastic singer called Naomi (http://www.myspace.com/naomiphoenix), and for a few years there she taught me everything I know. She is one of those people that has effortless, natural talent and we had such a ball together. She lives in Brighton now and I miss her.
At 17 I also met a magic guitar player called Greg, some years later we made a rock band called Sonara, with Beard on Bass and Dan on Drums. (www.sonara.co.uk) We wrote and recorded and played shows so much that we became brilliant and people came from far and wide to watch us perform, I loved it. We did EP called (I’ve Had Too Much To) Breathe which is still available to buy, contact me for a copy.
In December 2007 I discovered the most sensitive, tender and melodic piano player I have ever heard. In January I plucked up the courage to ask her to play with me and she said YES! June http://www.myspace.com/junemori) successfully reignited my passion for songwriting and performing and I decided to embark upon my biggest project to date.
I employed my politest tones to recruit a very creative rhythm section of John Large on drums and Steve Clarke on bass and together we began working on songs in the studio.
I think I will release the music as 2 EPs: ‘The Balloon’ and ‘The Bubble’….the titles refer to types of hideaway, states of mind within which we exist – sometimes by choice and at other times we just wake up one day and realise we are inside a bubble, or a balloon.
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