Hand Crafted Music by Traveling Troubadour Dana Cooper
Just a note here to mention that I’ve (finally!) added some new promotional photography to the “press kits, photos and posters page of the website. Many thanks to Emily Griffith for taking these photos on a recent tour stop in Minnesota.
Earlier this year, while I was touring right after the release of The Conjurer, I visited the studios of KUT in Austin and performed a couple of songs from the album. Here are the in-studio, solo acoustic recordings of “Enough” and “I’m Gonna Give it Away.”
…or iPad or iPhone or iGizmo? Then download the latest edition of the Freight Train Boogie Podcast. It’s got music by yours truly as well as a band called “Yarn,” The Infamous Stringdusters and Sally Spring.
As we get ready for the Big Show at Music City Roots tomorrow night, here’s a nice write up in this morning’s Tennessean:
“I write things occasionally that may be what they’re looking for on Music Row, but everything I do is based around my touring and my fan base,” he said. “That’s where I try out all my songs. One thing I’ve noticed is that the things of mine that are most popular with my audience are by and large not the songs that people in the music business necessarily ‘get.’ And that’s OK. I can be as eclectic as I want, now.”
Do you have a computer? (OK, that’s rhetorical question, obviously if you’re reading this you’ve got a computer…) you can tune in to one of my performances next week.
I’ll be appearing on “Music City Roots – Live from the Loveless Barn,” on Wednesday, May 12. The show begins at 7PM, and you can tune in from wherever you’re reading this post: The entire program is broadcast live on WSM 650-AM is also available as a streaming audio feed from the WSM website, http://wsmonline.com
And if you’ve got an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, you might want to download the WSM app and so you can listen in your car or wherever you happen to be. It’s a great app, and a great way to stay in touch with the original source of roots and country music in Nashville.
From the MCR website:
Music City Roots is a weekly, two-hour radio show that revives the historic legacy of live musical production on the legendary WSM-AM. Broadcast on Wednesday nights from 7pm to 9pm,CST, Music City Roots showcases Nashville’s astonishing music scene, from country and Americana to more progressive interpreters of tradition — a “roots and branches” format that brings together fans of different tastes and generations. Presented live from the stage of the Loveless Barn, this show will showcase purveyors of authenticity across many genres.
Appearing on the bill with me that night are host Jim Lauderdale, the irrepressible Ray Wylie Hubbard, Jessica Styles and the Two Man Gentleman Band. Steer your browser to WSMonline.com to tune in.
And join the legions who’ve said they’ve be “attending” via my Facebook Event Page.
A nice write up this morning in the Rochester (MN) Post Bulletin, as Dana prepares for his appearance with Saturday Night’s “American Showcase” concert at the Rochester Civic Theater:
In the past decade, Cooper has developed a reputation as a man of literate lyrics and tastefully produced songs. “I probably write a lot less about the attraction phase of love than I did in my 20s,” he said. “I’ve always had this recurring theme: Seize the day, make the most of the time you’ve got. Most of what I write about sort of hovers around that theme. Musically, it’s a bit of a challenge to take a different approach.”
After 40 years in the music business, Cooper has seen it all. “I’ve been trying to find the niche I’ve carved out for myself now,” he said. “I’m in a good place.
Read the whole article here.
…I must be packing to go “on the road” again. Although I could swear I just got back…
Performing at the Essany Open Mike April 14, 2010
One of the gigs I did on my last trip was as the “featured performer” at the Essany Open Mike Night in San Francisco. Somebody who goes by the handle “Slightholder” shot some nice photos that he’s posted to flickr. They’re some nice photos but I can’t remember now who took them. That’s a funny thing about this Internet thing, ya know…?
Meanwhile, my new CD The Conjurer is starting to generate some very favorable press. The Waco Tribune last week published this nice item in anticipation of a show I’ll be playing this weekend at Waldo’s Coffeehouse.
Would love to stay and chat a while, but there’s packing to do and miles to cover, I’ll see y’all in Texas over the weekend, and then it’s off to the upper midwest for some shows with my good friend Brandon Sampson.
The video of “Enough” is playing on CMT.com:
"Enough" on CMT.com
Click here to visit the CMT.com site.. if we can send them some traffic, maybe they’ll put the video on the TeeVee.
Jason Wheeler at WeAreAustin.com NAILS it:
Imagine doing something day in and day out for 40 years…and then changing your tune to do it different and better than ever before. That's what the critics say Dana Cooper has done with his new CD The Conjurer.
On the new compilation, Cooper says he aspired to a "rawer, more organic sound than on past recordings". He's also done trying to fit into any neat descriptions, saying his new works draw on "folk, blues, rock, reggae, pop, and country".
That quick review accompanies the video of Dana's appearance yesterday on the "Austin Live" TV show, just prior to his CD release show at the Cactus Cafe. Click the image above to see Dana's segment form Austin Live:
Today is Thursday, March 25 – the long-awaited day when The Conjurer finally goes on sale "on desktops everywhere" from the "music store" link at the top of this website. It is also available via iTunes and should be available from CDBaby later today.
But wait, there's more! In addition to today's official release of The Conjurer, we've also restored Dana's 2001 release –Harry Truman Built A Road — to the catalog. The actual CD is still out of print, but thanks to the miracle of modern technology, Harry Truman is now available in the music store via digital deiivery (aka (download). This is the only place where Harry Truman is available in any form.
But that's not all! In addition to The Conjurer, in addition to the digital release of Harry Truman Built A Road, we've assembled "The 21st Century Collection." The compilation includes all three of the CDs Dana Cooper has released since the turn of the millennium: Harry Truman, Made of Mud, and, yes, The Conjurer — all downloadable with a single click for just $21.00. If you're not familiar with Dana's earlier work, stop by the music store, where you can listen to 8 tracks from The 21st Century Collection in their entirety (no 30 second clips around here!).
Dana celebrates the release of The Conjurer with three shows in Austin, Houston, and Dalls Texas this weekend . Check the schedule in the sidebar on the right for details, and by all means stop by and say hello if you can make it to a show.
Elixir Strings