Dan Dyer
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Dan Dyer is a musician known for his unique songwriting and soulful singing.
Dan Dyer was born in Athens, TX, on September 14, and raised in the very small town of Tool, TX. He didn't have a particularly musical upbringing and like most small town country boys he played sports, hunted, and fished. Dan received his first guitar when he was five, and didn’t have an inclination to play it until he was 18, around the time he moved to Austin.
After attending Texas State University in San Marcos, TX, he formed a band named Breedlove with members Tyrone Vaughn (son of Jimmy Vaughn) on lead guitar, Jason White on drums, Ezra Reynolds on keys boards, and Josh Dawkins on bass. In four years they managed to amass a huge following, honing their live performance skills in famed venues such as Antone’s, Saxon Pub, Maggie Mae’s, and Steamboat, playing to packed crowds in the Austin area. During this time Breedlove self-produced a record, titled "Reach Out," that sold over 10,000 copies. Breedlove was continuously voted one of top bands in Austin in local polls during their time together until they disbanded in 1998.
In 2001, after taking a few years off from music, Dan Dyer recorded a solo album that was never released titled "12 Songs". The CD was produced by famed guitarist Billy White who plays on most of the tracks, and has a blend of other Austin musicians sitting in on tracks such as Bruce Hughes and The Groove Line Horns. The CD was never formally released. "12 Songs" is considered one of the greatest representations of Dan's musical abilities, highlighting his soulful voice.
Dan Dyer ended up moving to New York City to work on his solo career. Before moving to NYC, Dan had the fortune of running into Lenny Kravitz while he was on tour in Houston, and Lenny offered his phone number and any assistance he could give Dan. This resulted in a relationship with Lenny Kravitz, who would later release Dan's second solo record.
After Dan moved to New York City, Lenny Kravitz decided that he was going to start his own label and offered to make Dan Dyer his debut artist. This deal was made with the condition that Dan would record a completely new album with Lenny as the producer, leading "12 Songs" to be shelved.
Dan Dyer started working on new songs in Miami, where he was living with Lenny Kravitz and Lenny’s guitar player Craig Ross. They began recording “Of What Lies Beneath" during this time."Of What Lies Beneath" was released in 2004, with a CD release party at Antone's in Austin, Texas. Dan Dyer went on the road in support of his new album, doing the “Rock the Vote” tour and as a supporting act for Kenny Wayne Shepherd. “Great Ocean” was the first single released from the album, and was played on many radio stations across the country. The new band was comprised of Aaron Barrera on lead guitar, Jason White (of Breedlove) on drums, and Tony Breit on bass (formerly of Lenny Kravitz's band).
However, in the midst of promoting the new CD, Warner Brothers was sold and the new management decided some changes needed to be made. Sadly, Dan Dyer was lost somewhere in the corporate shuffle. After the major label deal was completed, Dan independently went on the road in support of his new album for two years in smaller venues across the country.
Dan Dyer took over a year off to start a family in St. Louis, MO. While there, he wrote new songs that pulled from his experiences over the last 10 years, while still making an earnest effort of creating songs he felt he would want to listen to. Dan reconnected with David Boyle, an old friend and keyboard player from Melbourne Australia. David had just finished re-modeling an old snake-charmer church in East Austin, making a substantial part of it a recording studio. Dan was happy to be in Austin again, writing and recording with David as his collaborator. A long list of Austin musicians teamed up with Dan to also play on the the album including the legendary Stephen Bruton. Other notable artists are Suzanna Choffel on “Play On Little Children,” the Austin-based Mt. Zion Baptist Church choir on “Love Chain,” and John Nelson of Thievery Corporation on “Who I Am”. Throughout the album other Austin mainstays, like Scrappy Judd Newcombe, and George Reiff also play on various tracks.
In February of 2008, Dan officially released a new self-titled album on the independent label Fat Caddy Records. The CD is currently available at all live shows, and a limited edition of 1000 copies (individually numbered) were the first to be released. The CD is also available at Waterloo Records, Dan's Myspace and the Fat Caddy Records Online Store. It will soon be available on iTunes and other popular digital download websites.
The new songs have a very raw and real sound, with a lot of soul backbeats. “Love Chain”, “Anne Marie”, "Love's A Game", and “Play On Little Children” are some of the new songs that are already picking up steam in Dan Dyer's live shows.
Dan assembled a new group of musicians, and is now booking gigs throughout Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, and Alabama.
In addition, Dan has performed in Times Square for the Revlon Walk/Run, South by Southwest in Austin, TX, and the Voodoo Music Experience and 2007 WWOZ Piano Night in New Orleans, LA. Dan performed the National Anthem along with Sam & Ruby at a 2006 New Orleans Saints football game.
Trivia: Dan attended high school with Wes Berggren, who played guitar for now-defunct Tripping Daisy.
