The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy
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09/23/08 Working Musicians (TV show taping) White Plains, NY
Discography
11/01/08 Mama Java’s Coffee House Phoenix, AZ 11/02/08 Plush Tucson, Arizona 11/13/08 Ciccone Theater - Bergen Community College Paramus, NJ
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Hailing from Long Island, New York, Dan Sheehan has spent the last several years perfecting a unique blend of classic and alternative rock. With his Latest effort The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy he has proven his abilities as a musician and a producer. The album, produced, written, and played (the drums are the only thing he doesn't play) by Sheehan himself is an hour long journey through a wide range of musical styles, from softer folk influenced tracks, to more modern alternative influenced guitar rockers reminiscent of a strange love child of seventies arena rock run through a 90's alternative filter. I was able to contact Dan via E-mail and conduct a brief interview with him.
We Heart Music: The influences on this album are quite varied, what
would you say were the things that really inspired you to start making
music in the first place?
Dan Sheehan: Listening to
classic bands like the Who in my teen years made me aware of how
wonderful music could be. Also my sister worked for DoubleDay books
and would bring me home free books, some of which would be music
biographies. Reading about the Beatles' and other bands' formative
years made pursuing music out to be about the most exciting thing I
could do.
The bands that I've loved the
most, from The Who and the Beatles and Led Zeppelin to the Meat Puppets
and the Screaming Trees and Pearl Jam have always been bands that
varied their material rather than sticking to formula, and so on this
album I consciously decided to allow myself to present a variety of
songwriting and performing styles. Why constrain oneself to one mode
of expression? I can't answer that, but it seems a lot of artists and
labels place that constraint.
W♥M: What music that is coming out these days inspires you to continue writing music and trying new things?
DS: Lately I've been
reviewing underground bands at GarageBand.com, and coming across some
diamonds in the rough. I have to say I am less enthused about the
artists in the mainstream these days. I know that's something a lot of
people say, but I think it's true that the major label system and Clear
Channel are not taking enough risks to put out really inspiring arists,
so I mostly catch great new artists when I go to shows. A few bands
whose shows have grabbed me in recent times have been a band called
Stone River from Toronto, and a Long Island band called The Headie
Berrie. I also really like the album from the reunited Meat Puppets
and anything that Cris Kirkwood has done recently, as well as the new
Mark Lanegan/Greg Dulli project the Gutter Twins.
W♥M: The album sounds very good, did you go to school for music production or did you just sort of pick things up along the way?
DS: After a long time of
struggling with recording gear, I did go to an audio program at Emerson
College in Boston which gave me a good foundation to then be more
successful and picking things up afterwards.
W♥M: Do you have a day job or is music a full time thing for you?
DS: At times I teach audio
production courses at a few colleges in the New York City area, which
is a great way to meet upcoming young musicians.
W♥M: What are your thoughts on the effect that proliferation of
affordable digital recording technology and sites like Myspace have had
on music as a whole? are you for or against these changes?
DS:
I think the proliferation of affordable recording technology is
excellent. It's great to be able to record a decent sounding album
without the psychological impediment of watching the clock tick away
hundreds of dollars while trying to stay focused on creativity.
However, I think recording musicians should make a point of being on
top of the craft of recording if they're going to self-record and
self-produce, and should take care to get outside opinions to maintain
objectivity as the recording and mixing process move along.
I also really like the opportunity of sites like MySpace to expose one's music to people who otherwise might not come across it. Of course, MySpace has its down sides, such as people abusing it and spamming too much, but you have to take the bad with the good and overall it and other sites such as SoundClick are another avenue for exposure which is always welcome. As long as artists can control what can and cannot be downloaded on these sites, I think they're a winning situation. Plus, they save musicians a lot of postage money!
W♥M: Are you currently working on another album or any other projects?
DS: The DSC will be recording
an EP in September which will include a Wierd Al style parody of Green
Day's American Idiot, only this time the idiot will be from our
hometown of Long Island (NY). It will also have some super-catchy
originals.
W♥M: How was/ is your tour going?
DS: Myself and my band have
been having a great time playing shows at some great clubs with some
great supporting acts, and have helped raise money for some deserving
charities such as a cancer treatment center in Fredonia, NY and the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation through some benefits we've been part of. I
also have been playing some solo shows which puts an interesting spin
on the music and gives me opportunities to try the material out in a
different format. This fall we'll be hitting college campuses
throughout the Northeast and I'll be doing some solo shows out west for
the first time, which will be very exciting. The dates will all be
posted on our website.
Lately, I've been doing a TV tour, hitting some local TV shows with my acoustic guitar.
W♥M: And the perennial question on everyone's mind, what do you think about today's political climate in america?
DS: Just listen to "Collateral
Damage" from the DSC (or better yet, watch the video at YouTube) and
you'll have a pretty good sense of my thoughts on the political climate
in America. I think all the partisan politics and the influence of
greed is disgraceful, and that too many Americans are letting
themselves fall prey to propaganda from cable news pundits and bogus
mass emails. However, I acknowledge that these unfortunate
circumstances are not unique to America. I have good hope that
Americans will continue to open their eyes and be able to recognize the
real deal as we wise up after the post- 9/11 period of giving in to our
worst fears. I hope in a few years we can fix the health care system
instead of politicians pandering to insurance and drug companies.
For more information about Dan and his music be sure to check out his website at www.dansheehan.net, and as always stay tuned to We Heart Music for the latest in independent music!
Comments
I got to wonderin' that me self..