BRANDEN DANIEL
Rock / Indie / Blues
The Pacific NorthWest is a long way from Mississippi, the place where the influential sound of Delta Blues was born. But proving you dont need to be born east of the Mason-Dixon to produce blues-inspired rock nroll is Portland singer Branden Daniel and his band Everybody Gets Laid.
"I just want to write simple but great songs that come across like an old folk tune. Those songs have exciting characteristics that really seize your attention. Daniel says. Lines like Cotton fields and there aint no way/you can see the dreamer hoppin from the rows to the hay (Lay Low from 2007s Back Down EP) may call to mind lyricists and Delta bluesmen like Robert Johnson, or Leadbelly but dont make the mistake of painting Daniel and EGL into a modern-blues corner, this is straight roots inspired Rock n Roll.
Formerly trained from an early age in soul and gospel, a young Branden Daniel also found himself drawn to the sounds of 60s-era and classic rock nroll and punk. Singing and playing guitar in various fledgling garage bands around his native Seattle allowed Daniel to hone a sound and style of his own. Combining his lyrical talent with the raw musical stylings of Sticky Fingers-era Rolling Stones, Iggy Pop and the White Stripes at their most uninhibited. With stage moves that would make Mick Jagger blush, Daniel is determined to bring the excitement and performance back into rock nroll.
I just let my legs and fingers do their thing, says Daniel in reference to his live shows, where he can veer from fairly relaxed fret- and footwork to downright sweaty hip shaking and loud, fast raw guitar solos within the course of one song.
Daniel self-produced and released his first EP, Love It, in 2005. His current EP, Back Down, was recorded in Portland, Oregon at Revolver Studios with his backing band consisting of Portland music veterans Nathaniel Teenage Boggess on drums (Vanderbuilte, Champagne) and bass player Jonas Greene (Vanderbuilte, SweetRide) otherwise known as Everybody Gets Laid and co-produced by Daniel and Brian Jonestown Massacre bassist Colin Hegna. Blues and roots inspired rock nroll with a gritty, dirty twist, Back Down calls to mind the era when music seemed new, exciting and dangerous.
Daniel defines his recording process simply. I wanted to capture the rawness of my band at the time. I wanted to capture the energy, the love, the testosterone, and the sweat: everything that we exuded live. We'd been touring together and at the end of some of the shows I remember thinking Okay, that's how I want the record to sound! The band and I just had a camaraderie and unique understanding and timing for each other, I knew I wanted that preserved.
For more information and to experience the self-defined hip-thrusting songs of Branden Daniel, go to www.myspace.com/brandendaniel or www.brandendaniel.com.
What people are saying about Branden Daniel:
Brandens stripped-down brand of garage-ingrained rock n roll is guaranteed to have you movin and groovin and beggin for more! His latest release, Back Down rips and wails with explosive blasts of raw energy, as can be heard on the title track; and the unique, bass-driven Almost Forgot is easily the most underrated B-Side of 2007
*Kris K, Reviewer Magazine
"BLUESY INDIE ROCK; Think Jonny Lang without the long-winded virtuoso guitar solos, or consider the hook-friendly songwriting sensibility of Brendan Benson and the gruff lyrical styling of a kinder Axl Rose or that ubiquitous hero, Bob Dylan, and you've got an idea of the skillful, varied sound on Branden Daniel"
*Karla Starr, Willamette Week
"Branden Daniel's words of musical philosophy will make a true believer out of the most critical doubters. Without a soul like this keeping the feeling alive, where would rock n' roll be?"
*Kyle D, the Daily Evergreen
Back Down: If music is heading this way, jump on the bandwagon quickly. Rating: 5 stars
*Listener Review on youtube.com
The CD Back Down is simple. What I mean by that, it is simply easy to understand because it is so good. Branden Daniel mixes the sounds of early rock n roll (Stones, T-Rex) with newer bands (White Stripes) that dare to dream of a day when music sounded as good as the Stones. You'll find meaning, sex and depth in his music, and if you are lucky, you might just get laid in the back of your car while listening to it. Have fun with this; there is no way that you can't."
*listener review on CDbaby.com
Location: Seattle/Portland, WA
Members: Branden Daniel & Everybody Gets Laid
