I’ve partnered with the fantastic Monmouth County SPCA on an exciting new project:
If you are near the Central NJ area and have been thinking of adding some pets to your family, these furry friends are bluegrass-approved!
Three New Banjo Videos – Dan Whitener
This weekend and last weekend I spent some time recording some songs, including the following banjo tracks:
Cluck Old Hen – Traditional tune played with Dave Gross.
Clare de Lune (intro) – Suite bergamesque, 3rd movt, by Claude Debussy.
Share and enjoy!
Hole in the Floor of the Plane – Blue Plate Special
Fan Pics from Brinkley’s
You may remember from my recent post that I’ve been playing some weekends at Brinkley’s on Broome Street. I’ll be playing again next Saturday, June 14th, from 2-5 pm, so stop by if you’re in the area!
And if you do come out, tag your photos with #brinkleys on Twitter or Instagram, like these fine folks:
Great new find – bluegrass brunch at #brinkleys! #fundaysunday pic.twitter.com/ZGWcJUGX9i
— Seona (@iseona) April 13, 2014
Bluegrass Brunch at Brinkley’s
Brinkley’s, serving delicious food and a variety of beers on tap, has welcomed the bluegrass sound to add atmosphere to your weekend brunch plans. I’ve played a number of weekends so far this year with members of my band Blue Plate Special (and other talented musicians like Bennett Sullivan, pictured above) and hope to play several more.
You can catch some of the other members of Blue Plate Special play this upcoming Easter Sunday, and hopefully I’ll be playing at Brinkley’s again soon as well. Check the sidebar to the right for these and other upcoming shows!
Two Folk Alliance Articles
Post by Dan Whitener.
Post by Dan Whitener.
Folk Alliance Tweets
#toomanydamnpeople @folkalliance pic.twitter.com/h7wWa1kpZw
— Dan Whitener (@DanWhitener) February 21, 2014
A long and full day @folkalliance
Can't wait to get up and do it again
This is satisfaction
#haiku #sureitis #doesntmatter #whocares
— Dan Whitener (@DanWhitener) February 22, 2014
Got to play my 1st solo set @folkalliance on Thursday! Thanks to everybody who came by. It really feels just like playing for your friends.
— Dan Whitener (@DanWhitener) February 22, 2014
July 28 Show
Just wrapped up one of the most satisfying events of my career to date.
Performing with me (and each other):
Blue Plate Special
The Sparrows
Mark and Don Whitener
and a handful of Bard A Cappella grads! (not pictured)
All photos thanks to Bill Geiger.
Blog Post about the Sparrows
Chelsey Heath interviews Perry Allen, and has some nice things to say about the Sparrows!
Before the “Blue Door Sessions,” the Sparrows’ last album was “Rattle Creak and Murmur.” …
Off “Rattle,” I like “Hole in the Floor,” a snarky track Whitener dreamed up while on a plane, according to Allen. With the vision of a song, he put it together without instruments, and blew everyone away that night when he unveiled the song.
Review of On the Tracks
Well how about that! Many thanks to Max Johnson for pointing out the fact that my album, On The Tracks, has its first published review! (Apologies to Odetta Hartman and Chris Rubeo for misspellings of their fine wonderful names.)
Many thanks again to all the folks who made my album possible: Max Johnson on bass, Melody Allegra Berger on fiddle, Chris Eldridge on guitar, recorded by Joey Colmenero at the Cutting Room in NYC; and the Sparrows! Chris Rubeo, Perry Allen, Brian Barth, and Odetta Hartman, recorded by Chris Rubeo.
DAN WHITENER
ON THE TRACKS
No Label, No Number.
This is a really nice project of original material from this young banjo player. Whitener has written all of the songs and he is accompanied on the collection by Chris Eldridge on guitar, Melody Allegra Berger on fiddle, and Max Johnson on bass. Other folks adding their input to the set are Chris [Rubeo] (guitar), Odetta [Hartman] (fiddle), Perry Allen (guitar), and Brian Barth (bass). The instrumentals bounce between sounding ’grassy and jazzy, and Whitener shows he can play on tunes such as “Same Old Thing,” “Three [Musketeers],” “Shooting Star,” “Lightning Bug,” “Done For The Day,” and “Chicken.” A vocal highlight is “Hole In The Floor Of The Plane,” sort of a quirky alternate view of rapture. “Here To Live” is a simple, pretty tune about just living, and “Banjo Pickin Man” is sort of autobiographical. Whitener was a member of the Sparrows band and some of their performances can be found on-line.