Dan Wilson (musician)
Dan Wilson (born May 20, 1961 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is a Grammy Award-winning Minneapolis-based guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. He is both a solo artist, signed to Rick Rubin's American Recordings, and the lead singer of the occasionally-active band Semisonic, in which he wrote hits like "Secret Smile", "Closing Time", and "Chemistry". He was also a member of Trip Shakespeare during the early 1990s. He co-wrote a number of songs on the Dixie Chicks 2006 album Taking the Long Way, including "Not Ready to Make Nice", for which he won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year along with the Dixie Chicks. He had previously been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1999 for writing the Semisonic hit "Closing Time." Dan also produced Mike Doughty's album Haughty Melodic (2005). His solo album "Free Life" was released on October 16, 2007, the eponymous title track of that album being featured in a number of American television programs.
Influences
"I'm heavily influenced by Joni Mitchell, Eddie Money, Beatles, Radiohead, Jaco Pastorius, Miles Davis, Pink Floyd, Neil Young. I'm lightly but happily influenced by Smashing Pumpkins, Elliot Smith, Bryan Adams, Pat Metheny, REM, Sigur Ros. In the past couple of years I've jammed and played music with a lot of different people and those experiences are turning into influences: Mike Doughty, Nickel Creek, Glen Phillips, The Hopefuls, Benmont Tench, Sheryl Crow, there are more. And in the past few years I've written songs and recorded with a lot of new friends and those experences have also influenced my music: Rick Rubin, Mike Doughty, The Dixie Chicks, Rachael Yamagata, Jason Mraz, Bleu, Gabe Dixon, lots more." [1]
When asked to describe who he sounds like, he notes "I hope I sound like Neil Young, Sea Change by Beck, Iron and Wine. I know I sound like Semisonic (can't help that!), Beatles but trying not to. I've been listening to a lot of Louis Armstrong lately, somehow that's going to seep into my songwriting."[2]
External links
- Dan Wilson on creativity and the creative process, an interview with about-creativity.com November 1, 2007
- www.danwilsonmusic.com - the artists's website
- [1] - AV Club interview
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