Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Who am I?


Dan Lange
Singer and Slide guitarist.

Dan Lange moved to Portland in the summer of 2006, immediately following the release of "Streetwise”, his second CD.

A native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dan has been playing and singing professionally since 1982, when he was a founding member of Shakey Lyman’s “Boogiemen”. He also fronted “The Hired Guns Blues Band” with Sonny Rhodes Protégé guitarist Tim Pikunas.

He hosted blues jams and open mic nights at Bacchanal on South Street, and the “Guns” were frequent guest hosts at the jam session at the Barbary when the Sonny Rhodes' Band was on the road. The “Guns” also hosted late-night jam sessions at the after-hours hot spot “The Palmer Social Club”.

During his years in Philly, Dan was also Musical Director for Moonstone – a non profit organization that brought music and poetry to the classrooms and children’s events including performances at the Philadelphia Zoo.

After working around the Delaware Valley and New Jersey for a few years, Dan packed up and moved to London, England, where he started to work primarily as a solo performer – and where he honed his Delta – influenced slide guitar style playing in pubs and busking on Chalk Farm Road in Camden Town, the Tube Stations, and at Covent Garden. He also played a 3 month residency at Bunjies Folk Cellar, hosted a series of open mic nights at the Queens Head Pub in Haringey and recorded a self-titled cassette–only release.

In the mid 90s, Dan returned to the USA with his wife, Jane, and settled (for 8 years) in the Bay Area of California, where he played a variety of venues, including Crafts Fairs, Farmers Markets, bars, taverns, clubs, cafe's, festivals, and the bustling Telegraph Avenue street scene. Dan played the Solano Stroll 3 times during his stay by the Bay.
He was also a frequent Guest Host at the Open Mic at the “Starry Plough”. While living in California, Dan recorded and released 2 CDs – “Please and Thank You” and “Streetwise”. He also fronted the “Dan Lange Band”, a Blues band which worked roadhouse bars in the surrounding Suburban areas.

Dan Lange is particularly proud of the performances he did with the organization Bread and Roses, bringing his music to halfway houses, shelters, rehabilitation centers, and the San Francisco Civic Center as part of Operation Homeless Connect.

Today, Dan is looking to establish himself as a fresh face on the Portland music scene, a city which has already welcomed him warmly – he opened the October meeting of the Cascade Blues Association, and guest hosted the Open Mic at Slabtown several times.

Friday, February 09, 2007

A double treat - new Diamond slides



Yesterday, I recieved 2 Diamond Ultimate guitar slides - blown glass made by artisans in the English West Midlands. I've been using these since meeting up with Ian Mcwee at a pub near Stafford several years ago.

These are replacements for the slide I broke at a Cascade Blues Association meeting - they fit right, sound great and they look great. Take a look at some of the Slides they have on offer;


http://www.diamondbottlenecks.com/index.html



This one is really lovely.

Monday, February 05, 2007

A great weekend in the East Bay






This weekend we went down to Berkeley to (finally) celebrate the release of my CD, "Streetwise", at the Starry Plough.

There were also performances by the ever-smartmouthed "Pickin Trix"
http://www.myspace.com/thepickintrix
and the "Happy Clams"
http://thehappyclams.com/. Guy Michel was in particularly good form.

A lot of dear friends I haven't seen since we left the East Bay were in attendance; it was good to see everyone.

Hopefully, we'll all be together again at this years Meadow Muffin.


On our way back to the Airport, we stopped in for an all too short visit with Cap'n Mike Hudson and Skiperette Yvette. Yvette was in the middle of preparing her fabulous Gumbo for their annual Super Bowl party.

Mike is a fine Blues Guitarist in his own right; and they are also the East Bay's source for the very best Seafood. (They sent me home with a basket of Crabs - I do meet the best people.)

Here's a link to their website; your portal to some of the best Salmon that can be got. Scroll down and you'll find information on Mike's CD releases and musical exploits.
http://hudsonfish.com/