Singer/songwriter Dan Weber, an Irondequoit native, has only been performing for four years, but he’s already being compared to folk music icons Woody and Arlo Guthrie. And his newly released CD, Ash and Bone, is second on the Roots Country Music Chart for internet stations.
Pretty good for a guy who played his first gig on a whim.
“I had just turned 40 and performing was on my bucket list so I went to an open mike night at a local club”, Weber recalls. ”I bombed that night so I tried it again just to see, and it was worse than the first time.”
Undaunted, Weber continued playing his songs, or as he terms them, his “stories”. His style is that of a travelling minstrel. “I tell funny, sad, true stories from the road. The beauty of country and folk music is that it is driven by the story and the lyrics, not the musicianship.”
Weber’s somewhat nomadic life has provided ample fodder for his songwriting career.
After graduating from Bishop Kearney High School in 1985 he got a degree in business management from the University of Dayton. It was then that he veered from the path of a traditional business major.
“I met a guy in a bar who was moving to Spokane, Washington. I decided to tag along. We stopped in Ohio to see a college buddy and the next thing I know the three of us were in Spokane.”
Weber’s adventures include a stint as a Park Ranger in Canyonlands National Park in Utah, and at least twice he drove across the country, sleeping under the stars, “as much as I could”.
He spent years travelling throughout the Pacific Northwest, before settling in Portland Oregon. During that time music was the furthest thing from his mind.
“I was never particularly interested in music,” he says. “I got my first guitar when I was in my late twenties but I rarely picked it up.” Weber did, however, like to write. ”And I’ve always had the knack for telling good stories.”
Four years ago Weber began playing regularly at clubs in the Portland area. His contemporary folk style relies heavily on his gift of gab.
“I’ve always fallen in love with the stories behind country and folk music songs, so I turned my own stories into song lyrics and put some simple melodies with them.”
Singer/songwriter Dan Weber, an Irondequoit native, has only been performing for four years, but he’s already being compared to folk music icons Woody and Arlo Guthrie. And his newly released CD, Ash and Bone, is second on the Roots Country Music Chart for internet stations.
Pretty good for a guy who played his first gig on a whim.
“I had just turned 40 and performing was on my bucket list so I went to an open mike night at a local club”, Weber recalls. ”I bombed that night so I tried it again just to see, and it was worse than the first time.”
Undaunted, Weber continued playing his songs, or as he terms them, his “stories”. His style is that of a travelling minstrel. “I tell funny, sad, true stories from the road. The beauty of country and folk music is that it is driven by the story and the lyrics, not the musicianship.”
Weber’s somewhat nomadic life has provided ample fodder for his songwriting career.
After graduating from Bishop Kearney High School in 1985 he got a degree in business management from the University of Dayton. It was then that he veered from the path of a traditional business major.
“I met a guy in a bar who was moving to Spokane, Washington. I decided to tag along. We stopped in Ohio to see a college buddy and the next thing I know the three of us were in Spokane.”
Weber’s adventures include a stint as a Park Ranger in Canyonlands National Park in Utah, and at least twice he drove across the country, sleeping under the stars, “as much as I could”.
He spent years travelling throughout the Pacific Northwest, before settling in Portland Oregon. During that time music was the furthest thing from his mind.
“I was never particularly interested in music,” he says. “I got my first guitar when I was in my late twenties but I rarely picked it up.” Weber did, however, like to write. ”And I’ve always had the knack for telling good stories.”
Four years ago Weber began playing regularly at clubs in the Portland area. His contemporary folk style relies heavily on his gift of gab.
“I’ve always fallen in love with the stories behind country and folk music songs, so I turned my own stories into song lyrics and put some simple melodies with them.”
Weber is quickly making a name for himself. He is a two-time winner of the West Coast Songwriters Performing Songwriting Competition and has received two Song of the Year awards, among numerous other songwriting honors.
Folk music legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliot is a fan. “I love Dan’s music,” Elliot says, “And he tells really good stories.”
Accolades notwithstanding, Weber is not yet ready to give up his day job as a real estate appraiser to make music his full-time career.
“Part of the beauty of being older is that I don’t feel like I have to chase the big record deal. I can just be happy entertaining people and enjoying the experience and not be obsessed with future success.
Like guitarist Peter Frampton always says, ‘being a pop star lasts 18 months, being a musician lasts a lifetime.’”
Dan Weber’s CD, Ash and Bone is available at CDBaby; Village Records and on iTunes. For more information go to danwebermusic.com
