THE DAN THE D (THE MUSIC, THE PHOTOGRAPHY)
Multi-talent-tasking Dan Donovan has created artbeat escapism weaving a desert blues, garage rock album – ‘Mojo Del Rancho’ (available. digitally via iTunes and Spotify). Music for modern lovers.
It was recorded (with members of Eagles Of Death Metal and Snow Patrol) at Rancho de la Luna studio; home to Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions.
The LP conjures a wigged-out house party biography with songs as chapters from musicians letting go like a festival set, in the wide open space to do so.
The CD is accompanied by a limited fifty-two-page photo journal available via Moose Shack Merch. It is an exhibition blessed with Wild West beauty and fine design. Me? I dig it. My time travelled recommendation is written in Summer 2020. Lockdown feels a little like life in a desert shack sometimes, especially in sweltering heat but it is nothing like this musical adventure. Tracks like ‘Dawg Eat’ evoke a dirty-sounds jukebox playing over an impending bar brawl from any of the rock n roll years. With a rich history in music’s heritage (and already widely acclaimed), in 2016, acclaimed musician, Dan Donovan wove into TheZineUK tapestry via his photography.
Star Wars; ‘The Force Awakens’ movie landed in December 2015. Dan’s image of feminist rockers, DEUX FURIEUSES illustrates their iconic debut album, ‘Tracks Of Wire’ (released May 2016). Our moonful story felt like threads of creative rebels were aligning.
They were.
In 2017, ‘Mojo del Rancho’ was recorded at the infamous Rancho de la Luna, Mojave Desert, California (a location for Iggy Pop, Foo Fighters, Queens Of The Stone Age and it really feels like that).
As weaving stories go, it’s the perfect situation for a photo journalism tale. This love powered studio “in the middle of nowhere” is cited as weird, but functional with idiosyncratic recording gear (“Is it a mic? It looks like a grenade… You plug it in… find out if it goes off.” Alex Turner, Arctic Monkeys). There’s an exceptional drum room and a raw, offwordly vibe to foil distraction.
Getting a swampy sound in a desert is no mean feat, but but Dan, the son of a Welsh preacher, has pulled it off. A variety of global sounds fused by Tom Waits tinted riff and rhythm rock outs, like ‘Baby Bomb’
From fronting the grungey Tribe of Dan to a string of press acclaimed albums and solo career, Dan’s prolific music-making keeps him in focus and on point. So ‘The Sit’ beat poem waltzes into the light and dark arena howl of ‘Sweet Gold’.
There is blood and sweat on these tracks.
Art-rocked audiovision fusions of instruments, vocals, ideas, word layered, deconstructed but always reconstructed around the theme of SONG.
Being accompanied by Jonny Quinn of Snow Patrol on drums, Dave Catching (Eagles of Death Metal),
Christina Reyes (Caxton) and Mark Ringer (Burning Codes) adds punky tangents that soundtrack the images of a virtual Hunter S. Thompson road trip.
Our Moon Tardis called into the DEUX FURIEUSES video shoot in Summer 2019. ‘Year Of Rage’ was directed by Dan Donovan and it was a beautiful day. As usual, with inspiring friends.
Madame So and Dan Donovan
Dan also directed the video for their second album’s title track; ‘My War Is Your War’ (released October 2019, yay, we attended the launch!) – for which his album artwork photography is, yet again, iconic.
One day, TheZineUK would like to see an ArtBeat exhibition/installation by any means necessary – our wealth of incredible documentarians, creating culture and counter culture alike, deserve it.
New images are conjured with each listen to ‘Mojo del Rancho‘s tribe of music world natives, to complement Dan’s photo journalism. Behold a formidable, cross breeding legacy being underlined.
Word: “Guitar axes chop under deep resonances and snake-rattling charms. This is vox-toxic bourbon on gilded splintered rocks. These are weighted Waitsian beat-poetic utterances with guttural Iggy swagger. The Dan The D glances through a glass darkly, iconic, ironic, embattled, brittle, squeeze- tight-till-the-bottle-breaks blues.
Social Links And Store/More
via Dan Donovan‘s WEBSITE
Post script; Believe in the soul of this album. Time travelled to current positivity where Dan has set up a charitable page encouraging donations for The Red Cross (vital humanitarian, individual support for the most vulnerable through this crisis.
Words: Caffy St Luce