Dan Israel
Encyclopedia
Dan Israel is a 15-year veteran singer-songwriter
currently based in Minneapolis, who won Song of the Year (for "Come to Me") in the 2005 Minnesota
Music Awards. He led the folk-duo One Town Horse in Chicago in the late '80s
and early '90s
, went on to lead the more electrified folk-rockers Potter's Field in Austin, TX in the mid '90s (where he was named one of Austin's top 15 songwriters), and finally relocated to his hometown of Minneapolis in 1996, where he formed Dan Israel and the Cultivators and released several critically acclaimed CD
s, both solo and with the Cultivators. His 2000 solo release "Dan Who?" received a 4-star review from noted music scribe Jim Walsh (then at the St. Paul Pioneer Press), who summed up his outrage at the under-recognition of Israel's talent with these words: "Well, somebody buy a billboard, hire a blimp, and give this guy his due already. His name is Dan Israel, one of the mad ones, one of the strugglers, and he just made the record of his life."
Israel has been reviewed favorably in national magazines like Paste
and No Depression
and in major American newspapers such as the Chicago Sun-Times
, has received extensive radio airplay both stateside and overseas, has showcased multiple times at the prestigious South by Southwest Music Conference, and has opened for acts such as Morrissey
, the Tragically Hip
, Todd Snider
, Iris DeMent
, Peter Himmelman
, the Honeydogs
, Mason Jennings
, Martin Zellar
, Mary Lou Lord
, Ike Reilly
, Steve Poltz
, the Silos, and many more.
His influences include such popular choices as Bob Dylan
, Neil Young
, the Beatles and The Rolling Stones
as well as ones more attuned to his particular jangly folk-pop style - Paul Westerberg
, the Jayhawks, Tom Petty
, the Byrds
, Big Star, World Party
, Husker Du/Sugar/Mould, R.E.M., and others.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
currently based in Minneapolis, who won Song of the Year (for "Come to Me") in the 2005 Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
Music Awards. He led the folk-duo One Town Horse in Chicago in the late '80s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
and early '90s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
, went on to lead the more electrified folk-rockers Potter's Field in Austin, TX in the mid '90s (where he was named one of Austin's top 15 songwriters), and finally relocated to his hometown of Minneapolis in 1996, where he formed Dan Israel and the Cultivators and released several critically acclaimed CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
s, both solo and with the Cultivators. His 2000 solo release "Dan Who?" received a 4-star review from noted music scribe Jim Walsh (then at the St. Paul Pioneer Press), who summed up his outrage at the under-recognition of Israel's talent with these words: "Well, somebody buy a billboard, hire a blimp, and give this guy his due already. His name is Dan Israel, one of the mad ones, one of the strugglers, and he just made the record of his life."
Israel has been reviewed favorably in national magazines like Paste
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
and No Depression
No Depression (periodical)
No Depression was a bi-monthly magazine that covered a broad range of roots music, including alternative country and Americana.-History:...
and in major American newspapers such as the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
, has received extensive radio airplay both stateside and overseas, has showcased multiple times at the prestigious South by Southwest Music Conference, and has opened for acts such as Morrissey
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey , known as Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist. He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the alternative rock band The Smiths. The band was highly successful in the United Kingdom but broke up in 1987, and Morrissey began a solo career,...
, the Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
, Todd Snider
Todd Snider
Todd Daniel Snider is an American singer-songwriter with a musical style that combines Americana, alt-country, and folk.-Biography:...
, Iris DeMent
Iris DeMent
Iris DeMent is an American singer and songwriter. DeMent's musical style encompasses the genres country and folk music.-Early life:...
, Peter Himmelman
Peter Himmelman
Peter Himmelman is a singer-songwriter from Minnesota, who formerly played in the band Sussman Lawrence.-Family life:He is Bob Dylan's son-in-law, being married to his daughter Maria Dylan...
, the Honeydogs
The Honeydogs
The Honeydogs is a band from Saint Paul, Minnesota that opened at First Avenue in 1994.-History:When the band first started, the crowds that attended their concerts were small, but now the band is able to atrract large crowds...
, Mason Jennings
Mason Jennings
Mason Jennings is an American pop-folk singer-songwriter. He is well known for his simple yet catchy melodies, intimate lyrics, literary and historical themes, and distinctive voice...
, Martin Zellar
Martin Zellar
Martin Zellar born June 14, 1963, is the lead singer, main songwriter, and guitarist for the country-tinged rock band the Gear Daddies from Austin, Minnesota. After the band broke up in 1992, Zellar went on to form Martin Zellar and The Hardways...
, Mary Lou Lord
Mary Lou Lord
Mary Lou Lord is an indie folk musician, busker and recording artist.-Biography:Mary Lou Lord first gained notice playing acoustic guitar and singing in and around Boston's subway stations Lord became friends with...
, Ike Reilly
Ike Reilly
Ike Reilly is a musician from Libertyville, Illinois.In 2003 Reilly and bandmates Tommy O'Donnell, Ed Tinley, Dave Cottini, Phil Karnats assumed the name The Ike Reilly Assassination and released "Sparkle in the Finish."The band is well-known by fans of TJ & Dave, an improv duo that performs...
, Steve Poltz
Steve Poltz
Steve Poltz is a Canadian-born American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in San Diego, California. He is a founding member of the indie-rock band The Rugburns and is best known for co-writing the #2 Jewel song "You Were Meant for Me"...
, the Silos, and many more.
His influences include such popular choices as Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Neil Young
Neil Young
Neil Percival Young, OC, OM is a Canadian singer-songwriter who is widely regarded as one of the most influential musicians of his generation...
, the Beatles and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
as well as ones more attuned to his particular jangly folk-pop style - Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
, the Jayhawks, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, the Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Big Star, World Party
World Party
World Party is a British pop/alternative rock band, which is essentially the solo project of its sole member, Karl Wallinger. He started the band in 1986 in London after leaving The Waterboys.-Career:...
, Husker Du/Sugar/Mould, R.E.M., and others.