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Danielson

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Snow1215 (talk | contribs) at 00:12, 17 May 2007 (moved Danielson Famile to Danielson over redirect: Danielson is the "root name" of the group built around Daniel Smith. Danielson Famile is the name used only when his siblings are with him.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Danielson" redirects here. For the borough in the U.S. state of Connecticut, see Danielson, Connecticut.
Danielson

Danielson Famile (a.k.a. Danielson) is a band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays a quirky blend of indie pop and gospel music. The members of the band include frontman Daniel Smith; his siblings Megan Slaboda, David Smith, Rachel Galloway, and Andrew Smith; his wife Elin K. Smith; and friend Chris Palladino (a.k.a. Chris X. Smith). Sufjan Stevens has also performed and recorded with the band.

The band is known for its squeaky falsetto vocals, innovative musical arrangements, and matching stage costumes (often nurse uniforms). Some appearances have seen Daniel playing a guitar while inside a costume of a ten foot tree bearing nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.[1]

History

While attending Rutgers University, Daniel Smith sang and played bass in the indie band Sap Laci, whose 1993 self-produced cassette demo God Made Guitar, Women Make Us Play Them contained elements of what would become the Danielson sound: Dan's squeaky vocals ("I may look like I'm 12, but I sound like I'm 13!"), obtuse melodies and spiritually-themed lyrics ("I talked to God, I told him I screwed up again - He said 'Dan, Give me 10 push-ups!' I said to Him 'I'll do 1000!'"). With its distorted bass guitar and electric guitar, the sound of Sap Laci was heavier than Danielson, influenced by the Pixies and Love and Rockets.

In his final year at Rutgers, Daniel Smith experienced a spiritual reawakening (bandmate and fellow student Chris Palladino went on to bible college in California after graduating from Rutgers) and enlisted several siblings to record the album A Prayer for Every Hour which he submitted as his thesis and for which he received an 'A' grade.

Around 1996 the CD was picked up by the Christian-centered label Tooth & Nail Records and Daniel, his siblings, and Chris Palladino began to perform on a semi-regular basis in New York City, New Jersey, and Philadelphia as the "Danielson Famile". The group released Tri-Danielson!!! (Alpha) and Tri-Danielson!!! (Omega) in 1998 and 1999 respectively, earning them further college radio play and broadening their indie audience. They also became known for their onstage costumes (initially nurse uniforms with large red hearts sewn on), their homemade t-shirts and other merchandise. While the lyrical content was unabashedly Christian, Danielson Famile nevertheless received strong press and support from the mainstream audience due to their musical inventiveness.

In 2001, the Danielson Famile signed to Secretly Canadian. The first Danielson release for the label was Fetch the Compass Kids, recorded by Steve Albini. Smith releaed a solo record in 2004 (Brother Is To Son) as Brother Danielson. It was followed in May 2006 by the ambitious Ships, which featured contributions from a total of 20 musicians, including Sufjan Stevens, Half-handed Cloud, and members of Deerhoof.

Daniel Smith's musical influences include his father (Lenny Smith), Jesus Movement worship songs, the Beatles, Bob Dylan[2] and Syd Barrett.

Discography

Danielson

Albums

EPs

  • Insound Tour Support - Soul Junk and Danielson (Insound, 1998)

Singles

  • "Flip Flop Flim Flam" (Fluevog, 2001)
  • "When It Comes To You I'm Lazy" / "Goody, Goody" (Kill Rock Stars, 2006)
  • "Dry Goods, Dry Power" / "Left-Handed Smoke Shifter" - with Edith Frost and Darin Gray (Sounds Familyre, 2006)
  • "I'm Slow But I'm Sloppy" / "Did I Step On Your Remix" (Anticon Records, 2006)

DVDs

  • Danielson: A Family Movie (or, Make A Joyful Noise HERE) (Homevision, 2007)

Compilation appearances

  • "Song for Every Speaker" - Art Core Volume 2 (Tooth & Nail, 1996)
  • "Smooth Death" - Tooth & Nail Rock Sampler, Volume 1 (Tooth & Nail, 1997)
  • "Allhallow's Eve" - The Unaccompanied Voice: An A Capella Compilation (Secretly Canadian, 2000)
  • "Who are Parents?" - Better Than the Beatles: A Tribute to the Shaggs (Animal World, 2001)
  • "Nothing to Do" - Dimension Mix: A Tribute to Bruce Haack (Eenie Meenie, 2005)
  • "My Lion Sleeps Tonight" - Mews Too: An Asthmatic Kitty Compilation (Asthmatic Kitty, 2006)

Brother Danielson

Albums

  • Brother Is to Son (Secretly Canadian, 2004)

Singles

  • "The Kid" / "Five Stars and Two Thumbs Up" (Secretly Canadian, 2003)

References

  1. ^ For example, at the 2004 Cornerstone Festival.
  2. ^ [1]
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