THE DAN KING TRADING POST AND INFORMATION CENTER
Dan King, born Daniel Scott King. 23rd of February 1970.
Gloucester, Massachusetts. United States,
Dan grew up in a neighborhood referred to as "portagee hill" because of the Portugese families that populated the area and attended Gloucester Public Schools where he excelled in his studies, sports, activities. Picking up the guitar at age 10 he became serious at age 14 and took lessons from local instructor/guitar maker Peter Mercurio. In school Dan was inducted into the National Honor Society, made the All-State of Massachusetts football team, and was accepted to Harvard University. While still in High School during a spring Jazz band concert where Dan was playing bass, he was encouraged by legendary Jazzman and teacher Herb Pomeroy and Dan began to take music more seriously. Soon after Dan had major surgery on his right shoulder due to football injuries and was forced to put down the string bass for his first love of the guitar and joined/formed his first band, The Twelve Hour Band with school mates Sebastian Moceri, Jeremy Smith, Corey Marques and later
Andrew Browning, Shane Bediz. The music was mostly what is now called classic rock, Rolling Stones, Beatles, Dylan, Lou Reed. The only thing he could really do during his recovery turned into the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. In the fall of 1988 Dan lived in Harvard Yard during the national presidential election. Enrolled as a government major he became disillusioned with the political process. Still recovering from the shoulder surgery, football no longer seemed like a worthwhile endeavor. Dan left Harvard to pursue a career in music during the winter break. He attended the University of Massachsetts in the fall of 1989, changing his major to History with a minor in English and began to write songs. After the Twelve Hour Band Dan and Sebastian (Busty) formed Pillbox with Vincent Briguglio, Jon Stavis, Matthew Marnik in late 1990. Much more progressive than the Twelve Hour Band this group was influenced by Frank Zappa, Cream, Santana and upcoming bands Phish, Black Crowes, Pearl Jam. Pillbox also incorporated modern rap, hip hop, and funk with rhyming brother team Chex Bonex and Chex Lunex, and percussionist Rob Rhodes. The shows were wild parties that sometimes ended up with the crowd amongst the band, no seperation of audience/stage. Pillbox lasted strong until the winter of 1992 playing clubs, bars, parties, colleges, and made two demos. One in the spring of 91' on a 4 track in Marblehead, Ma. and one during the summer of 92' in Boston on 8 track reel to reel in the Martinonis brothers ( Arunis and Vasaris) studio where second guitarist Burke Sampson replaced Matt Marnik.
After the break-up of Pillbox Dan got back to the acoustic guitar, writing more songs, attending open-mics, playing gigs at local pubs in gloucester, amherst, northhampton, boston, cambridge, jamming with different outfits, friends until traveling to San Francisco by auto-drive-away with friend Rich Mann in early 94'. Stopping in New York, St. Louis, Santa Fe, Las Vegas, finally landing in Santa Cruz where Dan made his first west coast appearance down the street from upcoming punk rock outfit Greenday. Dan recalls "I was checking out the weekly rag in santa cruz and had heard these guys, I suggested we go check the show at the Catalyst but I ended up jamming myself". Next was San Francisco where Dan immediately got showcase status at local open-mics and held his own weekly shows in the Lower Haight district, getting gigs by walking into places and playing tunes for food and beer. After 9 months Dan ventured back east with experience and a better understanding of the music he wanted to make. He grabbed bassist Briguglio and teamed bluesman Jason Apt and drummer Ken Tolman and formed the short lived but tight and focused Rectifias. Steady rehearsals of acoustic songs Dan had been doing turned into tough bluesier nuggets like Santa Fe Jack and Tear Up The Dive, Dan's strongest writing efforts to date. Time and family restraints broke up the band too early but some local cable television appearances and bootlegs do exist. It was at this time that Dan entered Cove studio for the first time and began recording. Drummer Nelson Bragg ( now with Brian Wilson and featured on the new Smile) filled the slot with Briguglio on bass and the Prolz were formed in reference to George Orwell's 1984 right around the election of 1994. Guitarist Mark Pelosi and drummer Dom Lentini guested as well as engineers Doug Brown and Dave Henshaw, the final product was a year and a half in the making and put out by local indie label Rotary Records. The Prolz added guitarist Brian DeFort and drummer Pete Koeplin and for the next two years played many shows locally, both electric and acoustic, hosting an open jam everymonday at favorite local pub the rhumbline where Dan bartended and expanded their audience with show favorites Fell In The Pocket and Requiem Lovers Waltz. Highlights included Nemo music conference where the Prolz shared the bill at Mama Kin in Boston with the owners Aerosmith and a Washington DC trip on radio interviews, instore appeearances, and concerts. Fell in the Pocket was played on radio from Maine to DC. A second record was Recorded at Breakwater Estate Studio by David Brown ( Billy Joel Guitarist) and Produced by Tom Hambridge( Susan Tedeschi, Johnny Winter) with Dave in late 96' and finished in 97'. Titled Instinct it was the finest recording project to date with exceptionally produced gems like Beatles in my Room, Whistle Bye, and the title track but after Briguglio entered Berklee College, Koeplin's constant freelancing, DeForts marriage and the folding of Rotary the Prolz drifted apart until King finally put the nail in the coffin after an offer to do a solo record with major investment.
Time Move Over was recorded mostly in the summer of 98' at Room 9 From Outer Space by Ducky Carlisle with Hambridge producing again and was finished in late 99'. Guests included Nate Ricardson (John Brown's Body), Matt Laurence (Yep), Tom West (Peter Wolf), Monstor Mike Welch, Ken Clarke, Mike Tucker, Ben Zecker, Benny Benson, Dan Graziani ( the adicts), with Hambridge on backing vocals and Prolz Kopelin and Briguglio making appearances, as well as Pelosi. Performing live with L.A musicians Graziani, Doug Forsdick, Bret McConnell, Joe Mora, as Dan King and the Mac. Rounder records offshoot Grapeshot records picked up Time Move Over in 2000 and released it nationally in March of 2001. King appeared in New York City and Los Angeles( the indie music awards at the famous Biltmore) to support the record. Boston Radio played "Never Once", but Time Move Over ended up a commercial failure, during a tough year nationally and within the record business with the introduction of free downloads, label support was tough to come by and grapeshot soon folded with hundreds of other indie labels. King had to reaccess, lick his wounds, four years work and turned to producing side project Luke Temple whom he also played bass with. During many trips and gigs in New York City Dan recorded Two Kinds Of Mind with Drummer Friend Russ Lawton (Trey Anastastio), Richardson, and hooked up with Dave Brown, band-mate Dave Mattacks (legendary british folk rock drummer), and current bassist Wolf Ginandes. Recorded by Tony Goddess (Papas Fritas, Rudds) starting in spring 2001 and released spring 2003 on Mp3.com, Two Kinds Of Mind also features Fly Amero(Orleans), Inge Berge (theatre Tommy), Briguglio, and Temple. Mature songs, good recordings, Two Kinds got the same radio support for "After the Round" but sported no hits, though King's reputation amongst his peers grew and was offered to perform with Whoopi Goldberg for a possible NBC special through friend Jamie Kehoe. The special never happened but Dan was now established as a fixture on the North Shore, doing shows with Goldberg, Lawton, Mattacks, Brown, highlights include jamming with Robin Williams and Goldberg, for her birthday in New York's Cutting Room, and in front of 5,000 at Cornell U. in upstate New York. Other Recording projects including drummer James Cohen( Ryan Montbleau) and old mate Burke Sampson (Caleb Stine and the Brakemen) were done in Boston with Dave Minehan(the neighborhoods) at wooly mammoth studio, and with Andrew Mazzone at High n Dry studio in Cambridge, featuring Lawton, Ginandes, and Dana Colley on saxophone (Morphine). A concept record was recorded though never released with theater performer Inge Berge and gave birth to the songs "Up In The Air" and "English Class Warrior".
The current line-up is Dan with guitarist David Brown, Dave Mattacks on drums, and bassist Wolf Ginandes. Their live release Light City is available on itunes, as are Time Move Over and Two Kinds Of Mind. Light City was Recorded in August of 2005 and released August 2006. A new studio record is in the works with the current line-up and new songs "Old Romeo" and "Wasted Two" are already live set standards. Dan also co-wrote and performed in the original performance art piece "Big Top Road" with co-creators artist Jon Sarkin and director Ian McColl. "An unflinching look at art, text and music", Big Top is another chapter in the ever becoming artist life of Dan King.
Check out the new live, live , live recording featuring David Brown on guitar(Billy Joel, Simon and Garfunkel), Dave Mattacks on drums(Fairport Convention, Richard Thompson, Paul McCartney, George Harrison), Wolf Ginandes on Bass, and Steve Burke keyboards. This one of a kind fantastic band put together a hot summer night for the ages that will forever be remembered through this recording. Light City Live was recorded at Captain Carlos in front of a live audience on the oldest working waterfront and art colony in the new united states. This music captures the magic of the arts in gloucester and beyond with all that shining ruggedness, timelessness and importance. Play this record LOUD!
The new record is being worked on as we speak, rumour is it's the strongest batch of songs yet! Dave Mattacks is back on drums, with David Brown waiting in the wings. Watch out for some new tunes at the upcoming shows!