Dan Wilson

Dan Wilson is one of my favorite writer/musicians out there.  I’ve followed him since his Semisonic days (I started off with waking up to Closing Time on MTV).  When I think of musicians, I think of people who just play music or just sing but Dan does it all–plays, sings, and writes.  I think there are only a handful of talented artists who can write, sing, and play.  I feel like it’s a dying art or something.  Closing Time is one of my favorite songs and I end up playing it after most of the events where I have control of the music.  My PTA members get the clue when it’s time to close up shop.

I’ve made it to a couple of Semisonic concerts and I’ve watched him while he was doing his solo tour while traveling through San Francisco.

Check him out.  If you’re into some cool alternative rock, I’m sure you’ll enjoy his music as much as I do.

Above is a video of him performing Against History (another all time favorite, you need to listen deeply to the lyrics).  I was just alerted that this type of artist is called singer/songwriter.  Well, Dan is one of the best singer/songwriters out there that I know.

Here’s an exerpt from his website:

Dan Wilson is renowned in music circles for the elegance of his melodies, the intelligence of his lyrics and the purity of his voice. The onetime member of storied cult band Trip Shakespeare and the critically acclaimed Semisonic is now active as a solo artist, working with a collective of musicians from the Twin Cities and elsewhere. This new phase follows an intense period of songwriting collaborations—in the past few years Wilson has written songs with the Dixie Chicks, Mike Doughty, Rachael Yamagata, Jewel, Jason Mraz and others. Wilson’s recent cowriting work with the Dixie Chicks earned him a “Song of the Year” Grammy® in 2007 for “Not Ready To Make Nice” from the album Taking the Long Way. He co-wrote six songs on the album, which won the Dixie Chicks a total of 5 Grammy® Awards, including “Album Of The Year” and “Country Album Of The Year.”

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