Daniel Lefkowitz is a talented singer songwriter, who once upon a time was in an early version of the Low Anthem. 'This God Damn House' which he wrote endures as one of the best Low Anthem tracks to date. Last year he got together with former Low Anthem mates Jeff Prystowsky and Ben Knox Miller to produce Wilder Shores of Love, his debut album.
After officially returning to Virginia, Dan Lefkowitz went out on tour in late February and early March with The Low Anthem and band Bobby. Dan McGurk of mcgurkmusic had a chance to meet Dan Lefkowitz at the Philadelphia First Unitarian Church 2-25 show, and later exchange some Questions & Answers.
MM (mcgurkmusic: You’ve had a hiatus, before returning to the music scene. How long have some of these songs been percolating? What’s the oldest song on the album?
DL (Daniel Lefkowitz): Most were written about a year ago, as I started to conceive of the album. For the most part they formed together. They were a bit rowdy at first but with age they calmed down and started playing nice and getting along and all that. The only oddball old fart among them is the last song "Dreams", which was written nearly 4 years ago.
Special Note: Track 11 - 'Dreams can Chase You Down' can also be found on the iTunes Deluxe Version of The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh It can also be found as one of the encore tracks with Low Anthem featuring Daniel Lefkowitz on lead vocals, during their D.C. Smart Flesh album release concert Feb 25th hosted by NPR.(start at 1:02:30 for the Dan Lefkowitz written 'This God Damn House', followed by 'Dreams Can Chase You Down')
MM: Despite listening to your 3 track eponymous EP (avail on iTunes and Amazon) and loving ‘Graveyard Blues’, it took listening to a commanding version of ‘In the Journey of Dreams’, solo @ the 1st Unitarian Church, to solidify me as a fan. With that said, what was your moment to know you needed to get back to music?
In the Journey of Dreams by Daniel Lefkowitz
DL: I went along with the Low Anthem on a European tour and they'd have me get up with them most nights and sing "Dreams". I hadn't been on stage for a long time and it felt good, so I suppose if I had to nail it down, then that was the moment.
MM: Was there any particular muse for 'Graveyard Blues'?
DL: Well not particularly, but at the time a good friend of mine was writing a play about a gravedigger, and I'd recently gotten extremely drunk with him and another friend and climbed onto a very high graveyard wall in Paris, might have been the one where Jim Morrison is buried. Anyway we maneuvered around these big menacing spikes and then sat on top and looked down at all the ghosts and bullshitted. I don't know what your definition of a muse is, but mine is fairly free. I try not to judge.
Daniel lefkowitz performing 'Graveyard Blues' at bowery ballroom
MM: You play fiddle on ‘Mother’s Word’ from Jocie Adam’s debut Bed of Notions, and recently joined the Low Anthem on stage for some songs. If you could pick any instrument or any band, what would you play and with who?
DL: I'd play guitar with the Rolling Stones.
MM: There were a lot of instruments on the album, can you tell me about them? Who helped out on the solo record?
DL: Besides Ben Knox Miller & Jeff Prystowsky, there was Matt Ruddy, Jocie Adams and Roz Raskin who played on the album. Guitars, banjo (clawhammer and bowed with fiddle bow), melodian, pump organ, electric organ, piano, fiddle, trumpet, clarinet, saw, Autoharp, jugs, drums, bass... and maybe some other shit, I can't remember.
MM: What was your first instrument?
DL: My first instrument was guitar around 10 years ago or something, and I've kind of dabbled in other things, but nothing all that seriously.
MM: When did you get into songwriting?
DL: I wrote my first song when I was 3 or 4. It was about the sound of rain on a tin roof. I wrote it in the bathtub.
MM: What’s in your cd player/music player while on the road?
DL: I'm obsessed with Skip Spence's only album Oar. I listen to that a lot. Also a Dylan live album from his '66 tour of the UK. Lou Reed as well. Transformer is one of my favorite albums. And Gram Parsons album GP/Grievous Angel (both of his solo records stuck together on one disc) is always in heavy rotation.
TO SEE Daniel Lefkowitz, he will be opening for the Low Anthem, starting May 2nd in Houston for 11 dates through May 17th, and two more in June (Columbus, OH & Louisville, KY). Head to the Low Anthem tour page for more info. http://www.lowanthem.com/site/touring/
TO PURCHASE Daniel Lefkowitz 'Wilder Shores of Love' you can send a message to Dan via either Facebook (preferred) or MySpace, to send him your address and $17. In the meantime, to purchase his eponymous EP including 'Gravedigger Blues' and 'Siren Ghost' head to iTunes.
UPDATED: the physical discs have sold out!
"like" Daniel Lefkowitz on Facebook for any updates on being able to download!
TO HEAR 'Death is a Warm Bath' check out the Daniel Lefkowitz MySpace page
TO HEAR Erinna to Sappho try the Daniel Lefkowitz SoundCloud page
Check out the early post TO SEE to Daniel Lefkowitz performing 'Dreams can Chase You Down'
Enjoy!
After officially returning to Virginia, Dan Lefkowitz went out on tour in late February and early March with The Low Anthem and band Bobby. Dan McGurk of mcgurkmusic had a chance to meet Dan Lefkowitz at the Philadelphia First Unitarian Church 2-25 show, and later exchange some Questions & Answers.
MM (mcgurkmusic: You’ve had a hiatus, before returning to the music scene. How long have some of these songs been percolating? What’s the oldest song on the album?
DL (Daniel Lefkowitz): Most were written about a year ago, as I started to conceive of the album. For the most part they formed together. They were a bit rowdy at first but with age they calmed down and started playing nice and getting along and all that. The only oddball old fart among them is the last song "Dreams", which was written nearly 4 years ago.
Special Note: Track 11 - 'Dreams can Chase You Down' can also be found on the iTunes Deluxe Version of The Low Anthem - Smart Flesh It can also be found as one of the encore tracks with Low Anthem featuring Daniel Lefkowitz on lead vocals, during their D.C. Smart Flesh album release concert Feb 25th hosted by NPR.(start at 1:02:30 for the Dan Lefkowitz written 'This God Damn House', followed by 'Dreams Can Chase You Down')
MM: Despite listening to your 3 track eponymous EP (avail on iTunes and Amazon) and loving ‘Graveyard Blues’, it took listening to a commanding version of ‘In the Journey of Dreams’, solo @ the 1st Unitarian Church, to solidify me as a fan. With that said, what was your moment to know you needed to get back to music?
In the Journey of Dreams by Daniel Lefkowitz
DL: I went along with the Low Anthem on a European tour and they'd have me get up with them most nights and sing "Dreams". I hadn't been on stage for a long time and it felt good, so I suppose if I had to nail it down, then that was the moment.
MM: Was there any particular muse for 'Graveyard Blues'?
DL: Well not particularly, but at the time a good friend of mine was writing a play about a gravedigger, and I'd recently gotten extremely drunk with him and another friend and climbed onto a very high graveyard wall in Paris, might have been the one where Jim Morrison is buried. Anyway we maneuvered around these big menacing spikes and then sat on top and looked down at all the ghosts and bullshitted. I don't know what your definition of a muse is, but mine is fairly free. I try not to judge.
Daniel lefkowitz performing 'Graveyard Blues' at bowery ballroom
MM: You play fiddle on ‘Mother’s Word’ from Jocie Adam’s debut Bed of Notions, and recently joined the Low Anthem on stage for some songs. If you could pick any instrument or any band, what would you play and with who?
DL: I'd play guitar with the Rolling Stones.
MM: There were a lot of instruments on the album, can you tell me about them? Who helped out on the solo record?
DL: Besides Ben Knox Miller & Jeff Prystowsky, there was Matt Ruddy, Jocie Adams and Roz Raskin who played on the album. Guitars, banjo (clawhammer and bowed with fiddle bow), melodian, pump organ, electric organ, piano, fiddle, trumpet, clarinet, saw, Autoharp, jugs, drums, bass... and maybe some other shit, I can't remember.
MM: What was your first instrument?
DL: My first instrument was guitar around 10 years ago or something, and I've kind of dabbled in other things, but nothing all that seriously.
MM: When did you get into songwriting?
DL: I wrote my first song when I was 3 or 4. It was about the sound of rain on a tin roof. I wrote it in the bathtub.
MM: What’s in your cd player/music player while on the road?
DL: I'm obsessed with Skip Spence's only album Oar. I listen to that a lot. Also a Dylan live album from his '66 tour of the UK. Lou Reed as well. Transformer is one of my favorite albums. And Gram Parsons album GP/Grievous Angel (both of his solo records stuck together on one disc) is always in heavy rotation.
TO SEE Daniel Lefkowitz, he will be opening for the Low Anthem, starting May 2nd in Houston for 11 dates through May 17th, and two more in June (Columbus, OH & Louisville, KY). Head to the Low Anthem tour page for more info. http://www.lowanthem.com/site/touring/
TO PURCHASE Daniel Lefkowitz 'Wilder Shores of Love' you can send a message to Dan via either Facebook (preferred) or MySpace, to send him your address and $17. In the meantime, to purchase his eponymous EP including 'Gravedigger Blues' and 'Siren Ghost' head to iTunes.
UPDATED: the physical discs have sold out!
"like" Daniel Lefkowitz on Facebook for any updates on being able to download!
TO HEAR 'Death is a Warm Bath' check out the Daniel Lefkowitz MySpace page
TO HEAR Erinna to Sappho try the Daniel Lefkowitz SoundCloud page
Check out the early post TO SEE to Daniel Lefkowitz performing 'Dreams can Chase You Down'
Enjoy!
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