'Incredibly gifted - if anyone has the opportunity to see him they must' - Janice Long, BBC Radio 2
'Dan Walsh is the real deal, a demon picker' - Uncut
'Takes banjo playing into the stratosphere' - Froots
'The best banjo player I've seen in Britain' - Don Wayne Reno, Hayseed Dixie
'The new kid on the block - move over Mr Lakeman!' - Maverick Magazine
'Dan takes the banjo into another place and makes all banjo jokes obselete - he actually makes it a bit cool' - Solfest
'Fantastic - of course he does bluegrass but also anything from an amazing version of You Can Call Me Al to sixteenth century songs of filth and leaving!' - Efestivals.com
'An awesome banjo player' - Mike Harding, BBC Radio 2
'One of the banjo's true innovators' - Banjo Newsletter
'Stunning player destined for great things' - Living Tradition
'Truly amazing banjo wizardry' - Simon Mayo show, BBC 5live
Touted as the finest banjo player in the UK, Dan Walsh is an eclectic and exciting musician with a unique style taking in folk, funk, bluegrass, jazz, rock and even Arabic. Also a singer and guitarist, he has performed throughout the UK at festivals, theatres and folk clubs including the Southbank Centre, the Sage Gateshead, Broadstairs, Sidmouth and Towersey folk festivals, Solfest and the Barbican. He has also performed live on BBC Radio 2 and recieved excellent reviews in the UK and US for debut CD 'Tomorrow's Still To Come' and for the long awaited debut album of Walsh and Pound, his duo with harmonica wizard Will Pound.
As well as his explosive solo performances and his work with Walsh and Pound, Dan has recently formed the five-piece Dan Walsh Band which made a triumphant debut by selling out Stafford's Gatehouse Theatre and is sure to feature more and more in the future. Dan also performs with American fiddler/singer Christi Andropolis, Northumbrian singer Kathryn Davidson and Scottish trio Land or Sea. Over the last year, he has also embarked on an exciting new project with micro-fiction writer Amy Mackelden in a fusion of music and spoken word. He also teaches and works in education in Newcastle, Stafford and London and as part of the prestigious Live Music Now scheme.
The Longer Story
Banjo wizard Dan Walsh grew up in the little town of Stafford in the Midlands. From day one his obsession with music was obvious and his first loves were Irish music, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and most of all Paul Simon's 'Graceland'. By the time he took up guitar at 10 he had already started hunting round for various world musics and had began his interests in Latin, African and South American folk music as well as many of the classic rock bands from the 60's onwards including the 90's Britpop movement.
At 13 and getting very into electric guitar came the moment that changed his life. After watching the Dubliners' Barney McKenna perform a blistering set of Irish reels on tenor banjo, Dan announced his intention of taking up the banjo and the search for a teacher resulted in George Davies, 'melodic clawhammer banjo teaching' in Cannock, Staffordshire. Not having the faintest idea what 'melodic clawhammer' meant, it seemed the best option so Dan went for his first lesson. It wasn't until the best part of a year later that Dan discovered that what he was learning was completely different from the tenor banjo playing that he had seen (which for non-banjo anoraks is a four-string banjo played with a plectrum rather than the 5-string model Dan plays) and hence he by a complete accident became rather unusual in playing Scottish and Irish music on the 5-string banjo in a style pioneered by legendary American Ken Perlman whose book Dan was to largely learn from with the help of George!
Before he turned 14, he also made another discovery that would change everything – bluegrass music! Dan saw 'Man of Constant Sorrow' from the film Oh Brother Where Art Thou? performed by 'The Soggy Bottom Boys' (actually Alison Krauss' Union Station band). After buying the soundtrack, Dan then went and bought albums by most of the artists on it and his musical life would never be the same again! So quite by accident again, Dan ended up having a bit of a niche in bluegrass on clawhammer banjo.
By now the banjo had rather taken over as the main instrument. He also started singing and performed a few small gigs in pubs. Shortly afterwards his first band 'The Glinics' was formed consisting of himself, James Baskett, Manou Rasolonjanahary and Tom Swain. The band were later augmented on drums by Adrian Smith. After some truly atrocious original recordings, the band began to tighten up and began performing regularly in Staffordshire including a spot in Stafford Town Centre and various parties and functions.
At 16 came another significant moment in Dan's life – his introduction to his now second home of a pub – Joxer Brady's in Stafford. A chance meeting with a couple who were playing there that night led to the offer of a jam and afterwards an offer to come to the pub's regular jam night. There Dan, and subsequently the rest of the band, really honed their performance skills! The band's best gigs were generally there and the band had an enormous amount of fun. To this day, 'Joxer's' has a special place for Dan who even stays there on his visits back to Stafford and still performs there from time to time. There is even a tune on his album called 'Joxer's Tune'.
Shortly before leaving school, the Glinics recorded 'Untold Tales', an album of original material. With Tom's departure to New Zealand and Dan's move to Newcastle-upon-Tyne for university the band sadly disbanded. Dan then went to study the folk and traditional music degree, an experience which has had a profound effect on his musical and professional life. Here he met virtually all his present band-mates as well as a number of vital contacts who have helped him to start a professional career. The course also introduced him to numerous new forms of music including Shetland, Northumbrian, Eastern European and English folk. His development on the course and immeasurable amount of enjoyment is extremely profound.
And now? Well he has now played at numerous venues including the Sage Gateshead, Stafford's Gatehouse Theatre, Towersey, Solfest and Broadstairs festivals and plays with 5 different collaborations as well as his solo shows. He's been on BBC radio and TV and has been touted as the finest young banjo player in the UK. Before the degree he just played in Stafford. Now he plays everywhere with all kinds of people and his banjo is broadening people's musical horizons all over the UK! He is a unique performer who simply loves his music.