This week we have an extra special 7SFTW. I want to introduce you to an up and coming artist named Dan Cook.
Dan was born in Hartlepool, a small town in the Northeast of England not far from where I live. He told me he ‘grew up surrounded by the sounds of the blues, and rock and roll’. “My guitar teacher & I used to spend hours sitting jamming the blues when we were supposed to be doing grade work”. Too much time spent jamming or not, it’s obvious that what Dan learnt then tapped into some pretty impressive talent. So, when did Dan decide to take that talent and make a future for himself with it? “I’ve been playing music since I was old enough to hold a guitar, but I didn’t get into song writing until I was in my teens – smack bang in the middle of the Indie wave. I’ve stumbled through every genre you can possibly imagine, but I think they’ve all added something unique to my sound” He sound is unique, but also familiar…hop over to Soundcloud… * after you finish here! * … and listen to everything he has on there. There are elements of the artists he’s been inspired by, but none of the songs ever lose the flavor that is fully Dan’s own. He say’s “Music is my passion – I play every day without fail – a mix of blues, soul, folk, & urban elements. I live in London now and write what I call ‘acoustic soul’. From the heart to the page – I write what I know and feel personally.” Dan is only at the beginning of what I predict will be a very successful career, and so far he’s had only positive feedback. If you want to contact Dan, he can be reached via the social media links provided at the end of the post or through his booking agent Lucid Tiger Music or by emailing info@LucidTigerMusic.com
Dan Cook – Planned Closure
Planned Closure was written in a time were I was doubting my love for the city and whether I could actually handle life down here in the long term. It would be so easy to pack up and move home but I have far too much holding me here to leave it all behind at the drop of a hat, friends, job, girlfriend etc.
Ben Howard – The Wolves
This song is so powerful, Ben Howard’s vocals are flawless yet rugged. His melodies (vocally) inspire me, and his guitar work is incredible. He’s got his sound perfected at such an early stage and is going nowhere but up. I like how often he builds and builds then drops it out only to build back up into an epic climactic finish.
Fink – Walking in the Sun
This song is one of a few that really reignited my love for music! I hadn’t written in a while and suddenly this song is making my skin tingle. As it finished I was reaching for my guitar. My introduction to Fink (now my favorite artist) was through the song ‘Pretty Little Thing’ which randomly came up on my girlfriends playlist. Within the day I had every Fink album and each song was on repeat. Fin Greenall’s voice is so soothing and his guitar work hallucinating; his vibe and rhythm inspire me to keep my writing grooving and fluent. This song in particular tells a simple but captivating story in 3 short verses with the most incredible hook ‘Even a blind man can tell when he’s walking in the sun’. I play this live as part of my set.
Maverick Sabre – I Don’t See the Sun (there wasn’t a suitable video for this song so this link will take you away from LL&L, please come back?!)
maverick-sabre-i-dont-see-the-sun
Maverick Sabre has been one of the biggest influences on my current sound. The tone of his voice is great – cutting – yet really enjoyable. I love how his music gives soul an urban twist, I’ve been experimenting with this in some of my new tracks. He sings from the heart, which you can easily see in his lyrics; simple memories turned into powerful anthems.
Dan Cook – The Getaway
The Getaway was inspired by a situation I got myself in not so long ago, I did something I shouldn’t and got a bit of a hiding for it, all part of growing up in the Pool.
Jamie Woon – Waterfront
Jamie Woon is a real modern talent. His music is so well produced! He actually studied on the same course at the same university as me. This particular song is so soothing and relaxing that I can’t help stopping whatever I’m doing and just listening to every beat and lyric fully. I love how he takes a simple observation and turns it into a great lyric. My favorite lyric in this song is in the first verse ‘I decided to go out – breathe in the air i was made for – there were 10 thousand grey’s in the sky – not a single soul around – seems no one likes to be rained on’. I really take my lyrics seriously, I think finding the balance between reality and description is the key to a great song. You need something people can relate to.
Matt Corby – Brother
This came out of nowhere and quickly became my favorite song. It was written about a really troubled time in Matt Corby’s life and he performs it with such passion and execution it’s impossible not to be ‘WOW-ed’. You can feel the pain he feed the pen when he sat down to write this. I also like artists who aren’t afraid to swear in their songs, because sometimes it’s needed to get the point across.
Dan’s first EP ‘Uprooted’ was released earlier this year and the 2nd is being recorded and produced by Dan Osborn in Brighton this October.
Here are his links
@DanCookTweet
Massive thanks Dan for sharing your music and inspiration with us. Looking forward to watching you grow and succeed, and to the front row concert tickets I’m sure I see in my future…right??
