Debra Dylan: The Acoustic Axeman Cometh - to Writer's Block
“…Literally the best singer-songwriter to emerge from Nashville in over a decade…His heartfelt but sophisticated lyrics aim to reconcile the heart and mind in everyday life. His sense of melody is unique and he has a voice that could melt ice caps.”
- Vic Garbarni, Playboy and Guitar World
“A writer who is capable of creating striking images…A driving acoustic rocker…”
- Stephen Holden, Rolling Stone Magazine
“Lyrics that speak and melodies that hold on to you forever.” - Cashbox Magazine
“If you don’t think there’s much to strumming a guitar, you got to see Dana Cooper do it. It’s something like a drummer doing a roll with one hand. He’s also a fine finger style player, and a superior harnonicat….” - Puremusic.com
“As usual, Cooper’s songs are literate and lyrically interesting, and the musical backing is very tasteful. Cooper himself comes across as a personable performer with an attractive voice.” - George Graham’s review of Made of Mud
This Wednesday, April 4, Writer’s Block will feature contemporary folk artist Dana Cooper. On Wednesday, April 18, Writer’s Block will serve up a special homecookin’ concert with local poet/musician, R.B. Morris.
Dana Cooper, a native of Kansas City, has been performing since age 16 and released his first album in 1973. A veteran of the Nashville scene for many years, Cooper now also enjoys a strong following in Texas. He has been named Best Songwriter in Houston and was nominated Best Male Vocalist by the Kerrville Music Foundation and was nominated by their Hall of Fame.
His songs have been recorded by Maura O’Connell, Trout Fishing in America, and long-time co-collaborator Shake Russell. Cooper has also shared the stage with Jerry Garcia, Taj Mahal, Lyle Lovett, Melissa Etheridge, and the late great Townes Van Zant. Cooper’s tribute to Van Zant, “Boney Man,” appears on his album “Harry Truman Built a Road.”
According to Dana Cooper, his tenth and most recent album, “Made of Mud,” is a collection consisting of “songs about mortality and immortality, politics and religion and love, the struggle of living, and the possibilities of how much we can accomplish. It’s a journey through life, from song to song.”
“I just want to make great records that appeal to people’s emotions, and speak to their life experience. There’s nothing better than when someone says, ’Man, when you write your songs, you say the things that I want to say.’ That’s what I’m trying to do.”
But, he’s not all serious business. Cooper has a reputation for very dry and sarcastic banter and his music spans a variety of styles, from ballads to swamp rock to exuberant danceable ditties.
Dana Cooper also shares his talents with the Children’s Music Project, a fine arts program for youth in Texas. This program “seeks to discover, encourage and accommodate the artistic talents of children. Typically, children at the Ranch write poetry, which is then taken by professional songwriters and musicians and recorded in an effort to spread the words of the children and the stories of their lives.”
You can experience this poet in person at Writer’s Block:
Wednesday, April 4, 2007, at 6:30 p.m.
Knoxville Museum of Art
World’s Fair Park
Tickets are $7.00 and can purchased online KnoxTix.com
or at the show
Doors open at 5:45 p.m.
Snacks by Panera. Cash bar available.