dan malloy

I’ve been a solo guitar player for about 10 years. My musical journey is quite unique. I picked up the instrument in high school. Since sessions were free, my folks didn’t mind me spending time on what they assumed would be a passing fad. For 2 years I had lessons once a week for 15 minutes. A simple problem arose though, since I didn’t own my own guitar, the only time I got to practice was during the allot time for my lesson. During my senior year I was giving a hand me down 1970 Sears Harmony acoustic from a neighbor. Another problem arose though, I didn’t have a tuner, nor could I tune my guitar by ear, so my guitar was constantly out of tune. I also often broke guitar strings, which to some may prove to be a burden but for me provided me inspiration. Nothing was going to stop me from playing or learning how to play the guitar. Cause of these minor setbacks I was able to developed my own unique style.
Finally as a graduation gift I was given an electric guitar, amp and a tuner. Thank goodness. Since I had so much experience playing out of tune, I began to experiment with new tunings. I have a deep love for tunings cause it prevents the player from constantly playing the same thing. In many ways a new tuning is like playing the guitar for the 1st time all over again. You just play from the heart and don’t get hung up on technique.
So reading this you may be saying to yourself this music must sound awful or at least different. Well it wasn’t pretty but after many years strumming the guitar I picked up a wonderful style all my own. So what does it sound like? *Smiles* I often tell people my music is great soundtrack music. It’s a great album to put on late at night and fall asleep to peacefully or it’s a great CD to read to. I generally play only instrumentals, for I feel sometimes more can be said by just music than by words…. plus it’s a challenge not only to the listener but also to myself. I flirt with both acoustic and electric guitar playing.
My acoustic side…uhmm not to sound pretentious but just for comparison sake is in line with those who love Nick Drake, John Fahey, Leo Kottke and Elliott Smith. I remember the 1st time I heard the previous artist and I was like “dang it they beat me to the punch.” My electric side of my guitar playing is definitely heavily influenced by My Bloody Valentine, Sigur Ros, Pink Floyd and of course God Speed You Black Emperor!.
I’ve written over 500 songs and been to over 300 shows, so to say I’m a music fan is an understatement. For my album, “Ups and Downs of Life and Everything in Between” I wrote six acoustic pieces and nine electric. I’m proud to say on the album….there is ONLY one song where I use “normal chords” and it’s a simple D and A. For the rest of the album….I use alternate tunings, finger picking, odd chords…and a capo. For this album there is a few tracks in which I used a tuning I have been working with an old blues tuning with a delay pedal. It incorporates my love of music from the 1920s to present day. I like the tuning cause its bridges the gap of old and new, but sounds neither like the blues nor the space rock that it borrows from.
So this is my 1st time taking a chance like this. I do not tour…on the grounds that the music I make really isn’t really concert music. Also due to the fact I have bad nerves performing in front of anyone, I really don’t foresee myself playing out. I’ve been making music for myself for years….and have had only a certain amount of my friends and neighbors hearing it. I now feel its my time to share it with others. I hope you take a chance and at least listen to my work. I hope you like it, if you don’t….thank you in advance for listening to it.
Thanks once again…yours dan malloy.



DAN MALLOY: Ups and Downs of Life and Everything in BetweenWhat I tell everyone is it sounds like soundtrack music. Its predominately all instrumental music. Its folk music when I play the acoustic and when I play the electric its music for people who use to do drugs who want to feel like they are on drugs.