Dan Craig
Dan Craig is a realist and a dreamer. The fusion of these traits lead him down an interesting road. He has experienced the emotional high of being accepted into medical school knowing his future was secure. He experienced a similar emotional high when he left medical school to pursue music knowing his future had no certainty. All night study sessions turned into late nights at Denver bars and music venues. Through it all, Craig’s romanticism and realism are woven together in the songs on his new album, Wirebird. A native of Denver, Colorado, Craig’s artistic desires pulled him to the guitar at an early age. He put his first band together in 7th grade before his voice changed and continued to compose and collaborate with other Denver musicians through high school. During Craig’s senior year he was faced with a choice between his passions for music and science. At the crossroads, Craig chose an education at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a B.A. in Biology, Music remained an integral part of Craig’s life throughout his academic pursuits. His days spent in books, his nights gigging at local Philadelphia venues. He returned to Denver to work in cancer research and eventually landed at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Wirebird was recorded Fall River, MA in the fall of 2006 and is the reason Craig left his second year of medical school. The new record boldy drifts throught he confusion of crossing from youth to adulthood. The songs are technically impressive and still emotionally evocative with the lyrics genuinely exploring the highs and lows of love and loneliness. There are introspective glimpses into his own experience and stories told in the third person sharing the lives of people searching for hope and security. In the single, “Anything Less”, Craig’s wavering and expressive voice cries, “Sarah’s scared about love, she’s wondering if the blood’s enough that she’s made of, cause this equation just won’t balance with biology.” The song ends like the album, without an answer, but with the encouragement that “every tearful sunset is a sunrise somewhere else.” Appropriately, Craig has innterpreted his experiences and abstracted them to a truth his audiences resonate with. His music assures us that there are few absolutes, but time brings relief and freedom. So we can “go out boldly”. These songs may not be the place to look for answers, but Craig’s clever guitar work and melodic approach make the perfect soundtrack to our own searches and struggles.
