Dan Israel : Biography
No, Dan Israel isn’t a household name. But five years after the release of his deprecatingly titled (and widely praised) 2000 solo CD, "Dan Who?", the frontman for Minneapolis’ Cultivators can no longer claim to be ignored or overlooked. In the past two years, he has won a slew of Minnesota Music Academy Awards including Song of the Year (for 2004’s single, “Come to Me” ), Best American Roots Recording (for 2004’s “Time I Get Home”), and Best Folk/Acoustic Artist (2005). Israel also recently opened for such venerable artists as Soul Asylum, Todd Snider, Iris Dement, Ike Reilly, Mary Lou Lord, Amy Rigby, and Steve Poltz. In 2006, in the midst of a hectic touring schedule, Dan found time to showcase at the prestigious South by Southwest Music Conference (Austin, TX) all the while receiving rave reviews in national publications such as No Depression and widespread airplay on XM satellite radio. Additionally, when the bold new venture from Minnesota Public Radio, 89.3 FM – The Current, hit the airwaves, Israel was the first guest on the station’s local music show and found several of his songs making their way into regular rotation.
Currently, Dan is supporting the Eclectone Record’s 2005 release, "Dan Israel". This self-titled affair is his seventh recording since relocating to his hometown of Minneapolis in 1996 after stints in Austin (where he was named one of that music mecca’s top 15 songwriters in 1995) and Chicago. An intentionally raw, ramshackle, and rollicking collection, Dan worked as a one-man band recording all of the tracks on his own terms in his basement studio. "Dan Israel" showcases all the qualities that have taken Dan from semi-obscurity to, well, near-fame. Angry rockers, gentle ballads, and even melancholy jangle-pop gems all populate the 14 songs on "Dan Israel" demonstrating why the world has indeed started to finally take notice of this gifted 34-year-old songsmith. |
