Fresh off his recently dropped 66-minute, 15-song Reflector album, the eccentric Daniel Donato will be treating the Lowcountry to a sampling of his cosmic country sound on May 11-12 at The Windjammer on the Isle of Palms.
Cosmic Country, he recently told the Moultrie News, is a "tale as old as time," which seeks to bring truth to life via simply-composed, three-chord tracks. To the novice ear, Donato's brand of music features a distinct organic southern country rock vibe (think Allman Brothers) intermixed with a Jerry Reed-inspired rockabilly/roadhouse twang.
The 28-year-old singer-songwriter issued a more profound depiction of his rhythmic concoction in his bio, stating: "It’s yin and yang in a musical form ... I really went through a lot of years of grinding, and still am, to achieve this sound which is a vehicle for my personality, and the personality is a vehicle for my soul. So (Reflector) is more that than any other record I ever put out.”
Seminal traces of Donato's lyrical creativity took root in his hometown of Spring Hill, Tennessee just south of Music City, where he grew up listening to guitar legends Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Not only did they help spur the child prodigy to develop into an accomplished guitarist in his own right, but it wouldn't be long before a 14-year-old Donato would start busking in the streets of Nashville's Lower Broadway area and outside concerts.
It was during this stage that the teen performer was introduced to Jerry Garcia through a few bootleg recordings provided to him by one of his high school teachers.
The way the Grateful Dead lead man wrote music had a transformative effect on Donato, who would go one to flourish as a proverbial quadruple threat — player, vocalist, writer and band leader.
Since the Nov. 10 release of Reflector, Donato and his bandmates have played close to 100 shows touring all big cities and small towns with the eyes and ears to hear, see and appreciate their offerings.
The concept of truth, he observed, is the foundation of what he creates and exudes to the masses.
"Truth transcends eras, as it seems to be the primal causation of any significance that we classify eras into, so I like truth over eras," pondered the traveling troubadour, who'll be bouncing from New Orleans to Vail to Boise and Eau Claire, Wisconsin, among other stops from May through October. His whirlwind tour for the year concludes in Puerto Morelos, Mexico, from Dec 7-11.
The indefatigable Donato's energy knows no bounds. When asked how unwinds during his down time, he reasoned: “There are no days off, just days less on.”
Those looking for a nip or full swill of Donato's enthralling catalog of melodies about truth, beauty and goodness are invited to purchase tickets for his double-dose performance on the Isle of Palms by visiting: https://the-windjammer.com/event/daniel-donato/.
