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09.27.04
He released his solo album a while back and now released
an album with the band, Bens Bones. Now, Dan Haas tells
us about multi-tasking and the loops that songwriting
evolves into.
 Tell
us a little bit about yourself, when you got into music,
etc. Where were you born?
I was born just North of Baltimore and grew up in
a town called Severna Park (the song Half Life deals
with that subject), just North of Annapolis. One night,
as a freshman in high school, my brother had taken off
with the car. My bike had a flat. The folks were out
on the town. With nothing but a rerun of the Love Boat
on TV, I decided to pick up my Dad's old guitar. In
the bookcase, there was a "How to Play Guitar"
manual. A half and hour later, I'd figured out how to
play "House of the Rising Sun," and since
then, I never really put the guitar down. Many years
later, I'm still learning its secrets, still playing
everyday and writing as often as possible.
Do you do this full time?
I play out, on average, 15-20 shows per month. In addition
to that, I've got the day job thing going. It's nice
though, because I work with the school systems here
in Maryland. Often times, my schedule keeps me overwhelmed,
but after many years, I've learned that's truly how
I like it.
You're now working with the band Bens Bones, how
did you hook up with them?
For years I played around Annapolis with a cover band,
creatively titled, "The Dan Haas Band." One
day, this new guy in town, Josh Chapman and I started
talking about making original music. I'd been writing
for years, so I was hungry for a chance to put my songs
out there with the addition of bass and drums. My cover
band was in a different place at the time, and so when
Josh told me about this amazing drummer (Jamie Watkins)
he'd been working with, the easiest thing to do was
have a practice to see what we could do as a trio. It
sounded vibrant from the start. Very up-tempo and, for
lack of a better description, happy.
Do you plan to work together more and keep your
solo career?
I still perform solo, and with the Dan Haas Band.
It's rather confusing at times to have three (sometimes
four) line-ups, but it provides me with this diversity
from gig to gig to gig. All of them now perform unique
versions of my songs. It's the best situation I could
hope for.
It’s great that you have the freedom. So tell
us about the latest Bens Bones album, Wishful Thinking.
The rhythm tracks for Wishful Thinking (my 3rd CD)
were actually recorded before GOODbye MOON (my
2nd CD), had even begun. So, the songs on this record
were written long ago. That said, I am really looking
forward to getting into the studio again, because there
are a slew of songs that didn't fit on Wishful Thinking
that I'd like to give the full treatment. I play them
often, so perhaps Ben's Bones will attempt a live recording
to get these twenty-odd tunes out there.
Where was it recorded? What's the general theme
of the album? Where was the inspiration drawn from?
Wishful Thinking was recorded at Waterford Digital
here in Maryland and was produced by Frank Marchand
(Jimmi's Chicken Shack, Toadies, All Mighty Senators,
Jarflys) and Ben's Bones. The record's general theme
is, ok... well it's not too general. It deals with typical,
everyday stuff... relationships, growing up, witchcraft,
insomnia, fruit and bad dreams.
For me, Inspiration most often visits in the morning.
It's a twisted feeling in my stomach that stems from
emotions. Sometimes it's a story that comes out that
lets me know where I am, even if I didn't know I was
there yet. Literally, I'll write a song... perform it
a few times... and in the middle of the song, a few
weeks after writing it, I'll realize what I was saying.
I'll get the strangest feeling knowing that what I'm
saying may perhaps be revealing too much.
I know that feeling! So what makes it different
than Goodbye Moon?
But to answer your question, Wishful Thinking
is a bit more upbeat than GOODbye MOON. In my mind,
the record is quite cohesive in it's presentation, and
it moves fast. I found myself driving entirely too fast
after hearing Wishful Thinking for the first time after
it's mastering. GOODbye MOON had it's moments
of up tempo, but admittedly, it had more self-indulgence.
Two songs on GOODbye MOON were in 6/8 and I even threw
a Bossa Nova in for good measure. Rule #1 in radio...
Bossa Nova = Guaranteed Airplay! (joke)
Did you write all of the songs?
I wrote all of the tunes on Wishful Thinking, over
a one year period. We originally had put down 19 tracks,
and we're still scratching our heads wondering if we
should've left some on and / or taken some out. All
in all, the band is very satisfied with the cd, and
we're ready to hit the road to promote it this fall.
Thankfully, we've gotten some strong radio play on two
of the tunes, "She's On The Stairs," and "Breaking
It Down."
Anyone notable that you played with?
Joining us on Wishful Thinking are some extremely talented
musicians. Bryan Ewald (Jarflys, Dan Haas Band, Starbelly)
does some amazing stuff on electric guitar. Tevis Marshall
adds amazing voicings with his piano, organ and keys.
Shauna Bolton and Elisa Freeman lend texture with their
backup vocals, Warren Boes (All Mighty Senators) has
a key acoustic guitar solo on Fly Off and Chris Rose
adds some very tasteful percussion throughout the record.
As a Duncan Sheik fan, I must tell you I get a
good vibe just looking at the track listing. You have
songs called "Half Life", and "Wishful
Thinking". Are these Sheik covers, by any chance?
Nope, those are original songs of mine, albeit with
unoriginal titles. I do like, very much, Duncan's work.
He really has a great knack for melody and writes some
superb songs.
Yes, he does. I had to ask! So I love the feeling
happening in your song, "Abracadabra",
tell us a little bit about the song!
That song is less about magic and more about vanishing
and reappearing while in a relationship. It has a nice,
relaxed feel moving through the verse until the chorus
hits... and then it opens up with some rather full harmony
vocals. Harmony always gets me. In any case, "Abracadabra,"
is an illustration of how sometimes in a relationship,
one can kind of feel what's about to happen before it
actually occurs.
Hey, I know that feeling, too! So you recently
won a slot on The Rock Boat. Tell us a little bit about
this experience.
Josh (bass player) secretly entered us in this contest.
Jamie (drummer) and I had no idea. After learning about
the voting on the icehouse website, we started campaigning.
Some great local radio stations and a few newspapers
got involved in helping us get the vote out. There were
several rounds involved in the selection process and
with each passing victory (making it through to the
next round) we really couldn't believe it. When we won,
it was a most excellent feeling. Ironically, the cover
of our debut CD Wishful Thinking has a picture
of a ring buoy, much like what one would see on a cruise
ship.
Add to that the fact that I learned my first song
on guitar with a rerun of the "Love Boat,"
on in the background... it was kind of serendipitous.
That’s pretty neat! So are you going to be touring
more this fall? Anyone you'd like to share the stage
with?
Touring plans are in the works now. There are so many
acts we'd love to work with on the road and there is
not enough space to list them all. We really are optimistic
about making friends with several musicians on the Rock
Boat. The band hopes that with the opportunity to perform
in front of some folks who have the potential to impact
our career that some good things could happen for us.
Aside from all that nonsense, I am happily writing again
in the hopes of getting into the studio soon. Because,
really it's all about making the best music possible,
learning, writing, creating and performing. The rest
is gravy.
Well have a great time on the boat, Dan, and keep
us posted!
Interviewed by Kristen
Fischer
DiscoveringArtists.com
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