Danny McGuinness

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be in the room when two awesome guitarists are in the midst of an unconscious jam session?  Ever thought about what it would be like to be so lost in an improvisational guitar solo that it makes you lose your train of thought?  Ever wonder what it’d be like to hear somebody who used to hang out at the Abbey Road recording studio with the likes of George Harrison?  Ever been stuck in a hotel room for hours with nothing to do?

Well, here’s your chance to catch up on all of those life experiences
you may have missed by listening to 809.  Chicago based guitarist
and vocalist Danny McGuinness, opens up his mind and lets you listen to
what happens when a jam session becomes magical.  With solo
virtuoso Kent Van Der Kolk beside him, this entire album was recorded
in room 809 of the Bel Age Hotel in Los Angeles, California.  What
was once meant as a demo turned into an all night session resulting in
ten solid songs.



Danny’s voice and style are very hard to place, but if you spend your
time trying to figure out who he sounds like, you’re missing some very
original music.  With influences including Johnny Cash, Stevie
Wonder, David Bowie, and Bob Dylan, you can see it’s difficult to
pigeonhole this sound.  Danny has been playing guitar and writing
music seriously since he turned 18.  The turning point came after
listening to Dylan’s album Desire.  McGuinness has been involved
with many different bands throughout his career but released what it is
under Heatshield as his first solo outing.



With his second solo venture, 809 shows an unbelievable feel for song
writing and guitar arrangements.  You could easily spend one time
around with this album, simply listening to the guitar arrangements,
and hanging on each note of the solos by Van Der Kolk, which were all
improvised.  There is great storytelling throughout and the
songwriting pops out of the stereo and makes sure you are paying
attention to the message of the song.



I personally enjoyed the album the second and third time around, way
better than the initial time through.  My main detractors are also
what make it so loveable, the roughness around the edges.  There
seems to be no echoes behind the vocals, no layering of guitar rifs, no
three part harmonies, and no percussion.  All of those elements
makes it a tough first time through, but it doesn’t take long to train
your ear to listen to the actual music. There are no bubble gum radio
singles on this album, and that is a breath of fresh air.



I recommend this album, listening to it is an experience.  Feel
free to wrap yourself up in the music.  You may want to grab
yourself a mic, a solo guitarist, a few cold beverages, good friends,
and book a hotel room.  If you’re trying to replicate this album,
good luck.

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http://www.dannymcguinness.com

Purchase This CD



McGuinness is currently off the road working on a new studio album.  Check out the website for any recent concert dates.