Biography
Born September 4th 1983 in Bournemouth, England, Dan Crisp was
introduced to music at an early age. By age 10 he was playing the
guitar and learning his favourite songs while performing on ’stages’
which ranged from kitchen work-tops to living room floors.
Guitar lessons followed with Chris Hardcastle of Arena Sound & Vision,
where Dan quickly developed his playing style and slowly began to take
singing seriously.
A keen and talented music student at Somerset College of Arts and
Technology, Dan utilised the opportunity to front a college band,
playing local pubs and clubs around Taunton, Somerset. In 2001,
Dan’s early writing and recording was spotted by Brent Treloar of
Upbeat Music, who encouraged him to form a band with friend and bassist
Alan Bray (Ska’d For Life, Squid 58) and Roger Luxton on
Drums.
After a few rehearsals, the trio recorded a demo at Trident Studios,
Torquay. This was produced with the help of Malcolm Toft, MTA desk
developer and engineer to the Beatles. Assisting the process was
producer and engineer Tim Powell-Morris. Following this original
recording, the group produced a further EP.
Dan, Alan and Roger quickly secured regional gigs and a local following
as the 3-piece alternative rock band, ‘State of Fury’ .
They developed their strong and distinctive sound, in a heavily
competed market.
This collaboration, linked with an
introduction to Martin Barre (Jethro Tull) gave Dan the confidence to
develop his own distinctive writing & vocal style. A series of
acoustic gigs featuring Dan, Martin and Alan followed, including a sell
out performance at Exeter’s Phoenix Theater.
Following this success, early demo tracks of new acoustic music were
produced in the ASV Studios, Wellington with support of Chris
Hardcastle - Dan’s previous music teacher.
After these recordings, Dan began visiting local open-mic nights to
perform new material. By mid 2007, he had finished writing the bulk of
a possible album, and agreed to have this produced by Mark Tucker at
his own Studio and Woodworm Studios, Oxfordshire.
Dan’s debut album, titled ’Far From Here’ embraces 12
tracks depicting the life and key events of a fictional character -
tackling challenges such as - rebellion, falling in love, getting a
grip on life, winning and losing and the realisation of one’s
place in the world.
For this project, Dan is joined by some of the country’s leading
musicians, with members of the Fairport Convention and John Martyn Band
contributing. This included Gerry Conway (Percussion), Arran Ahmun
(Drums), Spencer Cozens (Piano), Alan Bray (Bass) and Chris Leslie
(Violin).
Far From Here was released in August 2008 as a physical digi-pak filled with photography which held the original theme.
In December 2008, Dan concluded a remarkable year by once again
touring with Martin Barre and Alan Bray, this time joined by Jethro
Tull keyboardist John O’Hara and drummer Robin Guy in a hugely
successful tour around the South-West. The shows were a unique
combination of Dan’s songs and Martin Barre’s instrumentals.
2009 saw more performances and studio recording with John Cornfield
(Muse, Razorlight) producing new material. The popularity of the track
’Hollywood’ led to a re-recording which better represented the
energetic live performance. Then at the end of the year, Dan re-
entered Sawmills Studio to record new material for 2010.
Explore the site for news on national and international releases and
performances!