With his acoustic guitar and characteristic sound, Dan Rose is an exciting songwriter and performer. The expression is direct and fresh with presence and charm. With a strong DIY spirit and a heart fond of lo-fi, crafting songs and touring at every opportunity, Dan Rose has performed more than +100 gigs in +10 countries.
Rose doesn’t mince words on “What They Want” — a political diatribe that is by no means softened because it’s an acoustic punk song. Rose clearly and forcefully spells out what we need to do if we, as a human race, want to survive — and what to do to keep pushing forward.
Who are some of your musical influences?
Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, The Mountain Goats, Ryan Adams, Elliott Smith, Manic Street Preachers, Psyched Up Janis, Daniel Johnston (so boring, right? It’s all white men with guitars.)
Explain the title of your song.
There always is mysterious “them,” isn’t there? And “they” have been controlling us for too long. It’s about time they step up and make those bold and drastic decisions that are needed to save this place — the future is green.
Do you have any songwriting tips you can share?
Just keep writing and keep searching for inspiration. When you’re stuck, do something else, free your mind. Or contact me for a collab, let’s write a song.
What are some of the best venues you’ve played? Why?
The odd ones; the skate-punk bar in Moscow, the public school in Reykjavik, the Christian rock music festival in Sweden, the sports bar in Lithuania – All the places where I am the odd man out, an interesting contrast.
Tell us about your favorite show you’ve ever played.
This spring, I have been invited to play four gigs at sustainability events, where I sang and spoke about sustainability, the climate crisis and minimalism. Meeting all sorts of people with a passion for making this world a better place has been a huge inspiration for me. And also the time I supported the great New York band Sunflower Bean in a legendary Danish venue (Loppen), where the crowd actually arrived early and filled out the place to check me out. That was a great night and definitely helped me going forward.
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