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Fingerstyle blues guitarist Dan Livingstone has been receiving acclaim from musicians and audiences alike as an exceptional guitar player and an engaging performer - a young bluesman to watch. Whether playing rags, swing, blues or spirituals, his expressive style marks him as a musician with "big ears" and a passion for the authentic. Born and raised on the west coast of Canada, Livingstone now makes his home in Montreal where he regularly plays the clubs around that city. In the Fall of 2004, he toured Europe, playing the clubs and concert halls of Norway, Germany and France. His appearances and concerts across Canada over the last decade have included festivals in the Maritimes and Quebec, mainstaging at both Rimouski en Blues and Carleton International Blues Festival, the Pan Am Games (1999), and the 16th Islands Folk Festival on Vancouver Island where audiences ranked him as one of the top performers of the weekend. Livingstone is inspired by the magic of the Piedmont, Delta and Texas blues traditions, and one of his aims as a musician is to immerse his audience in the music of Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Fred McDowell, and Robert Johnson. Livingstone’s originals – very popular with his fans – reflect a mix of these influences as well as a highly developed, lyrical style. Livingstone's debut CD was released in June 2000 and is entitled, Dan Livingstone. A new CD, Live on the 8th Floor, featuring Dan Livingstone and The Polyjesters, was released in 2003. A further CD will be released soon. Of the musicians who have influenced him, Livingstone writes: My influences tend to vary between country blues and western swing. People like Ken Hamm, Michael Jerome Browne and Tim Williams come to mind. Many of the ragtime pickers of the '20s and '30s such as Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Gary Davis and like have been integral to my musical evolution. A great many piano players are in my day-to-day influences (Art Tatum, Fats Waller, Thelonious Monk etc.) also. The band has collected a large and eclectic repertoire with influences ranging from the Tune Wranglers, Bob Wills, Harry Choates to the Mississippi Sheiks and even Hot Tuna. For booking information contact by e-mail: livingstone_dan@hotmail.com.
Dan Livingsone & The Griffintown Jug Addicts
Tout droit débarqué d'une autre époque avec leurs instruments bricolés, leur planche à laver, leur contre-bassine (basse artisanale constituée d'une cuvette à lessive), leur cruches et leurs violons à 5 cordes, Dan Livingstone & The Griffintown Jug Addicts recrée l'ambiance des Jug bands des années '30 et '40 avec la simplicité et le plaisir qui en prévalaient. Reflètant et réinventant les traditions de ce style de blues aux mélange de ragtime, de swing et de folk, l'univers festif de cette solide formation nous proposent une musique d'une simplicité trompeuse dans sa nature et ses thèmes, mais combien complexe dans sa polyphonie et ses rythmes. Leur premier album, lancé en décembre 2011 et acclamé par la critique, fut nominé au Lys Blues du Québec ainsi qu'au Blind Lemon Top 20 Canadian Blues Albums de 2012 dans la catégorie « Album de l'année ». L'album Dan Livingstone & The Griffintown Jug Addicts s'est également démarqué auprès du Blues Underground Network, où il a été classé 6e au « Top 10 » de la catégorie Not Necessarily The Blues Albums (Worldwide) en 2012. En plus d'être régulièrement entendu sur les chaînes de CBC et de Radio-Canada, l'album aura amené les Griffintown Jug Addicts à performer dans de nombreux festivals au Québec, et en Ontario et à collaborer à différents projets, dont l'enregistrement du dernier album de Gros mené (Fred Fortin, Olivier Langevin). Dan Livingstone & The Griffintown Jug Addicts est formé de Dan Livingstone à la guitare fingerstyle, de Julia Narveson à la contrebassine, de Brad Levia à la planche à laver et de Bernadette Fortin au violon. Contact de presse/Representation: |