Denison Witmer talks just like his music sounds: soft yet articulate, gentle yet confident. It’s no wonder he has been releasing albums for over ten years now.
Raised in Lancaster, Pa., Denison began taking guitar lessons as a boy with Don Peris, who encouraged Denison to record his first CD.
“(Peris) recorded my earliest work as well as my latest CD. He’s kind of a mentor to me,” Witmer said.
After making 1,000 copies of his first CD, Denison gave some to his friends and family and then decided to sell them during his tour.
Near the end of the tour, Scott Hatch of Burnt Toast Vinyl contacted him about selling his CDs, but Witmer was nearly out of them.
“Scott offered to print them again through Burnt Toast Vinyl, and that is how it all began,” Witmer said.
After releasing six more albums and EPs, Witmer expanded his repertoire by joining up with a full band, The River Bends. Together they released an album titled And Flows Into The Sea with a different label, Tooth & Nail Records.
“The River Bends is a little different than my music, a little bit harder (of a sound). I didn’t want my die-hard fans to think I was doing something entirely different,” Witmer said. “But maybe I’ll do another one of those records in a year or two.”
Although he returns to more of his own sound on his latest solo album, Are You A Dreamer?, Witmer still embraces variation with some new musical contributors on the CD, including Sufjan Stevens.
“I’ve known Sufjan a long time, nearly six years,” Witmer said. “He was actually my opener after his Michigan album was released … and when he needed a new drummer, I suggested my friend James, and now James drums for Sufjan … Working with him was a very natural process,” Witmer said.
Other than his latest album, Witmer’s current passion is working for his charity organization, Happy Birthday Denison. Every year on his birthday, November 4, Denison releases new tracks, unreleased songs, covers and podcasts, free of charge, in hopes that people will donate to the charities he chooses. For more information, visit happybirthdaydenison.com
No comments:
Post a Comment