Dan Warner is a well-known singer and songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. He released 3 albums and 2 EP’s with his band Overnight Jones and then went on to form acoustic duo Dan & Al, playing some very long residencies at Melbourne’s best music venues. After departing their 4-year gig at the Corner Hotel, the pub named its front-bar ‘The Dan Warner’ room, “You have to drink a lot of beer to get a bar named after you!”

Warner spent two years living in New York, performing with Kevin Garant (guitarist with Weird Al Yankovic, Vanilla Ice, and Was a guitar Clinician for Roland International) all over the Northeast corner of the US. Warner has been using Maton guitars since 1986, first the ECW80, and then moving on to his trademark EM325. His first solo album is called ‘A Likeness of You’ and will be launched at The Corner Hotel on the 21st of May 2005, through Croxton Records and MGM Distribution. I caught up with Dan when he came in to the Maton factory to have his guitars serviced.

What have you been up to lately?

D.W. “I’ve just finished my first solo album. Which is a big thing for me, because prior to that I was in a band called Overnight Jones, and also the Warner Brothers; we were signed to Polygram for a while. You always think when you’re young that you’re band’s going to stay together forever and it doesn't always work out that way. I’ve also had a couple of duos. I played with Al McInnes (Dan & Al) for years and we did very long residencies. Al & I used to do about three gigs a week, with my old EM325.”

So you use the 325 when you record?

D.W. “I do use it all the time, because I’m so comfortable with it. I’ve had it for a long time and played a few thousand gigs with it. I actually bought it off the rack from a store, which was strange. Prior to that I played a CW80 for a couple of years in Overnight Jones; it was a nice guitar, but a bit too nice. I really liked that guitar but I didn’t want to get it wrecked. So that’s the reason I have two 325s, I wanted guitars that weren’t so expensive that I could knock around a bit. But in the end, there is something about that 325 that I love. I guess all guitarists say that about their guitars though!”

What inspired you to play guitar?

D.W. “I come from a non-musical family. I think my parents had maybe a Simon & Garfunkel, A Neil Diamond record and a Roy Orbison record and that was about it. My grandfather who was Swedish, played banjo and piano and was into music, so maybe it was a recessive gene that’s been passed down to me. Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to play guitar. I was 4 years old saying “I wanna play guitar!” I was obsessed by it. I sat at home when I was a kid in the early seventies watching all those music shows. I was lucky that my parents said, “Ok well the kid wants to play guitar, so we’ll get him a guitar.” We lived in the northern suburbs of Melbourne, and I used to go out to Montsalvat, in Eltham to get guitar lessons. My older brother wanted to play cricket, and there was a cricket clinic out there, so he’d go to the cricket clinic on the same night I’d go and have guitar lessons with Seb Jorgensen. So I’ve been playing since I was seven, all my life. It’s been such a big part of my life. I also did my first performance out there when I was 7. I was in my first band when I was 11, with my brother; we were a Kiss cover band or something (laughs)!”

Who are your musical influences?

D.W. “I think because I’m from that era, definitely Neil Young and Bob Dylan. I come from that traditional singer/songwriter era; I just love that music. I really liked Gram Parsons and the Flying Burrito Brothers; I love good story songs, and that country rock stuff. That’s pretty much what my new record is. Oh, and The Band, really like them. I love their quality songwriting, Robbie Robertson wrote some fantastic songs, as did Neil (Young). My favourite record is probably ‘On the Beach.’

Do you remember the first album you bought?

D.W. “It was early on. I was interested in the guys that played guitar. I remember in ’75 when ‘Blood on the Tracks’ came out, we bought that. I have an older brother who is two years older than me, who is also into music, so that could have been the first record we bought. We got into some bad shit too, like Kiss. I do feel linked to that older style stuff like the Stones, and Dylan and Neil Young; I used to buy those records when they came out, because I really liked that 70s era of Dylan and Neil Young. I remember buying ‘Comes a Time’ when it came out, not knowing anything else about Neil Young, because I’d come via John Denver or something when I was learning guitar; I’d play those songs. Then I heard Neil Young, and I thought ‘John Denver’s an …!’ I bought those records, and then went backwards and forwards from there. A lot of people who are two or three years older than me love punk music but I just never got it. I was a little too young for it. I see my era as a funny era, and that’s why I think there aren’t that many people making music like I do, because I really love that west coast stuff like The Band, Joni Mitchell and the Flying Burrito Brothers, and The Byrds when Gram Parsons was with them.”

What turned you on to playing Maton?

D.W. “My first flat top (acoustic) guitar was a ‘Wayne’; they were made in Korea I think. I wanted mine because it looked like Neil Young’s guitar on the cover of ‘Comes a Time’. I still write a lot of my songs on it, because I had it when I was a kid. There was a music store called ‘The Old Time Pickin’ Parlour’ in Ivanhoe. The guy there got me onto Maton Guitars, he said ‘look you should try one of these, they’re Australian made.’ I really liked that idea, that they are locally made. I moved to Hawthorn, and I used to come down and haunt the old Maton factory when it was in Canterbury Road. I just love them and it feels right to me to play guitars that are locally made. A lot of my songs are about local areas. Focusing on your own town really sits well with me. Neville and Linda were good to me; I was quite young when I bought my first CW80. I’ve never played American guitars.”

Do you think it’s an ‘Australian pride’ thing?

D.W. “Yeah it’s a bit of that, but I’ve just always played Matons. I just feel like its ‘home’. I almost feel part of the company because I’ve played them so long!”

Do people comment on your Maton guitars?

D.W. “I played in Paul Hester’s Largest Living Things when Overnight Jones broke up. There was an American guitar player Kev Garant, playing with him, who I ended up making an album with after we left LLT. Kev was moving back to the States, and he said, “look we’ve just made this record, why don’t you come over here and we’ll promote it.” So I was just lucky enough to spend two years living just north of New York City. I tell you what, wherever I plugged in my Maton EM325, it sounded so good and played so well people were fascinated by it because they hadn’t seen them before. They wanted to know about the guitar, things like “what’s that pre-amp in there?” Firstly they were fascinated that I was Australian and I knew their music (puts on an American accent) “hey this guy can play American music!” They have no concept that we come from the same sort of musical culture. So they were shocked that we could play their style of music, but also on this guitar that sounded so good and wasn’t a Taylor or Martin. Wherever I went people would talk about it! What do you do when you’re backstage? You drink beer and talk about your guitar! I’m going back over this year, to do a tour with the guitar player from Whiskeytown. I just know that the guitar is going to generate a lot of interest, because they love that stuff. They feel like they own us and our music, they think we’re quaint. They see the guitar as their instrument, and that country blues or roots music is their music.”

Do you have an interest in playing any other Maton models?

D.W. “Yeah I do for sure, maybe something with a smaller body. It’s weird…. because I’ve played so many gigs with my EM325, like I said before, I would have played thousands of gigs on it, so I’m comfortable on that guitar. I’m a creature of habit, as you can probably tell, and I love that guitar, it’s my sound.”

Do you use any effects when playing live?

D.W. “I used to use a reverb pedal a bit, but I stopped doing that after a while, because I just liked the sound of the 325, so I don’t feel like I need it anymore. I guess it was a bit of a security blanket having a reverb pedal there! I don’t play many lead breaks and I’m such a right handed player, my guitar playing is all in the right hand.”

What CDs are you listening to at the moment?

D.W. “I’ve been listening to a bit of M Ward, who is an American singer/songwriter. I also listen to older stuff, like Wilco, and The Band that sort of stuff.”

Are there any bands from the newer era of music that grab your attention?

D.W. “The guys from Wilco, I think Jeff Tweedy is an interesting songwriter. I think Ryan Adams is a good songwriter too… There seems to be a young scene here in Melbourne that is really exciting, in particular bands like The Vandas. There is a young songwriter called Chris Altmann, who plays with them, and actually played pedal-steel on my new record. I can’t believe that a 24 year old bloke played so beautifully. There’s another couple of bands, The Rumours, Clinkerfield who are really good. I think there is a real scene out there for this genre amongst the young kids.”

What do you do to relax?

D.W. “Go to the footy to see the Magpies; try to let off some steam! I like to read, and I like my music. I read classics, the last book I read was ‘Heart of Darkness’. I’m a bit of a traditionalist in that way. I get out to see a few bands also, I have a mate who works as an agent, so he will invite me to get a second opinion of a new band. My partner has a winery in Kilmore, so I do a little bit of work there; it’s good to get your hands dirty occasionally!”

What was the best gig you’ve been to?

D.W. “I saw Nick Lowe at the Continental when he was out here four or five years ago. He is such a good songwriter and performer. I think it was partly because he was such a good player, and his songs were so easy to find your way into; even songs you hadn’t heard before were easy to get into because they were so well-crafted. The other great experience I had was when Neil Young came out. His last album, Greendale was a concept album, performed in a little town called Greendale and they act out the album. I was in the performance of that at the (Sidney) Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne a couple of years ago. I was an irate farmer with a pitch fork, it was bizarre! I’m standing on stage with a pitch fork and Neil Young is playing like three feet away from me! That was fantastic though, a great concert, a great experience for me.”

What's the best gig you have played?

D.W. “The weird thing with me is that I’ve played so many gigs. I think the Dan & Al record launch was a really great night; we had 800 people at the Corner Hotel. We were pretty underground, not well known, never had any singles on commercial radio. But just by playing so many gigs, we had a big following. That was fantastic; it was like a vindication to have so many people there you know, we had no record company. That’s why Maton has been so important to me, because I haven’t got a major profile out there. I do so many gigs, and tour a lot; they’ve helped me out so much, by doing work on my guitars when I really needed it, and with guitar cases and practical stuff which all helps.”

What is your favorite venue to play?

D.W. “The Corner Hotel is like our home pub, so I feel really comfortable there and the staff are great. I used to love playing at The Continental, it was a great place to play because it’s one of those places where the audience was always very quiet. We felt like we were almost in the audience so we could have some great intimate performances there. There is also a great bar in the East Village of New York City, called The Lakeside Lounge run by Steve Earle’s guitar player, Eric Ambel, really enjoyed playing there. Kev and I also got booked by the Australian Embassy when we were in the US to go to Atlantic City, which is like the Las Vegas of the East Coast. We were playing at Sands Casino, in the Copa Room, which is were Sammy Davis Jr and Sinatra played and all those guys played; their photos are all over the walls. Even the green room (backstage) had a full size white grand piano in it! We also played Bob Dylan’s 60th birthday bash in New York City at Wetlands.”

You must feel a great sense of pride playing songs about Melbourne when you’re in another country?

D.W. “Yeah definitely. I’m a great believer that Australian music is world-class. In fact I found that when I was in the US that we have a different approach. It used to be that you would play lots of gigs, earn your stripes and then go for a record deal. Over there a lot of bands don’t seem to do that. First they go into a studio and record something that can get them signed. So these artists that do get signed to a major label often haven’t played live much. All the Australian bands that I know have come up playing a lot of gigs, they can all play.

I also think it’s crazy and it frustrates me that commercial radio in Australia doesn’t support new music that’s coming out, I think that’s a real shame. It used to in the ‘70s and ‘80s when there were heaps of huge bands sustained by the population because the new material was played on the radio. I think Australian Idol and all those sorts of things are tragic for the industry because it means that all those young bands like the Vandas don’t get much exposure, their own generation never hears their music. That’s why a lot of musicians like me are looking further a-field now because I know that my new record will not get played on commercial radio, because it’s not with a major, it’s with a small label and it won’t have all the hype and I haven’t been on TV. That Australian Idol thing to me is just crap because it means that all that money that would go into real bands goes into these karaoke singers. That’s why it’s sad for the population: they never get to hear the music being made by their peers, the songs that are about them!”

How do US audiences compare to an Aussie audience?

D.W. “I think they’re a bit more open minded; they’re more willing to listen to something that’s new. I think there is something slightly different in their culture. Australians can be a little bit cynical. Maybe you could say Australians are more discerning and have been spoilt because the quality is so good here! That’s really true of Melbourne. The quality of music and the bands here is so good.”

Do you have any amusing stories involving audience members?

D.W. “One funny thing happened when we used to play at a pub in Richmond called the GB (Great Britain). It was a Dan & Al residency night and the front of house speakers blew up because the PA wasn’t really well maintained down there….or maybe we were playing too loud! The foldback was still working though and most of the audience came and sat up on the stage around us, which was a funny moment. I always feel really connected to the audience because we’ve done many residencies; you recognise people and people feel they know you really well. Particularly at the duo shows there’s a lot of audience interaction. There was one bloke who used to come up, without fail, every week at the Punters Club, three quarters of the way through the gig. He’d yell out “hey mate, can you play Bear Mountain Picnic by Bob Dylan.”

I’d say, “no sorry we don’t know it.”
“Oh that’d be bloody right,” he’d say, walking off. “You’re bloody shithouse!”
It would happen every week, and it went on every week for years and years! It was funny though, we’d be like “here he comes!”

After that residency finished, one night I went and saw Circus OZ, and the tightrope walker comes out, and it was this bloke who used to come up to us every week at the Punters Club! After the show I went up to him and said “you’re the Bear Mountain Picnic guy; I can’t believe you’re a tightrope walker!”

Funnily enough when I went to America, Circus OZ came to New York City for six months. So I got to know him, and he was obsessed with this Dylan song which isn’t on any of the albums, you can only get it on bootlegs. I eventually heard it somewhere. So when I was living north of NYC I was not far from Bear Mountain. The whole premise of the Bear Mountain song is that it’s like a picnic place where New Yorkers would go on a Sunday on a boat from Manhattan. So we took this guy and his partner to Bear Mountain for the day, and it was like a pilgrimage for him. I wrote a song based on the chords of Dylan’s Bear Mountain Picnic, about our Bear Mountain Picnic, and performed it at a place in New York when all the Circus OZ people attended.

I heard that you have worked on a film score?

D.W. & I have done a couple of film scores, one with Mick Thomas of Weddings, Parties, Anything. It was a film called Five Bells, based on an Australian poem. I’ve also been on tour with Jen Anderson of Weddings, Parties, Anything, who wrote a score for an old silent movie called The Sentimental Bloke that was made in 1919. Jen wrote the score and we’ve been performing it live with the movie around Australia. We did some great gigs like the outdoor cinemas at Broome and Darwin, and the Perth Festival. We’ve just finished up with that recently.”

Where do you see yourself in five years?

D.W. “Hopefully doing much the same as I’m doing now, but playing to more people. My ambition is to make a good living out of what I do and to keep making records. I've also written songs for other people like Renee Geyer, Tiddas and Weddings. I'd like to do more of that and maybe keep doing more scoring. Who knows maybe someone like Natalie Imbruglia will want to record one of my songs!

Can you tell us about your new album? Who is playing on it? Where was/is it recorded?

D.W. “I know many of my peers in Melbourne because I’ve been a musician here for so long. So I’ve been lucky to sit back and think about who I want to play on my record. There’s the young bloke Chris Altmann playing pedal-steel, it was great playing with him because he really brought a lot of energy to it. There was Michael Barclay, the original drummer from The Messengers. James Black, who plays with Joe Camilleri. Dave Evans, he has a group called ‘The band who knew too much.’ They have some great songs like one called ‘Beer O’clock’ which should be an Australian anthem! Charlie Owen, who also plays with Tex Perkins. So these are just a few, they are all mates, I’m just lucky that these are my contemporaries and they all said they would be happy to play on my record.

Can you tell us about your upcoming shows and tours?

D.W. “The CD launch is at the Corner Hotel on the 21st of May, which will be the main show. Then I will be going around Australia, probably as an international support band. Then I’m heading back to the US in November to tour with this guy from Whiskeytown, which is going to be fantastic.”

You have a bar there named after you don’t you?

D.W. “(Laughs) Yes, you have to drink a lot of beer in a pub to get a bar named after you! The front bar stage there was pretty much set up for us (Dan & Al). We used to play in the back room there and it was huge and cold. We would get 150 people there every Tuesday so they decided to move it into there. I loved playing there, it was a nice and intimate space…. just great memories and the staff were great. I’ve had a strange career; I’ve been really lucky to have all these long residencies in good venues. We also played at the Punters Club for 8 or 9 years on a Sunday arvo, it was a great way to pick up a crowd. Those pubs were real music pubs. It’s a shame the Punters isn’t there anymore.”


Dan Warner’s new solo album is called A Likeness of You. Available 21st May 2005 through Croxton Records and MGM Distribution.
For more info check out www.croxtonrecords.com or www.danwarnermusic.com