Daniel Wesley has been a full-time musician for about nine years and, throughout that time, his music has tended to be a reflection of where he was in his own life.
His latest offering, an album entitled, I Am Your Man, continues in that vein as Wesley has reached a turning point in his career, one that sees him return to his natural strengths as a groove-based- acoustic troubadour. it’s a move that has followed a period of heavier electric experiments on his previous two albums and brought him back to performing as a single, acoustic artist.
“This is a lot harder than playing with a band, for sure,” said Wesley.
“If it hits, it hits, and if it doesn’t, well, then you die alone up there. I’m 35 years old and I’ve been playing in bands since I was 15, but I have always loved the solo acoustic approach to music. That’s what I’m going back to right now.”
When asked to describe his music, Wesley paused for a moment before responding with: “eclectic”.
In reality, tracks on his new album recapture the slow burning west-coast feel that first established his reputation when he arrived on the music scene.
“The thing about doing small venue concerts is that you have the freedom to go where the crowd wants you to go. My music is pretty upbeat, and I’ll even throw in some covers from time to time. But I can do the slow burn or I can rock some laid back beach music if that’s where the night goes,” said Wesley.
“It’s my second time in Hope,” said Wesley. “The last time I was there I had my van and I got to do some burn outs down in the concert bowl so that was pretty neat. This is my first time at this venue (the Silver Chalice) but I’m really looking forward to it.”
Wesley will appear at the Silver Chalice on Nov. 24 and advance tickets are available at the venue. The show has a $20 cover charge.
The Nov. 24 engagement is only one of several planned at the Silver Chalice over the next few months.
David Mawhinney, owner operator silver chalice pub explained that he intends to continue to bring great talent to his venue throughout the year.
“We just had Harpdog Brown, a fantastic blues artist in and now Daniel is coming and Paul Bachman…we’re going to keep this up and bring in some great music to Hope,” said Mawhinney.
“Music has always been part of my life. I worked as a DJ in nightclubs back in 1992 where I got to see some fantastic touring acts coming through. Having had the opportunity to come back to Hope, I can now use my contacts (in the music industry) to get some really quality acts. I intend to keep doing this so long as we have the support of the community,” he said.