Dan Weber will make his Sundilla debut on Friday, April 7; showtime at the AUUF is 7:30. Advance tickets are just $12 and can be found at Spicer’s music, Blooming Colors, and online at www.sundillamusic.com; admission at the door will be $15. Free coffee, tea, water and food will be available, but attendees are welcome to bring whatever food or beverage they prefer.
Award Winning songwriter Dan Weber has been described as “The Classic Mid-Life Overnight Sensation” after bursting onto the festival scene in 2010 to a standing ovation at the Sisters Folk Festival for his engaging set in the Dave Carter songwriting contest. Since then he’s toured extensively across the country becoming a rare 3 time finalist in the legendary Kerrville ‘New Folk’ competition, had 2 top finishes in the Woody Guthrie songwriting contest and in 2015 won the prestigious Winfield, Kansas ‘NewSong’ contest for Oh Woody, his anthemic tribute to Woody Guthrie, that rose to #2 on the Folk charts in 2015.
Dan and Sundilla first crossed paths when Kelly Walker hosted Dan in his studio to record an episode of The Sundilla Radio Hour. Kelly later called it “the toughest editing job I’ve ever had to do” and while that sounds uncomplimentary, it’s actually the opposite; by the time Dan was done telling stories and playing songs, Kelly had over three hours of great recorded material that he somehow had to edit down to one hour. And while he might not be a household name around here, he definitely will have you tapping your foot, laughing at his stories, swearing that you’ve known him your whole life, and begging us to book him again as soon as possible.
That’s an accurate reflection of who Dan Weber is; he’ll enter the room as a stranger, and by the time he leaves he’s everybody’s new best friend. That kind of charm radiates when he’s on stage, through his stories and songs.
That he has so many stories should be no surprise. An ex-Park Ranger, Eagle Scout, Altar boy and lifelong ‘Deadhead’, he left his hometown of Rochester, NY in 1989 in a beat-up primer grey ‘78 Pontiac Trans-Am with ‘a guy named Joe’ he’d met in a bar the night before, and never looked back. Living first in Seattle during the ‘grunge era’, then off the grid in a sheepherder’s trailer in Utah’s remote Canyonlands National Park, Weber eventually moved back north to Portland, OR, and settled in a 1948 Kaiser shipyard worker’s house in Vancouver, VA. Along the way he picked up stories and hitchhikers and eventually, picked up a guitar and began writing songs.
Weber began performing later in life at age 40 but being a gifted storyteller, he quickly won over audiences with his natural charisma, upbeat performances, authentic songwriting, and off-the-cuff hilarious stories from the many roads he’s traveled.
None other than legendary Folk troubadour Ramblin’ Jack Elliott said “I love Dan’s songs and he tells really good stories.” His songs have also been described as “Guthrie-esque and reminiscent of early John Prine” and “A rare combination of wit, emotion and Harry Chapin-esque imagery.” Put it all together and you have a formula that is guaranteed to lead to an unforgettable evening at Sundilla.
So come out to the AUUF on Friday, April 7, and meet your next best friend, when Dan Weber spends the night charming you with his wit, wisdom, and especially his music. Showtime is 7:30. Advance tickets are just $12 and can be picked up at Spicer’s Music, Blooming Colors, and online at www.sundillamusic.com; admission at the door will be $15. Free coffee, tea, water and food will be available, and attendees are invited to bring whatever food or beverage they prefer. For more information, go to www.sundillamusic.com.