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Dead Flowers Maureen McCarthy
This is my current late nite drive fave... Back in December I recieved an email from Dan, who having read my ravings here in Dead Flowers, asked if I might like a copy of his new CD to review, so I popped on over to Soundclick, checked out a track, was duly impressed, and wrote Dan back asking him to send me one along, and now it's a constant companion.

This is great stuff... an intriguing mix of alt-country a la Uncle Tupelo or Ryan Adams, early '70s Stones and Faces, Tom Waits, Dylan, Nikki Sudden, with some surprising and interesting musical touches (like the use of horns, flutes and sax) and intelligent lyrics. Many of the songs are long, and what some might call rambling, but part of the appeal here, is that Kerouac-soaked freewheelin' late nite diner, boozy feeling that beckons you hitch along, becoming old friends with repeated listenings.

Album opener, "Fields of Hope"is a great boozy Stonesy/Faces like number that brews along nicely, and I really dig the way the horns come in. "Maiden Of The Moon," actually conjures up Led Zeppelin a la their third LP, with it's acoustic and slide guitars, and the flute and sax work add nicely here too. "Patterns" sounds very Coltrane meets Beck with it's breakbeats, sax, and late night jazzy guitar work, and while this could be a potential musical train wreck in lesser hands, it works here.

The title track is a stunner: a delicious blend of Tom Waits and Whiskeytown, the pauses holding you breathless. "Cheap Restaurant "is a rockin' Stonesy/Faces/Replacements, number with some harmonica work that at one moment sounds very "Magic Dick" (from the J. Geils Band) and at others goes off to the land of Dylan, joyous stuff indeed! "Warm And Revealing" is told over acoustic guitars, backed with just a touch of tremelo fed electric guitar, while "Shining" uses some well-placed country lead licks and again puts the horns to effective use over another acoustic tale. Album closer "Popul Vuh" has spikey, tense and even at times fuzzy guitar work over a throbbing almost break beat.

This is definately one of the best new albums I've heard this year... Dan and the music he has created are well worth checking out, which you can do just that by stopping by his web site at www.dansmolla.com/, where you can read a bit more about Dan, check out some tunes, and purchase the Swimming In Wind CD -- you'll be glad ya did.

Whisperin & Hollerin Tim Peacock

DAN SMOLLA hails from Dekalb, Illinois, and writes joyful(sometimes), emotional (always) and thought-provoking songs with elements of Alt. Country, folk and (I think) loose echoes of early '70s Stones flowing through their veins.It doesn't surprise that Dan has performed at a number of open mics on his home turf, as most of the songs on SwimmingIn Wind (his second album) are warm, acoustic-based things, often embellished with spasms of electric/ slide guitar, sax or double bass.

There are 11 songs on Swimming In Wind;, and most of 'em are pretty damn engaging and just the rightside of oddball. Smolla's songs are rarely obviously linear, though opener Fields Of Hope does swingwith a nagging, old skool rock'n'roll feel and a joyous horn arrangement. Other tracks, meanwhile, often veer off at unlikely tangents.;Patterns for instance, kicks in withskittering breakbeats and a sonic stance not dissimilar to Beck circa Odelay while the ensuing; Swimming In Wind itself reminds strongly of Jay Farrar (circa Uncle Tupelo's acoustic spell), with a distinct down home feel and Dan taking his time in bringing on the chorus Repeated listening is recommended, as tunes like "Lucky One and Heaven Through The Woods really begin to impinge the more air you allow them.

This reviewer also applauds the fact Dan's open-minded enough to mix back-porch acoustics with unusual textures (like the shot of drum machine on;Lucky One or include a full-pelt bar-room rocker a la Replacements in Cheap Restaurant slap in the middle of thehickory-smoked mellow vibes Dan's slightly ramshackle vibe is an important part of his inherent charm.Dan's own bio suggests his music is Kerouac soaked and Swimming In Wind; suggests he shares a similar freewheelin', freestylin' anything-goes attitude. Crucially, though,; Swimmng In Wind promotes this liberation without sacrificing decent tunes. Make sure to search for this guy, folks.

Americana UK Tim Ford
Dan Smolla "Swimming In Wind" (Independent 2002) Available: Now Regular readers may have perceived that albums reviewed by yours truly risk severe star rating shortage if they stray beyond 4 minutes per track without very good reason; some of the best songs in the history of popular music say it all in under 3 minutes and frankly I assumed someone was having a laugh when they sent this one through; the first two tracks clock in at 7:28 and 9:55! However, exceptions rule and Illinois based Smolla has crafted a minor masterpiece with this, his second album, a largely acoustic collection for, he says, "fans of Dylan, Waits, Petty, Beck and Neil Young", to name just a few of the influences writ large on his sleeve.

Playing and singing everything and independently released its a testament as to what can be achieved in this industry if one is so driven.Kicking off with some of the dirtiest guitar this side of Link Wray's "Rumble", "Fields Of Hope" is a monster of a blues riff and an introduction to Smolla's distinctive multi-tracked vocals; not pretty or sweet and occasionally off kilter but perfect in this setting. Its as rough as a bears bottom and as catchy as hell and just when it ought to be ending it slips into an almost hypnotic sax and keyboard driven vamp, slowing the pace for "Maiden of the Moon", built around a simple double bass and acoustic guitar groove. Its uncannily reminiscent of Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks" album and if ever a song deserved to be over 9 minutes long it must be this one.

Elsewhere we have "Patterns", blending 50's West Coast jazz with a drum machine and Eno-esque vocals contrasting with the straight country vocals and guitar licks of "Lucky One" before finishing with "Popul Vuh"; awesome driving bass fighting for space with a vicious staccato guitar riff over pedal to the metal drums and chanting, barely discernible vocals; its a breathless and perfect ending to the album.

So, its blues, its jazz, its good old rock 'n roll, its Van Morrison, its early Wilco, its Krautrock, its irritating and enthralling in equal parts depending on ones mood, its Jack Kerouc, its late night driving music but mostly its one mans tour-de-force. The very least you can do is buy a copy

Real Roots Cafe Johanna J. Bodde
"I think I'll go walking straight down the fields of hope", a line like that comes along within two minutes of the opening track. Over a dirty blues-riff. Early Stones meet Nikki Sudden in an alt-country landscape. The multi-track vocal sounding like an awkward little choir. We've again discovered a new hero!Dan Smolla, singer-songwriter from Bloomingdale near Chicago sent us the wittiest promo-kit of all times, to start with. The white CD-carton is lettered by himself, complete with friendly Smiley, the disc comes already with a marker-penned autograph and Dan explains with much humor why this is the "limited edition" of "Swimming In Wind". The two bonus-tracks bring the total to thirteen, or close to 74 minutes of music. The roughly computer-printed picture next to the song titles needs to be turned around before you understand that Dan is standing up to his knees in a muddy river..., looks like a perfect cover.

This album is not right for lovers of polished work, you just need to listen here with your warm music-heart, those technical ears switched off, as little to not much fits in, actually. But Dan has DEFINITELY that hard to define "something", just like Jolie Holland for instanceMaybe he did something with punk- or garage rock in the past, there is energy and
enthusiasm in the music, just like the Paisley Underground-scene had.

Darned, he plays EVERYTHING himself! Not only acoustic and electric guitars, bass and drum machine, also saxophone, flute, some trumpet and keyboards.Every song has another feeling, the titletrack makes you think of Tom Waits, further on you hear something sounding like Van Morrison in "Shining", while "Popul Vuh" contains a hypnotizing chant: "Can you listen or are you just running like a fool". I can't resist, just another brilliant line: "They got
that cheap restaurant sadness in their eyes". Rock on, Dan-----

Illinois Entertainer Trevor Fisher 2003 December
Dan Smolla is definitely on the right track with Swimming In The Wind, an album of which he wrote 99 percent and acted as the sole musician. His recipe consists of part blues, part country, part rock, and a pinch of jazz. And while this concoction is tasty most of the time, the mix is a bit lumpy in places. The acoustic strumming on "Maiden Of The Moon" and "Ursula's Song" doesn't offer anything beyond the regular singer-songwriter fare and at times Smolla's vocals and harmonies are noticeably mismatched. The record's standout track, "Fields Of Hope" features a dirty Rolling Stones guitar tone and a vibe that makes it an instant backyard BBQ favorite. Overall, Smolla's efforts are unpolished, but promise better things.

All Music Guide: by James Gerard
On his second CD, Swimming in Wind, Dan Smolla utilizes four-track textured garage-folk instrumentation, but speaks with the soul and song structure that is jazz. He states a theme, establishes the groove, and then goes as far out as Ornette Coleman or Eric Dolphy. Originally trained as a saxophone player, Smolla does play a good deal of early Van Morrison-styled sax parts throughout this CD. His free-form expression, however, does not take the form of instrumental improvisation, instead choosing to voice his passionate impulses in the form of hypnotic repetition via carefully warped layers of vocal cacophony.

Smolla is an acquired taste in terms of vocal style (at times abrasive and stylized), production (ambitious bedroom recordings), and the already mentioned elaborate song structures. "Fields of Hope" pays tribute to a great Rolling Stones' riff, then spirals off into a good stretch of impassioned chanting. "Patterns" features a frantic jazz-pop snare beat with the sax as the lead instrument over vocal harmonies that emulate a horn section. In "Shining" Smolla sings "she comes down the river / here she comes in white / here she comes / she's been delivered / she's already in the sky" over a sweet, pulsating sax and Motown-styled guitar riff. "Lucky One" is the most accessible song on the album. Opting for acoustic folk instrumentation on this effortlessly melancholic melody, Smolla flexes his considerable lyrical muscles: "You got some shadow / To your flow / In the dark / I can see it glow / Don't know if it even matters / Don't know if it even could / Don't know if it even flatters / But baby it should."

There are ultimately two albums happening here -- the duality often occurring within a single song. The core melodies and acoustic beds would make for a gritty and compelling folk-rock album, but Smolla feels a higher calling and purposefully leads the listener past the initial themes to his extended statements. Ultimately Swimming in Wind is a courageous effort, with grand ideals, from a desperate, compassionate, and hidden place.

Rootstown Music Eigen Beheer (Antoine Lagat for translation)

How indie can you get? When Swimming In Wind arrived here, we thought our boss had struck again. We are used to getting the hopeless cases and the strange birds nobody is able or willing to deal with. And why a copy and not the real thing? The answer was: this IS the real thing. Each Swimming In Wind is in fact a by Dan Smolla himself marked copy, a rare case of legitimate home copying! The accompanying note even reveals that this is actually the second edition of the cd, with extra's, but don't get wild about these. Self-mockery, we gather, but also a sneer towards those labels and bands that recycle the same product over and over again, knowing that the real fan will buy every gasp the artist utters.

So Dan Smolla displays the right Michael "Bowling For Columbine" Moore attitude! Well, if the music could also show some idiosyncracy? And yes, indeed: this is whimsical, even deranged and heavenly raw rock that, in long drawn pieces, goes from ready made old school (the Stones, who would you think?) tot role model Beck. Music that?s been listening to about everything from pre-war blues on, making up for one big cocktail that's definitely something new and original. That it might be on the edge of false from time to time is not meant to spoil the fun.

This is music where a simple tambourine demands its own place in the spectre of sound (think again of the old Stones, so when they were young) It's like you can read on the site: ,,For fans of Dylan, Waits, Petty, Neil Young?? and you can easily add The Band and Uncle Tupelo, what Americans tend to call folk. Or alt.country. Shun this if your preferred music is based on hit parades or formats. If Dan Smolla from Dekalb, Illinois, ever will become fashionable, is a totally superfluous question. If this is, on the other hand, able to seduce the average fan of Americana? Well, a little surfing would answer that personal question!

Reviewd4U.com Editor
Brevity is not one of Dan Smolla's strong points. Of the eleven tracks on Swimming In Wind, only three come in at under five minutes, and two of those are well past the four minute mark. As Smolla's music of choice is basically folk blues with a few electric guitars and horns thrown in every so often, the songs' duration certainly can't be attributed to a need to fully examine their complexity.

It's a sign, then, of how well Smolla crafts his songs (and his entire album, for that matter) that none of the tracks on here really seem to drag. "Maiden Of The Moon", for example, is nearly ten minutes long, but the only reason you notice is because of the way Smolla moans out the same line over and over again for the last minute. Until that point, the song is driven forward by Smolla's persistent strumming, along with occasional blasts of saxophone. Even the moaning doesn't sound out of place, given that Smolla leads up to it naturally.

The same could be said of any song on Swimming In Wind. Smolla has a way of making his songs interesting, regardless of how long they run. In the case of tracks like "Cheap Restaurant" and "Shining", he does so by following a Dylanesque formula. For the former, this means making the song poppy, simple and bouncy, while the latter is much more akin to Dylan's seventies output. It's hardly the most original concept, but relatively few people have done it for the last few decades, so Smolla should be commended for taking it on himself and sounding no worse for it. Equally impressive is "Popul Vuh", in which Smolla tries his hand at swamp-blues rock a la the Rolling Stones circa 1972. While he's certainly no competition for Jagger or Richards, Smolla imbues the tune with a certain swagger that wouldn't have sounded out of place had it been released 30 years ago.
Obviously, then, this isn't the most modern-sounding album -- or, to approach the point from another ddirection, it won't sound dated within months of its release. Swimming In Wind illustrates the fact that if you pick your influences right and take a longer-term view of the music you make, the results will be something worth revisiting again and again.

"Maiden of the Moon" has undulating lyrics and again with atmospheric backing vocals throughout. After the first two tracks you can get a distinct feel for the style of the album and some of the underlying influences such as Dylan and Spingsteen, but the album really does sound fresh too.

Swimming in Wind has a sort of drunken feel - I don't know if it's supposed to - but it
sounds like the sort of voice and lyrics that can only be achieved with copious alcohol, but whatever the influence
the end result is great.

"Roadtracks no10, 2003" Mariane Ebertowski

In the eighties there was a punk group that called itself Dead Fingers Talk?. and then they disappeared. When I heard the first sounds of Dan Smolla's "Swimming In Wind", I first believed in a resurrection, but I guess Dan Smolla from? Illinois will be too young to have anything to do with these vet punks. Smolla who plays all the instruments on this album, his second, has a broad musical background that goes from Uncle Tupelo via Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones and Johnny Dowd to the territories of blues and jazz. His lyrics show a certain affinity with the beat poets, even if sometimes his words tumble over each other.

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