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Waunakee native Dan Collins is blazing his own trail as pianist and songwriter
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Pianist and songwriter Dan Collins looks forward to a lifetime in music. A Waunakee native, and at nineteen already a veteran performer, he released his third album this summer, and performs regularly with a variety of ensembles.
Mr. Collins began playing piano at age six, when he heard his father play and decided he wanted to play too. But like so many kids, once he started, he needed a great deal of encouragement from his parents to stick with it. At that age, he said, "We're not mature enough to know we have to work for our passion."
But stick with it he did, and by the time he graduated from Waunakee High School in 2008, he knew music would be his lifelong pursuit. That fall, he enrolled in the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse, and is majoring in piano performance with jazz emphasis.
Mr. Collins lists Ben Folds as one of his greatest influences. Billy Joel, Elton John, and Coldplay also rank highly, as does Jack's Mannequin. "They have a little newer, more punkish side," he said.
But he is quick to add that he avoids stereotyping his music. "I don't like to define my performance style," he said. "I play what's called piano-rock, which is piano, bass and drums. But that doesn't limit me. I'm starting to add more electronic effects to my music. I still play jazz, I still play classical. It's a limitless genre!"
Mr. Collins recorded his first album, a four-song demo called This One's for You. Last year he recorded his second album, Live 2008, together with his trio. An unedited live recording of eight songs, he describes it with one word: "Raw-thentic."
His third album, Dormitory, was released this summer, and he considers it his proudest achievement. Recorded entirely in studio, he described it as "A product of eight months of dorm-room and home basement recording." Its songs, all original, differ widely in character and subject. "The song-writing and lyrical content," he said, "derive from college happenings, dreams, love, personal stories, cultural themes, even politics."
All three albums are available for purchase on Mr. Collins' website, and also on Amazon.com and iTunes.
When asked about plans for his next album, Mr. Collins said that he had over a hundred songs in the pipeline, but several weeks ago accidentally deleted all of them from his computer. Unfortunate though it was, he is trying to see the bright side. "I feel like there has to be a reason. A clean slate seems all right for some reason."
Mr. Collins plans to graduate college in 2012 or 2013. After that, all he knows is that he'll be making music. "Actually I see my dream job as being a session pianist. But otherwise, anything that could yield me a steady income. I love to perform, I love to create, compose. Anything – I love it!"
To visit Dan Collins' MySpace page, click here. To view his Facebook page, click here.
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