DAN REED - Formerly Of THE DAN REED NETWORK
After a 15-year hiatus, where he travelled the world seeking (and finding) spiritual enlightenment, melodic rocker DAN REED announces his re-entry into the music world. Reed kicks off his latest journey with tour dates on both the east and west coasts, starting in Philadelphia on February 3, 2009, followed by a new album, Coming Up for Air, due out late spring 2009.
Dan Reed has had an interesting journey throughout the entertainment world. His first band, the Dan Reed Network, toured extensively around the world with such acts as EDDIE MONEY, RUN DMC, UB40 and DAVID BOWIE, as well as securing opening slots for BON JOVI and THE ROLLING STONES’ Urban Jungle European Tour. Between 1988 and 1992, THE DAN REED NETWORK sold over two million copies of their three Polygram releases worldwide.
“The days in the Dan Reed Network were educational and overwhelming to some degree,” Reed explains. “Travelling the world playing with the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi was an honor...but at that time, I felt a bit 'boxed and sold' to the public as a product. The rock and roll lifestyle of partying and the like did not appeal to me, and even back then I hungered for a deeper connection to the audience and to other issues.”
In 1993, Dan created the opportunity to travel to India and interview the Dalai Lama for Spin Magazine. He and Bob Guccione Jr., the publisher of Spin, made the trip to Dharamsala together and it was here that Reed discovered he was searching for more than success in the music industry, but also saw that the world was in need of more work in the activist field. Dan began writing articles on the Homeless in the US, Tibetan Independence, Native American Rights, Animal Rights, as well as became actively involved with Peta and Young Audiences of America as their spokesperson, raising awareness to the dying arts programs in middle schools of America.
Dan disbanded the Network, and began acting in theater, film and television, doing many roles for such directors as Gus Van Sant, Zalman King, and eventually co-produced a film Reed also wrote and acted in called 'Zigzag' which charted on Billboards top 20 video rentals. This led to Reed's desire to build a nightclub named Ohm in Portland, Oregon that would blur the lines between rock and roll and electronic music. Ohm quickly became the most cutting edge club in the Northwest, hosting international acts from both genres. After 5 years of guiding the success of Ohm, Dan succumbed to the darker side of the nightclub business. He realized his talent and his energy were being drained from the constant parties, substance abuse and endless late nights. Dan decided it was time for another change and headed back to India.
Dan took this opportunity to search in to himself for his next collection of songs while living in India. He then took his acoustic guitar to the Middle East and found a home in Jerusalem where he built a small studio and began laying down tracks for what would eventually become 'Coming Up For Air'. Working with both Palestinian and Israeli musicians, Reed's hope was to show that all people can work together in a creative environment and cast away those differences that often find themselves dividing us.
”I left to India again in 2005 with the purpose of clearing my head and deciding if I wanted to continue to do music, and if so, what kind of music would it be,” Reed continues. “I was given the great opportunity to live in a small room in a Tibetan Monastery for four months and it was there in Dharamsala, India that I purchased a used acoustic guitar and began composing new songs while studying Buddhism with the local monks. In 2006, I decided to move to Israel and was invited to study at a Jewish Yeshiva in Jerusalem, which I did for almost a year, and also lived in a Greek Orthodox Monastery in the West Bank. Investigating these different faiths, while at the same time keeping my feet in the secular world, affected my outlook on life and my music very much in that I feel in a world of environmental decay, corporate globalism, war and human and animal rights abuse... it was time for me to dedicate my energy and time to adding to the other side of the equation.”
Dan Reed believes that in these times where great challenges lie ahead, the lines between entertainment and activism are being erased. Dan is dedicated to devoting his time, energy and talent to creating positive change and singing songs that bring a sense of connection to the world around us.
“Coming back to music now, I have only the desire to write and perform music that resonates a positive experience for the listener...hopefully helping other people and myself think and feel something different than the typical pop media would like us to remain addicted to.”
Both old and new Dan Reed fans alike will get the chance to experience Dan Reed’s new, revamped live show in an intimate setting. “I can only hope that at the live shows people will experience a release of the tensions of the day...not an escape, but a 'diving toward' emotionally connecting to each other. We are not alone in our cynicism, doubts for the future, and desire for peace of mind. The lyrics and the melodies are meant to invoke a sense of hope. I wish that people can leave the show with a smile on their face...and possibly smiling in their heart as well.”
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