Singer-songwriter and guitarist Dan Whitaker digs deep into country, folk, blues, and jazz to create his own original sound. He’s equally comfortable crafting intricate bluesy instrumentals along with his character-driven stories set on the road and in honky tonks.
Far, Far Away, Whitaker’s recently released fourth album with the Shinebenders, is a testament to his love of all forms of country music. As Whitaker explains it, “I consider all the different genres of country when writing my songs, because country music has never been about just one thing.” This time around the band expands their sound with a deeper embrace of hillbilly jazz and western swing. Whitaker deliberately chose four instrumentals to break up the storytelling songs and create a unique rhythm for the album.
While his songs are influenced by country music’s past, Whitaker isn’t content to live in it. “I want to create new forms of country music by expanding its definition,” Whitaker says. That’s why Far, Far Away includes a rich variety of songs like “Hot Mama Blues,” a toe-tapper that uses country blues to tell the tale of a man and his woman’s wandering ways, and “Trucks Passing Trucks,” an up-tempo number that captures the nervous energy of a semi-truck filled highway and a long night ahead. The title track is classic Americana, spinning the tale of a wandering pilgrimage put into motion when leaving is the only thing left to do.
Far, Far Away was recorded at Kingsize studios in Chicago with Mike Hagler, the engineer who also recorded DWSB’s 2017 release Anything You Wanted To. Hagler has worked with artists like Wilco, Neko Case, Billy Bragg, and Jon Langford, among others. “Working with Mike a second time around was great,” says Whitaker. “He gets what we’re trying to do, and we were able to dig deeper to get the rockabilly and swing sounds we wanted.”
Whitaker is joined on the album by longtime Shinebenders and pals Earl Powers on upright bass, acoustic guitarist Tom Mioducki, and drummer Eric Niffenegger. Rounding out the sound are frequent collaborators Steve Doyle on Telecaster guitar, and Brian Wilkie on pedal steel.
“I believe the world needs original music,” Whitaker concludes. “The stuff with soul, not pop country manufactured for a mass audience. Our music may not sound like what you’d expect, and to me, that’s a good thing.”
Dan Whitaker has been creating independent original music since the mid 1980s in such bands as June Bug Massacre, Great Plains Gypsies, Athletic, The Gyps, and Western Grand.