Everyone, I’m doing another Stage-It concert from my music room, on Wednesday, July 24th at 7:00 PM PDT. You buy a ticket for what seems like the right price to you, then watch from your laptop in your home. Or wherever you happen to be. Yes, I’ll try to figure out how to turn on the fireplace this time but no guarantees. We’re going to hold the tickets to 100 total so the question-and-answer interactive element is doable while I play.

I’m going to do it as a “Words and Music by Dan Wilson” show – that is, I’ll be telling stories about the songs and talking about how they came about and also how I do what I do. Stage-It concerts are 30 minutes with 20 minutes additional for encores. Let’s just assume I’ll play the encore

To purchase tickets, click here.

All proceeds from the show are going to the Sheridan Story, which is a North-Minneapolis-based charity focussed on sending hungry kids home on Fridays with food for the weekend.

Finally! My brother Matt & I have completed our new live album, and it’s ready for purchase. Dan and Matt Wilson: Minneapolis 2013. The album includes all 22 songs that we played at our two shows earlier this year, January 31st at the Bryant-Lake Bowl and February 1st at The Pantages Theatre.

Minneapolis 2013 is a download-only album, and there are two versions:

Standard Version:

• all 22 songs plus some brotherly banter sprinkled throughout
• album artwork with comeplete credits
• a set of “liner notes” which is actually just a long e-mail exchange between Matt and me

Deluxe Version:

• all of the above, plus:
• a portfolio of backstage and concert photos by Steven Cohen
• exclusive videos of songs from the shows

These concerts were quite a musical adventure for Matt and me. Instead of reprising our 2010 “two-guys-with-acoustic-guitars-busking” show, we decided to form a one-time band with our friends Ken Chastain and Andy Thompson, and take the opportunity to re-interpret our musical history. “Secret Smile,” “Drummer Like Me,” “Two Wheeler, Four Wheeler” and others all appear in brand-new form. A few of the songs are very new; one of them, “Too Much,” may have had its premiere performance at the BLB. Of course, there’s no improving upon perfection, so for several of the songs we did our best to faithfully re-create the original arrangements; “Toolmaster of Brainerd,” for example.

(And your requests before the show were helpful, by the way: we wouldn’t have had the joy of listening back to this version of “Today You Move” or “If You Miss Me” if it weren’t for your online requests. Thank you for that.)

It’s done, it’s ready for you, click on the link below if you want to, I hope you dig it!

Click here to purchase Dan and Matt Wilson – Minneapolis 2013

Peace,

This week’s free “Song From the Ballroom” is “The Coolest Thing,” and it rocks! Okay, that’s what I hope it does. It’s me playing all the instruments and letting my Beatles roots show in a big way. The only things I didn’t play on the track are the horns, which are by Probyn Gregory. I met Probyn in February at the Wild Honey Benefit for the Autism Think Tank. Probyn was playing trumpet, sitar and various other instruments for this amazing Beatles tribute. Singing “Penny Lane” with them was one of the high points of my year.

Halfway through “The Coolest Thing” that’s Probyn letting fly on the trumpet, flugelhorn and tuba.

…and if you’re part of a master plan
Some great design
I want to meet the one who gave the word
And if nobody at all assembled you
That’s also fine
Wouldn’t it be something if something as cool as you
Just occurred?

Anyone can receive this track for free for the next couple of weeks by joining my emailing list (Please see link at lower left to sign up). “Songs From the Ballroom” is a series of free unreleased tracks, demos, live versions and rarities just for fans on my e-mail list. It’s been going for awhile now, and I think we’ll keep it going for a few more months at least. I hope you enjoy it.