Midland, MI (www.sonicbids.com/danvaillancourt) - Dan Vaillancourt, Michigan's Original Funktified Folkman, will be hitting the road this summer touring in support of his latest album, "Melodic Snapshots." Vaillancourt's tour, beginning in Michigan on July 5, will take him across the Eastern US and the Midwest. "Melodic Snapshots" is receiving enthusiastic response by fans and critics alike. Jason from Smother.net says, "The album is funky, energetic, and perfectly prepares you for what a Vaillancourt show would entail. His voice is unapologetically melodic and always hits each note with ferocity and cunning..."
"Melodic Snapshots" is in current rotation on radio stations across the US and the world; in fact, it has been heard on over 100 non-commercial radio stations this year alone. This level of exposure is a situation that most DIYers could only dream of. And a dream is exactly what's happening for this young singer-songwriter: A dream coming true as people all over the world are getting a little more funktified!
Dan Vaillancourt's musical influences are myriad and diverse—he is inspired by artists like: Paul Simon, Ben Harper, John Prine, Bela Fleck and Flecktones, Nickel Creek, and Bobby McFerrin—and that's the short list! Dan's musical trajectory may seem like an unlikely success story, yet a story befitting of such a distinctive artist. Picture this: Vaillancourt travels and performs around the US for over five years building a dedicated following for his unique brand of "funktified folk," a style imbued with his witty lyrics and guitar virtuosity. His fans anxiously await a new studio album as a follow-up to his self-titled debut in 2000. So, Vaillancourt decides to build a small studio giving him the freedom to experiment and record into the wee hours of the night handcrafting, arranging, and layering each song with multiple instruments to flesh out each track. After a few months of solitary work, he emerged from his studio to collaborate with engineer Rick Armstrong of Big Bear Productions in Midland, MI. Vaillancourt and Armstrong added drum parts, a horn section, and whatever else to bring Vaillancourt's slightly off-kilter unorthodox visions of his songs to life. David Cowling from Americana-UK writes: "He skips from genre to genre, song to song, and verse to verse showing as much regard for convention as a butterfly for the flower." The finished album, with it's richly textured guitar and clever lyrics, can only be classified as "Funktified Folk." Radio Dan Vaillancourt is a dreamer; something that is evident on "Melodic Snapshots." Vaillancourt has always dreamed of being on the radio and he still recalls the first time he heard one of his songs on a local radio station. Seven years ago he was driving down the street when his song came on the radio, and he was overwhelmed with a child-like excitement. Now 25 years old, Vaillancourt still holds on to his romanticized vision of the radio and gets that same feeling each time a new station spins his album.
It's easy to see why this has been an exciting year for Vaillancourt. He was featured on Rob Reinhart's Radio Show "Acoustic Café," a show that is nationally syndicated to nearly 100 stations, as February's "One to Watch." In addition, "Melodic Snapshots" is getting airplay on college and community stations across the United States (and in Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia) charting on the AAA/CMJ Top-30 charts of many radio stations across the country. "Melodic Snapshots" is one of the only non-major label albums on most of the AAA/CMJ Top-30 charts-quite a feat for an independent record in these times of mega-music conglomeration. Often, "Melodic Snapshots" stayed in the Top-10 for weeks on these charts. A few stations have even played every song on the album! "Melodic Snapshots" has charted repeatedly throughout 2006 on both the weighted and unweighted RIYL charts, an independent system that tracks independent music playing across the country. Compilation CDs Several songs from "Melodic Snapshots" have appeared on CD compilations this year. The song "Give Up" appears on the current Acoustic Rainbow Radio Sampler Vol. 25 delivered to over 1000 radio stations around the world. "Wandering Blue Eyes" is included on Foghorn Records "Sounds Like Cafe" CD Compilation vol. 10, along with artists such as Beth Orton, which is distributed to over 1000 cafes across Australia! "Dylan Breath" will be featured on the MvyRadio Fresh Produce Compilation CD Volume 2 with 10,000 promotional copies scheduled for distribution to independent record stores around the USA this summer.
Tour Dates Dan is no stranger to touring, having played over 400 concerts at more than 100 venues in 20 states and counting! He is hitting the road again in support of "Melodic Snapshots" to bring his "funktified folk" to over 12 states this summer with more shows being added. For additions, updates, and more details, please check out https://www.danvaillancourt.com.
Melodic Snapshots – Summer Tour 2006
JULY 5: Southgate, MI -The Modern Exchange W/ Big Mistake & Jo Tieppo
JULY 6: Cleveland, OH - Barking Spider Tavern W/ Roots of American Music
JULY 7: Pittsburgh, PA - North Hills Borders Bookstore
JULY 8: Williamsport, PA - Coffee & Tea Room
JULY 9: Brooklyn, NY - Pete's Candy Store W/ Jeremiah Birnbaum & Daniel Marr
JULY 12: Macungie, PA - The Macungie Pub
JULY 14: Allendale, NJ - Holy Grounds
JULY 19: Chapel Hill, NC - Caffe Driade
JULY 20: Winston-Salem, NC - Rubber Soul W/ Jerry Chapman
JULY 22: Athens, GA - DT's Down Under W/ Sarah Tollerson
JULY 27: Elizabethtown, KY - Backstage Café
AUGUST 9: Escanaba, MI - 8th Street Coffeehouse
AUGUST 10: Oshkosh, WI - New Moon Cafe W/ waypastfrown and Dawn Xiana Moon
AUGUST 11: Manitowoc, WI - Premier Cafe W/ waypastfrown and Dawn Xiana Moon
AUGUST 13: Marquette, MI - 321 House of Muses W/ waypastfrown and Dawn Xiana Moon
AUGUST 17: Minneapolis, MN - Acadia Cafe -D.E.M.O. Showcase-
AUGUST 18: Des Moines, IA - Java Joe's
AUGUST 19: Rock Island, IL - Theo's Java Club
AUGUST 20: Chicago, IL - Uncommon Ground
AUGUST 25: Chelsea, MI - Zou Zou's Café
AUGUST 26: Wyandotte, MI - The Grind.
For all Media and Tour info on Dan Vaillancourt please visit his Electronic Press Kit: https://www.sonicbids.com/danvaillancourt
