Long Island Pulse
Summer Fun Guide, June 2008
Nassau
county-bred musician Dan Sheehan may have moved to Queens, but he still
rehearses in Garden City Park with his bandmates. In fact, most of The
Dan Sheehan Conspiracy’s shows have been on Long Island. “Our
favorite places to play so far have been the Zebra Club and Molly Blooms,”
he says, “and we’re psyched to be playing some new venues
in the upcoming months.”
Far from a musical neophyte, Sheehan fronted Banter, the acclaimed late 90s Boston rock band, until 2002 when he returned to New York. “Boston’s a great place to start out as it has a very accessible music scene,” he notes, “but you can only go so far there because the college fan base keeps changing.”
With former Morrissey skinsman Spencer Cobrin and session man Roi Star sharing drumming duties, and Sheehan playing everything else—guitar, vocals, bass, synth, slide whistle—the Conspiracy recorded their eponymous CD locally in 2007. Inspired by bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam and the Screaming Trees, The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy sounds like a mix of genres from folk to classic and prog rock. Their debut album has garnered extensive radio play, and Sheehan’s music hit the CMJ Top 30 on five stations.
One of their most accessible tunes, “See
Kay,” is about the price of fame. “It’s about Meat Puppets’
bassist Cris Kirkwood,” notes Sheehan, “and the way he was
taken down by drug addiction and a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.”
And while Sheehan can sound like everyone from Chad Kroeger (Nickelback)
to Meat Loaf, he ironically seems to be channeling the shamanic Jim Morrison
at the song’s climactic ending.
Like the philosophical Morrison, Sheehan writes about everything from
love and nature to alienation, war, heaven and hell. On the imaginative
“Melting Snowman,” Sheehan sings about feelings of alienation
when living in a big city, while the anthemic “Valley” and
“Comatose” have a spiritual theme. “I’m not an
anarchist or an atheist,” remarks Sheehan, “I’m a questioner.
I question why things are the way they are because I’m puzzled why
a creator would create such a crazy place.”
Sheehan’s music was recently in good company when the social work department at Stony Brook University used the Conspiracy’s “Collateral Damage” and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as examples of songs that call people to organize a movement. Hopefully Dan’s fans will organize a movement to his shows as he embarks on a summer tour. Acts Sheehan would love to tour with include a reunited Meat Puppets or Led Zeppelin: “I’ll take the Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam, too, if anyone has them to offer up, and will gladly open for any Led Zeppelin reunion tour that might materialize!” Until then, check out The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy on June 28th at the Sound Beach Inn. For updates go to www.dansheehan.net.
music
blog, June
27, 2008
Dan Sheehan is known to many in the Boston and New York music scenes as one of the creative forces behind the band Banter, which obtained cult status in those markets. Now Dan Sheehan has been set free from the constrictions of being part of a band and has unleashed his full creative force into The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy. Sheehan rocks with the vigor and suppressed anger of the best punk rockers, but is influenced stylistically by modern and prog rock. The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy is an ample introduction to this talented musician.
Sheehan brings the intensity of Jim Morrison to the microphone, and even sounds a bit like him at times. The frenetic energy in Sheehan's guitar work reminds me of a Canadian Alt-Rock band from the 1990's called Dig Circus. There's even a rap/rocker in here, " Collateral Damage," imploring listeners to pay attention to the after-effects of war on soldiers and their families. Sheehan runs the gamut from classic rock anthem ("See Kay," "The Valley") to folk song ("Rock Song") to ballad ("Before You Wake"). The true highlights come in the prog flavored "Patterns In The Rain."
The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy has already seen airplay on nearly 200 radio stations across the US, and I suspect that number will only increase in time. Dan Sheehan's subject matter will appeal to broad swath of the general public, and the music is first class. His voice is unique and memorable, with just a hint of that Morrison mystique. Add in the solid drumming of Morrissey's Spencer Cobrin, and there is something here to appeal to music fans of many tastes. The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy CD is something you'll want in your collection.
From RF
David's blog, June 16, 2008.
Fresh New Music. There is simply nothing like it.
And today we’re super delighted to present to you The Dan Sheehan
Conspiracy. Dan Sheehan has a new album out, titled simply The Dan
Sheehan Conspiracy. Dan plays a ton of the instruments on this album,
including the guitars, keyboards and vocals, among others. There are a
lot of influences here and you can find echoes of progressive rock, hard
rock, ballads and everything in between. We love the way this disc flows
and think that Dan has simply outdone himself. Conspiracy? We don’t
know about that, but we do know that it is darn good tunes–and that’s
what matters the most!
All tolled, we like this album, and are running the cuts "The Valley"
and "See Kay."
As always,
Enjoy!
- david
Alan Hare, BRCFP Internet Radio, Great Britain, May 21, 2008.
Great CD by a great talent. There are some great
rock moments on this CD which I like the best.
"See Kay" is a kinda rocky track, but could almost be modern
day Frank Zappa.
Love "Comatose" - sounds like REM, love the way it changes structure.
The only song I don't really like on the album is "Collateral Damage,"
mainly because it's a rap song, and I hate rap music, but it isn't an
in-your-face rap, and is a kinda quirky song which has good music going
through it and talks about the war.
"I'll Come Along" is brilliant - it bounces along nicely.
"Go Outside" sounds a bit like Sabbath in places.
"Epic Fantasy Adventure" is great, all about snow, a journey,
a battle etc. Great lyrics, great beat all the way through, then goes
mellow in middle of track. Kinda reminds me of a Barclay James Harvest
track called "Summer Soldier." This is a future classic.
Highlights are "Melting Snowman,""Rock Song," and
the ballad "Before You Wake" ends the album quite nicely.
Absolutely brilliant album of modern sounding rock, prog, and little quirky bits.
The
Jersey Toddshow podcast, April 3, 2008
(transcript)
All right. I gotta play you somebody I’m very, very, very excited about. You know I get involved every once in a while with a little show called The Daily Source Code, all right, The DSC. I got your DSC right here, The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy! New York, New York. He’s rock, he’s alternative, he’s singer-songwriter, he’s hip hop, he’s rap, he’s indie, he is FAN-tastic! He used to be a part of a band in the Boston area I think, a band called Banter. CC Chapman probably knows more about them than I do. But it’s a Boston band named Banter, and he’s out on his own with his solo effort called The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy. I just like this a lot... We’re going from the Ike Riley Assassination to the Dan Sheehan Conspiracy. There’s something in the air tonight, kids. Check it out. It’s Dan Sheehan on the Jersey Todd Show…
(plays Dan Sheehan station ID followed by “See Kay”)
Ooh, ooh ooh... The DSC. The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy on the Jersey Todd Show. Man, I like that! That just gets you goin’!
Digital Bear Entertainment News,
March 2008
(excerpt)
Conspiracy is a well-done album - tight and well recorded. Dan blends late 90s Pumpkinesque grit with early 70s jam band influences. Lyrically, he draws from the prog scene of yesteryear: Yes, Moody Blues, and Rush... Still, Conspiracy fits nicely into the current retro trend and stands up to modern comparison. Nice job!
"Demolition" column, February 5-18, 2008
feature on The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy w/cover photo
Who: Dan Sheehan is an area rock guitarist, songwriter, and singer who has performed with his band at many local venues, including The Zebra Club in Copiague and The End Zone in Whitestone, and has opened for Randy Jackson and Erocktica. This, his first self-titled CD, was recently released, and the CD release party was at The Parkside Lounge in New York City. He also has performed with the rock group Banter.
What: The album is guitar-driven rock with a touch of pop -- and a surprising political bent on such tracks as opener "The Valley" and "Collateral Damage." Other musicians on the disc include Spencer Cobrin and Roi Star on drums, as Sheehan performs on the rest of the instruments himself. The disc was recorded at several venues in New York and New Jersey. This disc was recently featured on WBAB and on the Live365.com music website. At live shows, The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy consists of Sheehan, Bobby King Baby and bassist Michael Lynch.
Availability: CDBaby.com, iTunes and most other mp3 online stores, Playgroundz.net, or by utilizing the links on the artist's website.
To Learn More About The Band: Log on to the band's website at dansheehan.net. The group will perform at a benefit for cystic fibrosis with Race Odyssey and other acts at Molly Bloom's II in Amityville on February 2.
webmaster's note: although we did play at Molly Bloom's II, a great club in Amityville, NY on Feb. 2nd, the cystic fibrosis benefit with Race Odyssey and 23 other acts was in fact at Mr. Beery's in Bethpage, NY on Feb. 17th.