News
Happy New Year
January 8
After a successful CD release show, the New Year is starting off strong. January 4th the band and I will be performing on WDVE 102.5 FM (iHeart Radio) on the Morning Show Coffee House. January 5th we will be performing once again at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls along with Bill Toms and Hard Rain featuring the Soulville Horns. January 24th we will be doing an intimate show at Steamworks Creative. In between I will be performing with Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers at LOD New Jersey. Check the Gigs calendar.
CD Release Show
September 12
Excited to announce the Despair of Summer CD release show.
October 14th at the Funhouse at Mr. Smalls in Millvale, PA. It’s a great venue for music. Special guest Joe Grushecky will be the opening act and I’ll be doing the record in it’s entirety. Afterwards we’ll be doing a set featuring the band that consists of Joe Munroe, Mark Pollera, Dave Molter, and Bob Banerjee along with special guests. Doors at 4:00. Show 5:00. Tickets available at Mr. Smalls website, on Facebook at Danny Gochnour Music, or I have a handful. Hope to see you there.
Review: David Orrick. UK
July 23
Two years in its writing, recording and production, The Despair of Summer marks the debut album from Pittsburgh’s Danny Gochnour. Since 2006 the lead guitar player in the Houserockers, the band of Pittsburgh’s favourite son, Joe Grushecky, Danny wrote 10 of the album’s 11 tracks (the exception being a primarily instrumental cover of the Eagles’ I Can’t Tell You Why) and has created a body of work that is, by turns, introspective yet expressive, self deprecating yet proud and angry yet subtly apologetic.
An album of contrasts, then, but one far advanced from the ‘another guitar album’ tag that could so easily have been applied to the work of a respected guitar virtuoso. There’s more, much more.
The guitar work is magnetic and, by turns, it can bite like an enraged rattler or envelop the ears like a warm comforter. Where there is indeed ‘despair’ for lost love there is also both protest (The American Dream) and, on The B-Side of Me, with its throwback nod to Bob Dylan’s transformation from an acoustic to an electric performer back in 1966 with his Highway 61 Revisited album, an affirmation of better values too. What is inescapable is the depth of the album’s music collaborations, Joe Munro’s accordion and swirling keyboards, Mark Pollara’s incisive drums and the haunting violin of Bon Banerjee on The Sound Of Us Breaking.
Danny admits, shyly, that, prior to The Despair of Summer, he had never sung in public nor recorded any original material, but the depth of emotions that are evident in his vocals demonstrate so eloquently that a great divide has now been crossed. The Despair of Summer delivers what is a stunning debut as a recording artist, waiting only for the ultimate acid test of live performance to set the seal on a work of value, quality and great skill: delivered in a wrapping of new found self belief ... and a lot of love.
David Orrick. UK
