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Michigan-based singer-songwriter Dan Vaillancourt has been called a virtuosic guitarist, a natural storyteller, an entity all his own and The Jimi Hendrix of Folk! Dan weaves stories of life, love, and travel with quirky aplomb creating a unique kind of music called 'Funktified Folk' which has been heard on radio stations all across the country.
A modern day troubadour, he has traversed the nation's highways from New York City to San Fransisco, Austin to Minneapolis, performing hundreds of concerts in 29 states and counting. Besides being an accomplished guitarist and a well-traveled troubadour, Vaillancourt is also a prolific songwriter and in the summer of 2008, was one of only forty-one participants to complete the international 50/90 songwriting challenge, writing over 50 songs in 90 days!
Melodic Snapshots, Vaillancourt's 2005 release, was met with success across the board. Critics and fans alike showered praise upon the album. Nationwide airplay on over 100 stations landed the album an extended stay on CMJ AAA charts around the country next to the likes of Ben Harper, Wilco, Yellowcard, Van Morrison, Beth Orton, Neko Case, The Darkness, Shawn Mullins, Cat Powers, & Beck. In 2006, nationally syndicated radio program Acoustic Cafe, featured Dan Vaillancourt's on February's One To Watch segment which features and highlights the best of today's up and coming artists.
Five different songs from Melodic Snapshots are featured on CD compilations distributed across the United States, Australia, and around the world. Dan's music was in good company appearing alongside artists like Corinne Bailey Rae, Beth Orton, Umphrey’s McGee, Donavon Frankenreiter and many more. The five compilations total over 15,000 copies.
For his newest album, Lovely Distractions, Vaillancourt garnered the help of Grammy-nominated producer Ric Hordinski (David Wilcox, Phil Keaggy, Ellery). Splitting the recording and mixing duties, they worked together to bring the musical vision of the album to life. Vaillancourt's family and friends along with a couple of the best Cincinnati studio musicians lent their musical talents and multiple Grammy winning engineer Richard Dodd (Tom Petty, Dixie Chicks, Wilco, and many more) mastered the album.
