DAN WEBB

Hyperspace Clearance Tour - September 2010

MELBOURNE:
WEDNESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER, NORTHCOTE SOCIAL CLUB

BRISBANE:
WEDNESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER, RIC'S BAR

NEWCASTLE:
FRIDAY 24 SEPTEMBER, QUEENS WHARF BREWERY

MORE INFO ABOUT THIS ARTIST AND TOUR:

Dan Webb is a 21 year-old alternative rock force to be reckoned with. His style isn’t dictated by the traditional six-string, instead he opts for the keys. Webb’s deliverance in style is captured on his forthcoming sophomore EP titled ‘Hyperspace Clearance’ – in stores September 17 2010 release through MGM Distribution – featuring the new single ‘Way Out’, due out July 9.

Having started in music at the early age of five, Webb began behind the piano enduring endless hours of classical training which continued through his schooling years, but it wasn’t until his involvement in the Kool Skools project – a recording and multimedia project designed for secondary level students to promote, develop and support a diverse range of contemporary music writing and performance – that Webb started to seriously think about a future in music and the possibility of recording an EP…

 Webb’s first Extended Play, ironically titled ‘Capitulation’, was born in 2009. “The title wasn’t meant to suggest I'm giving up or giving in - rather, here I am, this is me,” says Dan Webb. “I liked the idea of working backwards, cos I like being different. But at the same time, I recognised that the whole experience was really special and I may never have had the chance to do it again”.

Armed with a handful of new songs, Dan returned to Melbourne’s Sing Sing Recording Studios to self-produce the four-track ‘Hyperspace Clearance’ in April 2010. Matt Voigt (Powderfinger, The Living End, Cat Power) was enlisted to mix and engineer the tracks and Abbey Road Studios’ senior mastering engineer Steve Rooke (The Beatles, Animal Collective) was brought on board to master the tracks at the legendary London studios.

“‘Hyperspace Clearance’ is indicative of a young musician finding his feet. It's taking what I did on Capitulation and just taking it to a whole new level”. “On some tracks I recorded five or six layers of keys, so you end up with a very full sound even though there's no electric guitar,” says Dan. “I guess you could say I've axed the axe”.

The title of Webb’s second EP is driven by one theme – ‘travel’ – and not entirely in the literal sense. “A handful of my closest friends - including my band members - were overseas when I was writing the songs,” says Dan. “There was also a death in the family, so that really impacted on my song writing”.

“What really cemented the name for me was when I was reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in the weeks leading up to recording, and I also rented the movie. There's a scene in the movie where bureaucrats are "requesting hyperspace clearance" and the line resonated with me. I don't like being tied down to any one style or genre and I think I'm developing as a songwriter, so I wanted a title which suggests I'm moving forward.”

Webb’s live presence is second to none, having already supported Davey Lane’s (You Am I) The Pictures in December 2009 and more recently The Cuckoos (feat. Quang and Tom from Little Red). The live experience, Dan says, always contains a sense of spontaneity. “I've got a great band and I like to keep them on their toes so if I want to extend an instrumental jam or something... we'll just go for it. Each show's bursting with frenetic energy - it's no dismal affair”.

Photo by Angelo Kehagias