Home-grown music from Holmes Countys Dan Wolff reaching a larger audience
By Denice Rovira Hazlett
October 6, 2011
434
Dan Wolffs mother started singing to him before he was even born, serenading him with the sound of her sweet voice long before he first saw her face. Once he left the womb, she never stopped. That, he said, is what made him destined to become a musician.
Wolff, 25, loved listening to his parents sing together, his dad plucking out tunes on the banjo. But it wasnt enough to surround their children with song. Because music was so important to Tim and Cathy Wolff, all of their offspring were required to join the West Holmes band from the time they entered fifth grade until they finished grade nine.
We all stuck it out through graduation, though, said Wolff, whose school instrument of choice was the trombone. And, sure, the program provided Wolff with the training he would carry into other musical endeavors, but his love of performing really began at home.
My fathers banjo playing probably inspired me to be the center of attention, said Wolff, who recently released his third studio CD, Old Fashioned Love. Wolff admired his dads passion for the instrument enough to give it a shot, but he couldnt quite catch on. It was another stringed instrument, the good old guitar, Wolff said, that really piqued his interest. That was how he could play the songs he was spinning on the familys record player, 45s of James Taylor and Jim Croce, and the pop music he was hearing on his hometown radio station, WKLM.
But the only guitar Wolff could get his eager hands on at the time was a cheap chain-store plaything his siblings had received as a Christmas gift. Hearing him pick out tunes on that tiny toy motivated his parents to present Wolff with a wonderful gift, a full-size guitar of his very own, which he toted to Cornell University in New York, N.Y., after graduating from West Holmes High School in 2005. By day, Wolff studied Operations Research & Information Engineering at Cornell. And at night, after overcoming a fear of performing in public, the emerging musician shared his original tunes at open mics and coffeehouses every chance he got. After his first public performance, practically forced on him by some friends who heard him playing alone in his room, Wolff was encouraged by the audiences positive responses. Thats when he decided it was time to take his tunes on the road, stopping by the studio now and then to record his musical thoughts on three CDs. And while his engineering degree is what pays the bills - Wolff works as a cyber security analyst for a government agency near Washington D.C. - songwriting is what satisfies this Holmes County boys soul.
I think I spend more time on music than I do my full-time job, said Wolff. As soon as I get home, I pick up a guitar and usually dont put it down until I fall asleep.
Old Fashioned Love, a well-produced, highly listenable collection showcases Wolffs great guitar work, solid songwriting skills, and the kind of diverse instrumentation he grew up enjoying as a kid. The album features catchy tunes like One of Those Days, with its thumpy upright bass, fun, bouncy melody, and a bit of Wolff whistling, while Staying in Bed is a full-out pop number, complete with power chords, rocking electric guitar, and tasty tambourine.
One cut that will captivate Holmes countians is the upbeat and enthusiastic Gypsy Folk Shoppe. Sprinkled with musical nods to Neil Diamond and the Allman Brothers, as well as more contemporary performers like Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz, the song was inspired by a funky little boutique in downtown Millersburg owned by Wolffs aunt, Sue Dixon.
Wolff said the song strikes a chord with listeners at his live shows. Last year, when he played the piece at the Holmes County Antique Festival, people in the audience sang along. Even more fun, he said, is when he wanders a little farther from home.
I performed at Muggswigz in Canton, Ohio, in January, said Wolff, and when I played Gypsy Folk Shoppe, a man and his wife sat down and listened for two hours.
After the show, the couple approached Wolff. The tourists had taken a pleasant bike ride along the Holmes County Trail, ducking into his aunts store where the song was playing. They bought a CD. At Muggswigz, the husband recognized the number as soon as he heard it.
While Wolff enjoys playing in Cleveland, Akron, New York and D.C., his greater goal isnt so much to be a touring musician as it is to have his music reach audiences in non-traditional ways, like landing on popular television shows.
Id really like to create more under-the-radar music, like Iron and Wine, said Wolff, referring to the songwriter whose work has appeared on One Tree Hill, Greys Anatomy and House. Then your music is the mood-setter in the background of those shows. When that happens, the shows fans seek out the mood-setting music, giving the songwriter greater exposure. With a couple of his songs on Internet radio programs and rotation on Pandora, that exposure is getting greater every day.
When I write songs, I do my best to keep them universal, Wolff said. Theres nothing better than when someone tells me a song made them cry.
Thats the kind of thing that lets Wolff know hes connecting with listeners, that his music has really hit home.
Samples of Wolffs music can be heard on his website, http://www.danwolffmusic.com.
