Acclaimed singer/songwriter/guitar virtuoso Daniel Donato recently performed at Pearl Street Warehouse. He’s touring prior to the release of his highly-anticipated sophomore album Reflector on Nov. 10 via Retrace Music.
Steve Satzberg was there to photograph the show!
The following article is adapted from a press release.
Reflector is Donato’s first collection of all original material and a true representation of the continuously evolving musical space he has carved out for himself, which he calls cosmic country. Daniel Donato’s cosmic country blends key elements of Southern rock, bluegrass, classic country and honky-tonk with Southern California folk and Northern California musical exploration, all revolving around a foundation of melodic songcraft. Donato has been performing and cultivating this style on the road since touring opened up again post-pandemic, and Reflector documents the ascending artist at just the right moment.
On Oct. 13 at Pearl Street Warehouse, Daniel performed a 20-song set, infusing it with 13 new songs surely slated to appear on Reflector. He also performed a half dozen covers, including “Dig a Hole in the Meadow” by Lester Platt and Earl Scruggs, “Devil in a Sleepin’ Bag” by Willie Nelson, and “Big River” by Johnny Cash (the latter in the encore).
In the middle of the show, Daniel performed the crowd-pleasing “Luck of the Draw” in a medley with “Sugar Leg Rag.”
Watch Daniel Donato perform “Luck of the Draw” live with Billy Strings on YouTube:
In 2022 alone, Donato and his band — Nathan Aronowitz (keyboards/vocals), Will McGee (bass/vocals), and Noah Miller (drums and percussion) — performed over 220 shows. Together, they have brought their sound and their incendiary live performances to new heights, and audiences and artists are taking notice. Already in 2023, Donato performed as a guest on stage with Bobby Weir & The Wolf Brothers and Widespread Panic and joined Grateful Dead drummer Bill Kreutzmann as a member of his band Billy & The Kids for two dates in August.
Reflector is the follow up to Donato’s 2020 independent debut, A Young Man’s Country, an album that served as an introduction to a gifted young artist and extraordinary guitar player.
Here are some photos of Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country at Pearl Street Warehouse on Oct. 13, 2023. All pictures copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
