Danielson Famile

  • New York, NY
    hometown
  • Alternative
    genre
  • 1994
    started
  • Bio
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About Danielson Famile


For his senior thesis project at Rutgers University, Daniel Smith handed in what became Danielson Famile's first album, A Prayer for Every Hour. He got an A, not to mention the start to a long career in gospel-tinged indie pop. Released by Tooth & Nail Records in 1995, the album featured Smith backed by his siblings, who ranged in age from 12 to their early twenties. Together, they made up Danielson Famile, a family band that delivered orthodox Christian messages but steered clear of traditional Christian symbols, relying instead on an inventive, offbeat style that sounded like Captain Beefheart's Magic Band joined by the Partridge Family at some roadside revival along the Jersey Turnpike.

Although an acquired taste, the band's sound began picking up steam as the decade went on. Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Choppin' Block, produced by Kramer (Galaxie 500, Low, Palace Brothers), followed in 1997. In 1998, Smith launched Tri-Danielson to convey his three distinct musical directions: solo, with his family members, and a more rock-based incarnation called Danielsonship. Tri-Danielson released Alpha in 1998, followed in 1999 by Omega. Both releases earned a healthy buzz in the mainstream press, despite their overtly spiritual content.

The band capitalized on that attention by signing to Secretly Canadian Records in 2001, ditching the overtly Christian Tooth & Nail label in the process. They also bid goodbye to longtime producer Kramer, hiring Steve Albini instead to produce their next release, 2001's Fetch the Compass Kids. Brother: Son, a Smith-produced solo project released under the moniker Br. Danielson, arrived in 2004. In 2006, Smith returned to the original Danielson moniker, employing every collaborator thus far in the Famile history for the creation of Ships. Smith put Danielson on hiatus for the next five years, eventually returning with an all-new lineup for 2011’s Best of Gloucester County, which -- despite the title -- represented the group’s eighth studio outing and was not a compilation of previously released material. ~ Jason Nickey, Rovi

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Music

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  • Did I Step On Your Trumpet?
    danielson-famile
    Video
    Did I Step On Your Trumpet?
  • 4839
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    • Nothing to Do
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g2/7/4/5/8/2/962828547.mp3
    • Allhallow's Eve
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/3/0/5/2/112025034.mp3
    • Fruitful Weekend
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/4/2/6/8/7/114578624.mp3
    • Sold! To The Nice Rich Man
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/3/6/1/0/8/114580163.mp3
    • Cutest Lil' Dragon
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/5/7/6/7/7/114577675.mp3
    • Failing A Test Falling In Love
      http://listen.vo.llnwd.net/g1/0/3/1/7/7/114577130.mp3

Photos

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  • Sounds Familyre
    Danielson Famile
    Sounds Familyre

News

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  • Danielson Famile
    Video: Danielson: "Moment Soakers"
    www.pitchfork.com
    Twee collective Danielson are back at it with a new 7", out now on their Sounds Familyre label. It's fronted by a track called "Moment Soakers" and ba...
    Read More
  • Danielson Famile
    New Danielson: "Grow Up"
    www.pitchfork.com
    MP3: Danielson: "Grow Up" Cult orch-pop figurehead Daniel Smith, aka Danielson aka Danielson Famile aka Br. Danielson, returns February 22, when he re...
    Read More
  • Danielson Famile
    Video: Danielson: "Grow Up"
    www.pitchfork.com
    In the Ben Stamper-directed clip for Danielson's "Grow Up", the first single from the helium-voiced outré-pop figurehead's new full-length Best of Glo...
    Read More
  • Danielson Famile
    Sufjan, Jens Lekman Guest on New Danielson LP
    www.pitchfork.com
    County: 01 Complimentary Dismemberment Insurance 02 This Day Is a Loaf 03 Grow Up 04 Lil Norge 05 But I Don't Wanna Sing About Guitars 06 People's Par...
    Read More
  • Danielson Famile
    Danielson Announces Tour
    www.pitchfork.com
    $ 04-13 Dallas, TX - The Loft % 04-14 Memphis, TN - The Hi Tone 04-15 Asheville, NC - The Grey Eagle 04-16 Washington, DC - Red Palace 04-17 Philadelp...
    Read More

Discography

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  • The Best of Gloucester County (2011)
    Danielson Famile
    The Best of Gloucester County (2011)
    Sounds Familyre
  • Ships (2006)
    Danielson Famile
    Ships (2006)
    Secretly Canadian
  • Brother Is to Son (2004)
    Danielson Famile
    Brother Is to Son (2004)
    Secretly Canadian
  • Fetch the Compass Kids (2001)
    Danielson Famile
    Fetch the Compass Kids (2001)
    Secretly Canadian
  • Tri-Danielson, Vol. 2 (Omega) (1999)
    Danielson Famile
    Tri-Danielson, Vol. 2 (Omega) (1999)
    Secretly Canadian
  • Tri-Danielson, Vol. 1 (Alpha) (1998)
    Danielson Famile
    Tri-Danielson, Vol. 1 (Alpha) (1998)
    Secretly Canadian
  • Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Choppin' Block (1997)
    Danielson Famile
    Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Choppin' Block (1997)
    Secretly Canadian
  • A Prayer for Every Hour (1996)
    Danielson Famile
    A Prayer for Every Hour (1996)
    Secretly Canadian
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