Dan Craig. Remember that name, jot it down and fall in love with his music (and possibly him while you’re at it). We can just picture it now: The rest of the country will be raving about this new sensational artist that just popped out of nowhere and us Denverites will say, “He ain’t new! Dan has been around for years. We used to drink beers with him in the local venues. We knew him first, dangit.” Just wait that is what’s going to happen. You see, we Metromixers have a super power that allows us to see into the future.

You can come celebrate the release of Dan’s new album on Friday, May 9th at The Oriental Theatre. Besides, you better since he dropped out of medical school to pursue his music. The boy has to pay for his student loans one way or another.

We wanted to get to know good ol’ Dan a little bit more. Who is this guy with such a musky, sexy voice? Who sings these amazing ballads? You’ll soon find out that he isn’t just a romantic at heart, but also a friendly, all-around nice guy.

We have to start with this one…your name is smashingly similar to the “Casino Royale” actor, Daniel Craig. Is that why you just go by “Dan” to not confuse your fans?
Ha! I was going by ‘Dan’ long before I’d ever heard of the actor. I think it was more of a movement away from ‘Danny’ when I was a kid. Generally when I hear ‘Daniel’ I figure I’m about to get punished or hit on. I guess neither happens too often these days so I avoid dealing with the Daniel confusion most of the time ;)

Congrats on the CD dude! Tell us three reasons why your new album, “Skin Grows Thin,” kicks ass.
Thanks so much. I’m really proud of the way the record came out. The three reasons it feels like a kick-ass release for me are:
More collaboration – Although I wrote and produced the record, I had time and the right friends around to involve several other very talented musicians. It was rewarding to see the way other players approach songs I’ve written, and I think it adds a fresh quality to the record overall as well as adding some variety from track to track. There’s everything from guitar and piano to strings, B3 and even some trumpet sprinkled across the songs.
Honest accessibility – For me, as a writer, this record is a step forward in terms of finding that wonderfully-elusive combination of depth and catchiness. It’s definitely a picture of me finding my comfort zone as a songwriter/arranger.
Solid Gold – This isn’t really a comment on the music...we actually pressed the CD on gold plated discs. I wanted to give people a little something extra. In the digital age, it’s tougher to get folks to buy records. So the ‘bling’ factor adds some incentive (and it’s not a bad investment, what with the dollar weakening in the Eurasian markets).

Would you say the album is more of an album to put on while taking a bubble bath or to jam out to while stuck in traffic?
Well, when you are stuck in traffic, don’t you wish you were in a bubble bath anyway? Your mind is already halfway there, and this album helps you complete the imaginary journey. If you happen to already be in a bubble bath, well then it’s just icing on the cake.

A lot of your lyrics reflect the love you have for Denver. What’s your favorite part about the Mile High City?
Tough to pin it down, right now is an exciting time to be in Denver with all the growing neighborhoods and the little pockets of cultural scenes developing in almost every corner of the city. The community of musicians is really positive and strong. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so consistently blown away by the bands and songwriters I hear every week. And it’s very sunny in Denver. And all my stuff is here.

Is there a certain place you like to go in Colorado that helps inspire you to write songs?
I wouldn’t say there’s a particular place I go to get inspired. I seek some natural peace when I can in the mountains, but usually more for my heart in general than specifically to write songs.

Apparently you dropped out of medical school to pursue music. Bet your parents are pretty pissed….
It’s been a journey for sure for my parents getting used to the idea of me wanting to be a musician for a living, but they’ve been very supportive overall. They’ve been to so many shows, and even their skepticism about my future security in music is sometimes a welcome motivation for me to work harder to make something happen.

Did you want to be more like Dr. McDreamy or Gaylord Focker?
Wow, let’s say I wanted to be more like Dr. Zhivago.

You’re a Colorado native, who is your favorite Colorado sports team?
Broncos.  I support the other local squads, but, growing up in Denver, is there honestly another option? Come on.

Now that the album is out, where are you heading to next?
Got a full-plate of shows lined up for the summer for me and also with Hearts of Palm. So that’ll keep me pretty busy.

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