Daniel Champagne has covered a lot of ground for an artist so young. Hence, his second album The Gypsy Moon (Volume 1) is what the 23-year-old singer, songwriter and guitar virtuoso calls ‘a collection of road songs’ – one which plays out to the listener like a sonic tour diary.
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I’ve been on the road for nearly five years now, that’s a lot of people and places, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of memories; which all these songs are really made from’, says Champagne. ‘This album is just a whole stack of my memories.’
Daniel first picked up the guitar as a five-year-old and has barely put it down since. Following in the footsteps of a musical father, he began writing his own songs at 12, training classically throughout his teens and performing wherever he could, honing his craft and developing what would become the dynamite live show that he is renowned for today. At 18 he left school, turned professional and hit the road. He hasn’t stopped since.
His phenomenal guitar abilities often make him sound more like a three-piece band than a solo performer, pushing the instrument to beyond its boundaries, and Daniel’s now signature explosion of 2-hand tapping, body percussion and fiery runs in a variety of different tunings, alongside sublime jazzy finger-picking and tasteful improvisation have become hallmarks of his impressive live shows. Reaching into Folk, Blues, Classical, Jazz and other stylings, Daniel delivers crowd-pleasing sets that include powerful foot-stomping numbers, experimental compositions, bags of originals through to century-old Folk and Blues Songs.
Sharing stages with some of the finest acts here and internationally has seen Daniel gain a deserved reputation for dropping jaws, breaking guitars and making audiences buzz wherever he goes.
These last few years have seen Daniel performing hundreds of shows internationally in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand and here in Australia. Daniel is now heading out on the road again, touring nationally to support his latest release The Gypsy Moon. The Gypsy Moon title came from a final farewell made to Daniel by an old friend and alludes to the process of blindly searching for something that may or may not actually be there, and putting all your faith on the line as if it is. ‘This rings true through all of these songs’, says Champagne. ‘I was a lot more honest this time around, more realistic with how I sound and how to get that across and I’m really proud of what we’ve created in the end. I love this album and I hope others feel the same. The Gypsy Moon is definitely my best work to date’.
See The Gypsy Moon rise over the Bangalow Bowling Club on Friday from 7.30pm.
