Dan Spencer spent much of his twenties touring with a rock band. But as his thirties approached, he found himself at a fork in the road familiar to most artists. Should he continue to pursue his musical dreams, or should he go to mortuary school and resign himself to a stable 9-to-5 career embalming corpses?
Dan had just completed his first solo album, but the global pandemic had sidelined its release. After a couple years in creative purgatory, it seemed like that chapter of his life may have ended.
On the other hand, a friend’s family owned a funeral home. And Tennessee’s generous Reconnect program was offering tuition assistance to finish his degree. So at least in Dan Spencer’s unique situation, embalming corpses seemed like the most logical choice he could make.
“In the state of Tennessee you can study either embalming or funeral directing, and I was doing both,” he said. “I had been working in a funeral home full time for about a year, and I had one semester left when I dropped out.”
Dan dropped out because that solo album he’d recorded a couple years ago (Bursting With Country-Fresh Flavor) had reached some influential ears. “In the past year I was plucked out of that life I was trying to create by a label and a manager, and I’ve had the opportunity to play better shows.”
His vague reference to ‘better shows’ is astoundingly humble. Dan recently performed alongside Jelly Roll, Eddie Vedder, and Post Malone at the EB Research Partnership’s benefit concert. But I had to Google that after our interview.
If doors are finally opening for Dan Spencer, it’s with good reason. His album is fantastic. Bursting With Country-Fresh Flavor does indeed burst with country-fresh flavor. But it’s also bursting with a lot of DIY anti-folk-fresh flavor like Jeffrey Lewis, David Berman, Kimya Dawson or Daniel Johnston. The songs are highly literate with lots of great storytelling and wordplay. He has a natural sense of humor, but is equally capable of wounding your heart.
The arrangements can be sparse – even acapella. But for his upcoming show in Chattanooga he’ll have a full band backing him. So all those great songs from his album will soon be bursting with rock-fresh flavor too. He says it's a glimpse of the direction in which he’s headed with his next album.
“I’ve got a new record in the bag with the full band,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot heavier. It’s a goth country concept album about vampires tentatively titled Return to Your Dark Master.” While it sounds like a departure from his first album, it’s true to his creative roots. “I’ve always been a morbid weirdo. I’m really into horror movies, and I’m a huge metalhead.”
Dan Spencer will perform at the Boneyard in Chattanooga on Saturday March 16th along with Dixson Blake Callahan and Toothless Hags. Doors open at 7pm, and tickets are only $10. Wait, did you say only $10?! Yes, I did. Wow, that’s a bargain!