Dana Athens
New York City, New York, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
The streets of Burlington were especially cold this weekend, reaching temperatures far below zero and keeping many Vermonters in their homes. Although the weather may have felt unwelcoming to some, it did not stop Dana Athens and the Few from performing downtown. Dana Athens, a young soul singer from Brooklyn, NY graced the stage with her presence as she greatly enhanced the already ambient mood of Radio Bean.
I’ll admit I arrived halfway through her first song, but perhaps it was for the best. As I approached Radio Bean, I saw two different groups of people huddled outside of the coffee shop, ignoring the numbing air and stretching their necks like small children in a crowd in order to get a better look at who was roaring such expressive tunes. The music resonated beyond the cafe walls.
Inside Radio Bean, Athens, a thin woman no taller than 5’5 projected heavy notes with the tenacity of Lady Gaga and the sound of Norah Jones. Covered in tattoos, she sang about heartbreak and affection while her band swimmingly played rhythm and blues. The drummer, Sam Levin, would occasionally wander from the beat fashioning a fun and jazzy feel.
The disappointing part of the night was that Dana Athens and the Few were simply the opening act. Their confidence onstage was a characteristic rarely seen in opening bands, and the music they played had a cool attitude. As an opening artist, Dana Athens sure knew how to make the audience feel like she was the main event— something she has the potential to be. - Burlingtonmusic.info
Discography
Dana Athens & The Few: Patience (2010)
Photos
Bio
Singer, Songwriter, Dancer, Actor, Teacher, Daughter, Sister, Friend, True New Yorker, Dana Athens hits the stage, strums your heart strings and bears her soul, in high hopes that the audience, whether it be a woman in the subway, a child in a dance class, a customer she serves brunch to on a Saturday afternoon, or simply a stranger that happened to catch a set at a loft in a desolate neighborhood in Brooklyn, will relate and remember what it is to be human.
Dana has been performing almost her whole life-starting out singing in church, then dancing with the Vicky Simegiatos Performing Arts Center (VSPAC) and their company, then studying musical theatre at Professional Performing Arts High School NYC, then performing at the Ensemble Studio Theatre. She put her skills together and forged a path towards music.
She performs under two separate bands:
Dana Athens And The Few: Feisty Soul, belted and beautiful, songs laid bare, taken from the stage to the ceiling with force.
Danger And The Wolves: Acoustic-Acapella-Bluesy-Burlesque...An eclectic mix of beautiful & talented women singing heartfelt tearjerkers & quirky anecdotal diddies in their unmentionables.
Dana likes to be challenged and keep busy, lending her talents to commercial endeavors such as a recent Pepsi Public Service Announcement for feeding America, in which she did her own rendition of ‘America the Beautiful’, as well as her own rendition of ‘NY, NY’, that is airing on ESPN for the 2010 US Open.
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