Dan Cloutier
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Dan Cloutier

Boston, Massachusetts, United States | INDIE

Boston, Massachusetts, United States | INDIE
Band Folk Singer/Songwriter

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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""I Wonder if Bob Dylan would be proud""

It has that olde rustic New England sea shanty feel. Like an giant antique tea pot that keeps pouring warm tea over & over your soul until you are warmed up from the brisk New England sea air.

In conclusion; the new CD Blind Willie’s Lighthouse seems to have a representation for both acoustic & electric side of the great Folk music debate. Fans who root from both sides of the great debate will find something to like in this CD. I wonder if Bob Dylan would be proud. I am not sure if any of the songs will become giant classic standards, but at times the CD does have a giant classic feel to it. - Original Music Reviews


"Good Spirits and Satisfied"

Though the room seems too big to fill, folk singer Dan Cloutier starts the night off right with an awfully big sound for just one man. Working his way from slow, eerie ballads to booming acoustic songs you would have to shout over, he plays a feel-good set peppered with humor and crowd interaction. The people around me are smiling, and the entire audience seems to know every word to each one of his songs; the music lends itself to sing-alongs with addictive lines that get you every time. Cloutier proves to be something of a one-man band, playing the slow but beautiful song, “A Good Man is Hard to Find” on the banjo, another incredible song on the electric guitar, and even more songs on the acoustic guitar—all while playing the harmonica and pouring the much that remains of his musical charisma into his rough but honest singing. The encore does not disappoint, getting each and every person in the crowd yelling with him, “What is the soul of a man?” A humble performer, Cloutier proves his musical clout without flaunting it, leaving this audience in good spirits and satisfied.
- The Noise Magazine (Boston)


""Great CD" - Maine Public Radio"

"Great song and the whole album is wonderful" - Sara Willis - In Tune By Ten, Maine Public Radio


"Dan knocks it out of the ballpark with new CD "Blind Willie's Lighthouse"

Dan Cloutier takes his listeners along on a personal lyrical journey through the human heart, and, as harrowing as it can be at times, it turns out to be a fun, breathtaking ride. Cloutier also offers up his personal takes of differing musical genres on his third CD, Blind Willie’s Lighthouse. Folk, rock and roll, and blues are all colors on Cloutier’s palette. A folksy ease to each of these song belies their hefty dose of rock aggression and blues exploration. - Bill Copeland Reviews


"Top 10 Album of 2011"

Did you catch a list of our top albums of 2011 yet? Here they are:
1: Burning Streets - Simplicity (Sit Still)
2: Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Like A Shotgun (Magic Of Youth)
3: Have Nots - Louisville Slugger (Proud)
4: Big D and the Kids Table - Modern American Gypsy (For The Damned, The Dumb & The Delirious)
5: Dropkick Murphys - Memorial Day (Going Out In Style)
6: Social Distortion - Writing On The Wall (Hard Times & Nursery Rhymes)
7: Dan Cloutier The Climber (Blind Willie's Lighthouse)
8: Wolfbane- Angel (Carpe Noche)
9: A Loss For Words- The Hammers Fall (No Sancutuary)
10: The Swaggerin' Growlers- Outlaw Waltz (Outlaw Waltz) - Mutiny on the Microphone


"Carter Allen of 100.7 DJ Boston loves Dan"

Dan Cloutier's debut CD showed an artist with promise - a songwriter that seemed mature despite his relative youth and a voice seasoned beyond its years. "The Masquerade Ball" delivers on all that promise, yet goes beyond. It isn't all love songs - Cloutier tackles some tough subjects and shows that, yes, a folk song can have a hook. Since this is a live album, we get to hear his wit in front of an audience - which will definitely be larger next time around.” - Radio


""Stealing your heart with lyrical honesty.""

Dan Cloutier, musician and co-founder of Birch Beer Records, is a humble, lovable, raw type of soul. He gives no jive talk, speaks without the clutter of vocabulary that fame-obsessed “artists” often use and loves nothing more than getting up on stage with his guitar and telling it like it is in a bluesy, folksy sort of way. His latest album, recorded live, is aptly entitled Live at the Masquerade Ball~ and this guitar-strumming storyteller is aiming to steal your heart with his lyrical honesty. Yes, ladies, this Hopkinton boy is sexy, but the 30 year old musician is a devoted husband. Sorry to disappoint.

Oddly enough, other than lessons, Cloutier did not go to school for music and took much inspiration from his father, a minister. “I went to Gordon College,” Cloutier reveals, “and I majored in Ancient History and Biblical Studies. My father was a minister so that lifestyle is at the backbone of my music.”

His songs on his latest album bleed the blood of life ~ “Peanut Butter,” for example, relays the story of a boy who spreads peanut butter on his face in order to defeat a bully. Whether you can empathize with the story or not, you will jive to the guitar strummings and appreciate the story that Cloutier tells.

Cloutier sings it loud, sings it rich and sings it raw on this release and confesses that he has gravitated to this style of music for a reason.

“Being a history-loving kinda guy,” he says, “I am really interested in where all of our songs come from and I love going back into the early traditions ~ like the blues, folk music, turn-of-the-century stuff.”

Cloutier, with Birch Beer Records and his obvious talent behind him, has a bright future. He hopes to sign several new quality artists to his label in the upcoming year (he shares co-ownership with fabulous Kim Jennings) and is excited about headlining at Boston’s Club Passim. He encourages everyone to support local music ~ and in fact just started a Facebook Group called “I Support Local Music in Massachusetts ~ so if you’re an FB person, join up!

- The Pulse Magazine


""Genuine Folk Greatness""

Hopkinton folk artist Dan Cloutier’s latest live album, Live at the Masquerade Ball, was actually recorded at the Amazing Things Arts Center in Framingham. “Masquerade Ball” instead refers to a wistful opening track where Cloutier sings about men committing adultery while dressed in priests’ garb and drunks who confess sins to costumed judges. It’s an engaging story, with the simplistic acoustic strums and spine-tingling harmonica interludes creating an ideal soundtrack. And there’s no frilly musical shenanigans from Cloutier’s bandmates either. Steady bass lines and well-placed bongo riffs guide Cloutier’s later tales about Staggard Lee Shelton, a famous murderer canonized in both traditional folk and pop songs. In Cloutier’s version, he acts out what Lee might say if he were still alive: “You put me in your song, and tell the whole world the things I’ve done wrong ... You’ll never win this way, in this cursed song I’ll always have the last say.” Aside from Cloutier’s portrayal of Staggard Lee, there’s no masquerade; it’s genuine folk greatness. dancloutiermusic.com.
- Worcester Magazine


Discography

LPs
Blind Willie's Lighthouse (October 15th, 2011)
Birch Beer Christmas Cheer (2010)
Live at the Masquerade Ball (2009)
Bottles and Seeds (2006)

Photos

Bio

Dan’s Bio

Breaking News: Dan has been nominated for best CD and solo act in the Worcester Music Awards! He has also been nominated for best CD by a solo act in the Limelight Magazine. Stay tuned to see if Dan wins!

Dan Cloutier is a rising force on the local New England singer songwriter, folk, and indie scene. His second album Live at the Masquerade Ball came out in 2009, with Worcester Magazine heralding it as “genuine folk greatness” and the Pulse Magazine noting that “This guitar-strumming storyteller is aiming to steal your heart with his lyrical honesty.” Carter Allen of 100.7 WZLX stated that “Dan’s debut CD showed a lot of promise... his next effort delivers on all that promise, but goes beyond.” Dan is also making a name for himself as an important live act by selling out rooms in the greater Boston area including the famed Club Passim and The Amazing Things Arts Center. He has also had the honor of opening for such legends as John Hiatt, Richie Havens, Ellis Paul, and John Gorka.

On October 15th of 2011, Dan released his third CD called “Blind Willie’s Lighthouse.” This collection of songs is a thematic journey dealing with the gospel blues legend Blind Willie Johnson and Dan’s native New England. It is also his strongest effort to date. Dan states, “I wanted this album to reflect two of my greatest influences, my home and Blind Willie Johnson. Ever since I heard about him after college I was amazed at Blind Willie's writing, story, and character. He is one of my guiding lights, and I wanted this album to be me singing my story back to Blind Willie. I also could not be prouder of how this group of songs turned out. There are fast paced folk anthems, sweet tremolo electric jams, and quiet story songs. I know my fans will fall in love with ‘Blind Willie’s Lighthouse.’”

Dan has also turned into a leading voice in the region for supporting local music. He is a co-founder of Worcester’s Birch Beer Records, and Facebook’s “I Support Local Music in Massachusetts” with over 10,000 fans with his good friend and fellow singer-songwriter Kim Jennings. Birch Beer Records was recently covered in the Worcester Business Journal, as “the founders have deftly combined their passion for music with a keen business sense and a good feel for the future of the recording industry.”

As the INsite Boston Magazine stated, "On and off stage one can be proud to be a fan of Dan and look forward to another great year from this rising star." We could not have put it better ourselves.