Dane Terry

I was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. I started playing piano when I was very small, just picking out tunes by ear. When I was in 7th grade I saw someone in my class play a rudimentary version of Canon in D and made him teach it to me. By the end of 8th grade i was playing in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis and pounding my way through teenage angst in empty dark auditoriums. Boogie and jangle led to the brooding romanticism of late 19th and early 20th century composers which in turn led to the detached soundscapes of Morton Feldman and the quasi- philosophical works of John Cage. Then almost as a reaction to the mathematical detachment of much of 20th century "art" music I started to crave honest human communications. I wanted to make tangible, handheld, portable sound-scapes that while not ignoring the history of tonal exploration sought to directly emotionally affect other people. I tend to focus on the darker subtleties and nuances of a particular emotion. Although I absolutely adore a good musical number. For those reasons and the simple fact that I'm a pianist, I was attracted to the idea of cabaret. I discovered the history of cabaret was wrought with sexuality and in particular sexual minorities such as gays, lesbians, transvestites and the transgendered and that these venues and this art served, and in slightly different incarnations still serves as an underground haven of personal freedom. It felt like home. I try to honor that sense of escape and open expression in my performances and musical philosophy.