John Daly Trio

By Dan Bolles

John Daly would seem to be a quiet fellow, the kind of musician who prefers to let his music speak for itself. For example, his eponymous trio's debut EP arrived at the Seven Days offices recently in a plain package containing none of the promotional fanfare typical of new releases — self-aggrandizing band bios, hyperbolic press clippings, etc. Hell, there wasn't even a quick note introducing either himself or the record. There was only the album, itself presented as simply as possible: six songs, self-titled, with a picture of a kitten on the cover.

Daly's music is likewise straightforward. Generally, he favors a succinct compositional strategy, rarely straying outside the time-honored boundaries of folk, pop and rock architecture — verse, chorus, verse, maybe a bridge here and there. His arrangements are
modest, typically consisting of nothing more than bass, acoustic guitars and occasional duet vocal harmonies. Even his song titles are as direct as can be. Five of the six consist of a single word. The wordy oddball? "Plain Sight."

For Daly, simplicity is not a limitation but a virtue. His spare approach provides ample room for his primary strength, his songwriting, to bloom. Daly has a natural gift for crafting hooks. And on his debut outing he sneakily layers sticky melodies on top of one another. Album opener "Yes" centers on an undulating acoustic progression. But his chorus, "I couldn't give it away," pries the listener from a hypnotic groove. "Lost" employs a similar tack,
with Daly's dusky rasp increasing in intensity at each chorus. The following cut, "Father" is an honest admission of uncertainty and fear in the face of impending fatherhood. "I don't know how to father, don't know how to father you," sings Daly at the gently swirling hook. As with most of his best moments — the moody "Angel," for one — the blunt simplicity of his words and melody make his musings compelling.

When Daly's bandmates, guitarist Dennis Derryberry and bassist Adam Tarmy, follow his lead and play with restraint, the results can be powerful. However, there are times when excessive guitar noodling sours the mood and busy lines clutter otherwise serene scenes. Fortunately, such instances are the exception, making the John Daly Trio's self-titled debut a quiet charmer.

John Daly Trio by the John Daly Trio is available at cdbaby.com. - Seven Days VT

Words by Kiera Magnetti. Photo by Lily Chau.

The John Daly Trio visited Big Heavy World last week and played for nearly an hour on our Rocket Shop Radio Hour. After the crowded chaos of “pardon-me’s,” and “can-I-just-sneak-by-you’s” and “where-can-I-put-this-so-nobody-will-trip-over-it’s” that sometimes occurs at the BHW office, things calmed down and I was able to chat with the friendly and humble group.

The Trio have been a unit since their first live appearance in January 2013. Though the three are individually seasoned musicians, they only rehearsed together for about three months before their first show. Since that time, the Trio have been playing gigs all across Vermont. According to bassist Adam Tarmy, the band is asked to return to nearly every venue they play. “We played our first show at Nectar’s about a month ago,” he says, “and they called us right back.”

The Trio are scheduled to appear again at Nectar’s for the first night of Burlington’s Discover Jazz Festival on May 30th. The band is itching to play more festivals in an effort to expand their audience. “We want to get in as many ears as possible and stay there,” says John Daly, “we want to wake ‘em up in the middle of the night!”

For now, the band is working on raising their profile on social media, and is rumored to be entering the studio in November. The Trio recently released a six-track EP on iTunes of clean, one-take songs. Now with two to three hours of original material written, they are ready to add more layers and production to their recordings.

In particular, the Trio has big dreams for one particular track, Graduation Song. “We’re trying to break into the underrepresented market of graduation songs,” says Daly. They wish to one day play the song for graduates of Virgin Galactic’s training program, or soon-to-be astronauts, because of the space-theme of the song. But “any Earth-oriented graduates are fine too,” says guitarist Dennis Derryberry.

For now, check out the Trio at Nectar’s at the end of May, and hear some of their music at http://www.johndalytrio.com/ . - Big Heavy World