Meet The Band
Dani Erin
Singer/Songwriter
Coming off an 8 year hiatus, Dani Erin's newest sophomore album "Grow" is an eclectic mixture of retro-pop original music. Pulling influence from Stevie Nicks, Amy Winehouse and Steely Dan. While living in NYC, she was coined "The next generation of jazz" by Nextbop following the release of her first album "To Be Sown".
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"Grow" features the remnants of silky jazz vocals with highlights of soul, rhythm, blues and funk. This new music is a celebration of life-experience, storytelling and how she perceives influence to make sense of the world around her. Keep tabs on this refreshing revival of Dani Erin. This blue-eye soul has something for everyone.
Nathaniel Gillen
Guitar/Songwriting
Nathaniel has been crafting songs and melodies for around 10 years and has been playing guitar for even longer. Nathaniel’s musical palette draws from a culmination of artists new and old such as: Steely Dan, George Benson, Cory Wong, and Theo Katzman. His guitar style ranges from the intimate strumming accompaniment of singer-songwriters, to intense emotional leads, to funky riffs and grooves reminiscent of Prince.
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In a chance meeting, he and Dani connected and wrote a whole album seemingly overnight. Spirited onward by their shared love of songwriting, they wrote even more songs until they had to seek out an outlet for this music. All this leading to the forthcoming album “Grow” and Dani Erin as we know it today.
Gabbi Sparby
Keys
A classically trained pianist from age seven, Gabbi discovered her passion for the keyboard in high school and began exploring the world of funk and rock organ, electric piano, and synthesizers. Keyboard greats such as Corey Henry, Bill Evans and Booker T. Jones inspire her style as she strives to carve out a special place for tasteful melodies and rhythmic patterns within the mix. Gabbi fell in love with Dani’s catchy lyrics and jazzy chord progressions, and has had a blast putting her creative twist on the keyboard parts in this album. She hopes you will connect with this music the way she has; heart and soul and a whole lot of fun.
Matthew Zyla
Bass Guitar
Preferring to be behind the scenes, Matthew Zyla prides himself in crafting basslines that support and enhance other artists’ performances. Having played throughout the Midwest and earned numerous music scholarships while in college, he brings to bear his wide knowledge and experience of jazz, classical, and funk to inform how he interacts with Dani’s music. Matthew draws influence from the likes of Paul Chambers, James Jamerson, and Francis Rocco Prestia to strive for a warm yet noticeable tone on both upright and electric bass. Listen for the driving basslines on Dani Erin’s “Grow” but also to the more subtle supporting intricacies of Matthew’s playing.
Aaron Rosell
Drums
A native of Mahtomedi, MN, Aaron originally grew up as a pianist, taking up percussion at age 11 to follow in the footsteps of his older brother (Craig Rosell of Whalen and the Willows). Under the wings of pivotal educators including Steve Kimball, Linda Niziolek, and Dave Stevens at Mahtomedi, then Tom Bourcier and Michael Geary at Luther college, and later Sam Windsor and Rob Digweed at the University of Nottingham, Aaron learned to love (and fear) the vast and challenging landscape that is jazz music. As a kid, Aaron wanted to play anything fast, learning the ropes muscling through Blink-182 and Sum 41 discographies. But when he finally stumbled upon the music of Red Hot Chili Peppers in high school - and later the likes of Al Green, The Meters, Vulfpeck, Cory Wong, Bruno Mars, Anderson Paak, and the more groove-based among us, he learned to love a deep pocket. Many say Aaron is still searching for that pocket to this day, and they are correct.