Jeff Daniels and the Ben Daniels Band Acoustically Speakin’ Summer ‘18

“Many film actors have worked in TV, and many dabble in the theater. But Jeff Daniels is one of only a handful who can count a respectable musical career alongside acclaimed work on film, TV and stage.” – The Detroit News

In 1976, Jeff Daniels bought a Guild D-40 from Herb David’s Guitar Studio in Ann Arbor, Michigan, threw it in the back of his old Buick, and moved to New York City. That guitar led to a creative outlet, became a solace, a road into the artist that he didn’t know existed. Now, over 40 years later, he just released his 8th record, “Simple Truths”.

Jeff has played many and varied venues such as The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA, Club Passim in Boston, MA, New York City’s 54 Below, Chicago, New York and Nashville’s City Winery, The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA, Austin’s Cactus Cafe, the Ram’s Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD, Mucky Duck’s in Houston, The Ark in Ann Arbor, MI, Chicago’s Old School of Folk Music, Chicago’s S.P.A.C.E., Seattle’s Third Door, Alaska’s Blue Loon in Fairbanks and Latitude 62 in Talkeetna, and numerous opera houses and PACs throughout the country.

He has toured both coasts with his son’s band, the Ben Daniels Band, and has shared the stage with Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Joe Ely, Guy Clark, Keb Mo’, and Bruce Hornsby. He performed at David Bromberg’s 70th Birthday Bash at NYC’s Town Hall and he has studied under Stefan Grossman.

“When I moved to New York City to chase acting as a career, what I didn’t plan on was being influenced by all the playwrights I would work with Off Broadway. In particular, Lanford Wilson – who would later go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for his play TALLEY’S FOLLY – taught me so much about the writing process; the love/hate relationship one has with such a solitary pursuit, the endless rewriting, the search and struggle to find a way to say it better. In Hollywood, the joke is ask any actor what he really wants to do and he’ll say, “Direct.” All I wanted to do was write. So I did.

Ben Daniels Band

When Ben Daniels decided he was going to be a musician, it was more than a career choice. A natural poet, this young songwriter went to school on Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson, and J.J. Cale, among others. His lyrics speak directly to a younger generation that hears, sees, and thinks about the very things he’s writing. From their opening song to the finale of their set, the Ben Daniels Band cuts through with their originality, musicianship, and a sound that spans Americana, Blues, Jazz, and Rock. Throughout the years, BDB had toured the country several times while regularly making the rounds in The Great Lakes State. The son of actor Jeff Daniels, he has quietly monitored what it takes to live life as an artist. Beyond a passed down talent, the Ben Daniels Band believes in hard work, perseverance, and creatively challenging themselves and their audience. With Tommy Reifel on bass, Wesley Fritzemeier on fiddle/mandolin and singer/songwriter Amanda Daniels on vocals, BDB’s live show never fails to take over the venue. The Ben Daniels Band has grown to be a formidable group that sounds pleasantly familiar, yet unforgettably unique. With their own views of the blues.

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