Denison Witmer
Encyclopedia
Denison Witmer is an indie singer-songwriter
from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
. His first release, in 1995, was a cassette
titled My Luck, My Love. He has since released six studio LPs; two live albums, a cover album (Recovered); three EP
s; and an LP with The River Bends—a side project consisting of members of the Philadelphia-based alt-country band One Star Hotel. Witmer's 2005 album, Are You A Dreamer?, produced by Don Peris
of The Innocence Mission
and featuring Sufjan Stevens
, received acclaim, including good reviews from Pitchfork Media
and Entertainment Weekly
. Witmer and Stevens appeared on Rosie Thomas
's 2007 album These Friends of Mine, an album which included Rosie Thomas' version of Paper Doll, a track originally written and recorded by Witmer. Witmer toured with Rosie Thomas in support of that album in venues across the US and Europe.
Witmer's style has been described as "neo-folk." He has also been compared to 1970s-era singer-songerwriters, including Cat Stevens
and Nick Drake
. Witmer's lyrics are poetic and thoughtful; his guitar work, while simple-sounding, relies on complex fingerpicking.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
from Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
. His first release, in 1995, was a cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
titled My Luck, My Love. He has since released six studio LPs; two live albums, a cover album (Recovered); three EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
s; and an LP with The River Bends—a side project consisting of members of the Philadelphia-based alt-country band One Star Hotel. Witmer's 2005 album, Are You A Dreamer?, produced by Don Peris
Don Peris
Don Peris, guitarist for the band The Innocence Mission, has also released three solo albums.- Discography :Solo* Go When the Morning Shineth* Ten Silver Slide Trombones* Brighter Visions Beam AfarInnocence Mission*We Walked in Song...
of The Innocence Mission
The Innocence Mission
The Innocence Mission is an American alternative rock band centered on husband-and-wife singer-songwriters Karen and Don Peris. The original group, including Mike Bitts and Steve Brown , was formed in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in the early 1980s when the members met during a Catholic school...
and featuring Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
, received acclaim, including good reviews from Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
and Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
. Witmer and Stevens appeared on Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas
Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Michigan. It was through mutual friends that she met Trey Many and began playing shows with Velour 100. They recorded one EP together and played a few short tours, where she met Damien Jurado and Pedro the Lion...
's 2007 album These Friends of Mine, an album which included Rosie Thomas' version of Paper Doll, a track originally written and recorded by Witmer. Witmer toured with Rosie Thomas in support of that album in venues across the US and Europe.
Witmer's style has been described as "neo-folk." He has also been compared to 1970s-era singer-songerwriters, including Cat Stevens
Cat Stevens
Yusuf Islam , commonly known by his former stage name Cat Stevens, is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, educator, philanthropist, and prominent convert to Islam....
and Nick Drake
Nick Drake
Nicholas Rodney "Nick" Drake was an English singer-songwriter and musician. Though he is best known for his sombre guitar based songs, Drake was also proficient at piano, clarinet and saxophone...
. Witmer's lyrics are poetic and thoughtful; his guitar work, while simple-sounding, relies on complex fingerpicking.
Discography
- My Luck, My Love (1995)
- Safe AwaySafe AwaySafe Away is an album by Denison Witmer. It was self-released in 1998, and re-released on the Burnt Toast Vinyl label on January 16, 2002.-Track listing:# "Steven" - 2:28# "Breathe in This Life" - 3:09# "Over My Head" - 2:48# "This and That" - 1:57...
(1998) - River Bends EP (1999, Review: HM Magazine)
- The ‘80s EP (2001)
- Of Joy and Sorrow (2001)
- Philadelphia SongsPhiladelphia SongsPhiladelphia Songs is an album by Denison Witmer. It was recorded at his home in Philadelphia and at Soundgun Studios. It was released in the United States on Burnt Toast Vinyl on September 24, 2002, and in Europe on Bad Taste Records on April 19, 2004....
(2002) - Denison Witmer Live (2002)
- Recovered (2003)
- The River Bends & Flows Into the Sea (2004)
- Are You a Dreamer?Are You a Dreamer?Are You a Dreamer? is a studio album by American singer-songwriter Denison Witmer. It was released on The Militia Group on July 26, 2005.-Track listing:#"Little Flowers" – 4:32#"Everything But Sleep" – 3:12...
(2005) (The Militia GroupThe Militia Group-History:The Militia Group was founded in 1998 by Chad Pearson as a booking agency, booking for artists such as Slick Shoes, Craig's Brother, Dogwood, twothirtyeight, Acceptance, and Element 101. Rory Felton and Chad Pearson partnered in 2000 to turn the booking agency into a record company...
) - Carry the Weight (2008)
- Live In Your Living Room, Vol. 1 (2011) (recorded in various small concert venues in late 2010)
- The Ones Who Wait (2011) (Mono Vs StereoMono Vs StereoMono Vs Stereo is an independent record label based in Franklin, Tennessee. It was founded in 2003 as an imprint label of Gotee Records. While Gotee signs mostly rap, hip-hop, and pop-rock artists, MVS leaned more towards indie music.-2003–2006:...
Records)