Bio

Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dan Prindle started his successful musical career with the New England jam-band juggernaut Rane, a band who recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of their formation with a sold-out show at Northampton’s Iron Horse Music Hall.  The two intervening decades have been filled with musical accomplishments including the release of Dan’s first full-length solo album, Where You Land, in 2013 and follow-up EP Water and Wine, released on March 25th, 2017.  Recorded almost entirely in his own studio, Six String Orchestra Productions, the EP features Dan’s most elaborate productions to date.  It draws on diverse influences: the accessible singing of Ben Folds, the rich backing harmonies of the Eagles, the moog synth sounds of Percy Hill, and the jazzy guitar inflections of Steely Dan.  The EP tells a story of loss that gives way to hope and redemption as Dan chronicles the trials of bringing a family into a changing world.  An up-tempo arrangement of the title track, “Water and Wine,” was included on Where You Land, not long after Dan and his wife, Michelle, lost a pregnancy.  The couple found out later that the baby would have been a girl — their first daughter.  The song became a plea: “My water can stay water, and my wine can stay wine.  Just tell me that was not my only daughter.  Tell me she will come to me in time.”  But the story was not meant to end there.  In 2015, Dan and his wife, Michelle, celebrated the birth of a baby girl.  Dan took the opportunity to reimagine the song musically and make it the centerpiece of this latest project.

In addition to being a songwriter, Dan is an experienced performer and recording artist, having shared the stage and the studio with a diverse collection of commercially and critically successful artists. He began his career with Rane, an award-winning rock ensemble who, in addition to becoming a success in their own right, opened for such acts as The Allman Brothers Band, The Jerry Garcia Band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Wilco, Rusted Root, and Santana. After working with Rane, Dan became a freelancer, playing bass and cello with artists like Simon Kirke (of Free, Bad Company, and Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band), Kurtis John (of The Last Goodnight), Jennifer Hartswick (of the Trey Anastasio Band), Sean Kelly (of the Samples), and Rex Fowler (of Aztec Two-Step). His innovative and tasteful cello playing can be heard on recordings from innumerable artists, notably Frank Black (of the Pixies) and Mark Mulcahy. Dan appears on several tracks on Mulcahy’s 2005 release, In Pursuit of Your Happiness, an album that Thom Yorke of Radiohead called the best of that year.

Dan is also a successful composer. His style ranges from classically influenced chamber music to pop-rock songs, and he has been equally successful in both genres. His portfolio includes works for a variety of ensembles including chamber ensembles, choir, accompanied solo vocalists, and symphony orchestra. Dan’s works have been given well-received performances by various ensembles in southern New England. In November 2013, just days before the release of Where You Land, his one-act opera A Charming Affair will be premiered by the Hartford Opera Theater. As a songwriter, Dan was a regular contributor to Rane’s prolifc output, which featured seven full-length albums and one EP in an eight-year period. Eric Danton, writing for the Hartford Courant, referred to Rane as “one of New England’s most innovative bands,” and the Northeast Performer praised the quality of Rane’s songs, despite the fact that most jam bands focus primarily on the live experience, noting that “many bands are either good songwriters or seasoned performers, but rarely are they both. Rane can be counted in that group.” Similarly, Mike Greenhaus noted the band’s impressive live shows, but still described their music as being “complete with catchy hooks and radio-ready choruses.”

Most recently, Dan has ventured into the world of music education. He and his wife, Michelle, opened a music school — The Prindle School — which has over 35 faculty teaching all instruments across three locations in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. Dan holds a Ph.D. in music theory from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.