Dana Countryman is an American

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

composer, songwriter and performer notable for his sustained presence in the Seattle Pop scene as well as his collaborations with

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

electropop Electropop is a popular music fusion genre combining elements of the electronic and pop styles. It has been described as a variant of synth-pop with emphasis on a hard electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

artist

Jean-Jacques Perrey Jean Marcel Leroy (20 January 1929 – 4 November 2016), better known as Jean-Jacques Perrey (), was a French people, French electronic music performer, composer, producer, and promoter. He is considered a pioneer of pop electronica. as well as the publisher for ''Cool and Strange Music Magazine'' (1996–2003). Countryman is currently composing, performing and releasing original albums of retro vocal pop. Reviewer John Borack has described Countryman as "a one-man

Brill Building The Brill Building is an office building at 1619 Broadway on 49th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, just north of Times Square and farther uptown from the historic musical Tin Pan Alley neighborhood. The Brill Building hous ...

," in reference to the New York-based songwriting and recording scene of the 1960s.

Career

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Countryman performed with numerous bands and became a songwriter and performer with the group ''The Amazing Pink Things.'' The group's satirical approach and vocal harmonies were described by Don Heckman of ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'' as "...wacko musical lunacy." Heckman also described the group's performance as "a rare evening of sheer inspiration." The group featured two men and two women doing

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...

songs with smooth harmonies somewhat similar to the Manhattan Transfer but without the

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

leanings. Music critic Karen Mathieson in ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' described the Pink Things as "well-matched vocally." In 1971 Countryman was first exposed to the music of Jean-Jacques Perrey and became "obsessed", according to one account. He was drawn to Perrey's ability to convey the "feeling of happiness and downright joy" in his music. In 1987, The Amazing Pink Things appeared on ''The Late Show with Arsenio Hall,'' where they performed their song "We're Just Too White." During the years 1996 to 2003, Countryman published a magazine entitled ''Cool and Strange Music Magazine.'' In 1994, Countryman contacted Perrey to do an interview for his publication, and the two became acquainted. In 2003, Countryman first collaborated with Perrey. Perrey flew to Countryman's studio in

Everett, Washington Everett (; ) is the county seat and most populous city of Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is north of Seattle and is one of the main cities in the Seattle metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the Puget Sound region. Everett ...

which was described by a reporter as an "analog-synth wonderland." They finished songwriting and mixing their music partly by collaboration over the

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. They created several albums including ''The Happy Electro-Pop Music Machine'' as well as a second album based on "classic spy themes." Reviewer Skylaire Alfvegren in the ''

Los Angeles Examiner The ''Los Angeles Examiner'' was a newspaper founded in 1903 by William Randolph Hearst in Los Angeles. The afternoon '' Los Angeles Herald-Express'' and the morning ''Los Angeles Examiner'', both of which had been publishing in the city since t ...

'' found their album ''Destination Space'' to be a "more sophisticated understanding of the type of folk drawn to electronic music". The album had "mewling kittens", harpsichords, "bubbly dementia", "astronaut patter" which "flies through the musical cosmos," according to the reviewer. When performing with Perrey, Countryman "spun dials, twisted knobs, and pressed buttons to produce a sweet rush of sugary, sci-fi melodies" and which had a "synthesized, surreal sheen." The album also produced the single "Chicken on the Rocks," which became an underground hit and was featured on an episode of the American

Sitcom A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand the ...

, Medicinal Fried Chicken. In 2010, Countryman released a book-length biography of Jean-Jacques Perrey, ''Passport To The Future:The Amazing Life and Music of Jean-Jacques Perrey'' (published by Sterling Swan Press).

Current work

2013 saw the release of ''Pop! The Incredible, Fantastic Retro Pop World of Dana Countryman'', an album of songs written in the style of 1960s

vocal pop Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

. A review on the website Powerpopaholic described this album as "...a smorgasbord of pop styles...it's pretty safe to say fans of retro pop will enjoy this." Countryman's second solo album, ''Pop2! The Exploding Musical Mind of Dana Countryman'', was released in 2015. Reviewer Peter Lee describes the album as "...a primer on how to write a perfect pop song," and notes its "focus on chords, melody and arrangement...Countryman doesn’t leave a stone unturned in unleashing every weapon in his arsenal. His musicianship is solid, using various tempos and instruments and employing the use of silence to create anticipation." ''Pop3! Welcome To My Time Warp'' followed in August 2015. A Powerpopaholic reviewer judged this effort Countryman's "...3rd and in my opinion, best volume. Countryman is more consistent here, the melodies are better and the shift in styles from song to song are more natural." Countryman embarked on a change-of-pace for 2017's ''Girlville! New Songs in the Style of Yesterday's Hits!'' Inspired by the classic girl-group genre of the early 1960s, the album contains 19 original songs performed by a variety of female vocalists including Tricia Countryman, Lisa Mychols, Swan Dive's Molly Felder, Pop 4's Andrea Perry, Kelly Harland, Lisa Jenio, Julie Johnson Sand, Kathy Hettel, Tana Cunningham and Mary Chris Henry. Alan Haber commented on this album, released on the Australian label Teensville Records: "...this heartfelt, loving tribute to the sounds of 1960s girl groups shares the same depth of commitment and heart that Dana Countryman put into his much-loved pop songs trilogy...the only tangible difference here is that the 19 songs on offer are sung by an array of talented female vocalists chosen by Dana because they could match him heartbeat for heartbeat and bring to life his wonderful, period-esque songs, written from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl living in the early 1960s." In October 2017 ''The Joy of Pop'' was released, containing 14 new songs. ''Goldmine'' magazine reviewer John Borack described the album as "another in a long line of excellent albums that find (Countryman) making like a one-man Brill Building. Taking his musical cues from the Beach Boys, Nilsson, the Beatles, Gilbert O’Sullivan, and various ‘60s/’70s AM radio hits, the unashamedly retro The Joy of Pop is an enjoyable romp..." ''Cabaret of Love,'' released in December 2018, and contained 16 new songs. Adam A. Waltemire, on the Pop Garden Radio blog, reviewed the album as "...an infectious blend of joy, love and fun...superb production, smooth vocals and catchy melodies." ''Come into My Studio,'' released in May 2020, contained 16 new songs. Reviewer 'Explorer,' on the GloryDazeMusic website, describes the album as "...16 tracks of nigh on perfect pop music...fantastic melodies and vocal harmonies to die for... is album is a perfect tonic for the times we are living through. It evokes memories of simpler and yes, better times." ''Pop Scrapbook'', released in September 2021, is Countryman's most recent album. Reviewer 'Bloody Red Baron', on the Pop Geek Heaven website, said of this album: "Dana Countryman writes pitch-perfect sixties pop songs inspired by Neil Sedaka, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, and the Brill Building in general...it’s a labor of love and will effortlessly transport you back sixty years. There is substance to this parfait." " Countryman released a digital-only selection of tracks from his recent pop albums on the digital music site Bandcamp in January 2022. ''Pop the World!'' Its eighteen tracks were offered, in Countryman's words: "I'm giving away an entire albums' worth of my music for FREE!!! Share with your friends, and enemies! Link to it, throw darts at it, whatever! It has absolutely NO commercial potential in the world we currently live in."

Discography

Dana Countryman: * ''Peanut Buttery Gumdrop Girl'' / ''Don't You Know You'll Break My Heart''. (Recorded at age 16, and released under the name ''The Cincinnati Ice Cream Factory Explosion Relief Committee'', 1971. SAYS Records, 36980) (out of print) As a member of The Amazing Pink Things: * ''Wooters and Hoohah's'' (Cassette, 1987) Momo Records (out of print) * ''Fear of Underwear'' (Cassette, and then CD, 1989) * ''Live at the Hilton - Seattle, WA, 1989'' (CD, 2005) Dana Countryman: * ''American Pop'' (Cassette, 1991) Purely Promotional Records, 1991 (out of print) * ''Two Zombies Later'' (Compilation, 2003) One track: "Cocktails In Space" - Comfort Stand Recordings, 2003 * ''Interplanetary Materials'' (Compilation, 2004) One track: "Lovesick Martian Boy" - Comfort Stand Recordings, 2004 * ''Switched On Bob'' (CD, 2009, Italy) (Compilation) One track: "Cocktails in Space" * ''Synthesizers Dotcom Collective'' (CD, 2010) (Various Artists) One track: "Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14, Third Movement" * ''Galactic Hits'' (CD, 2010, Switzerland) Vibrations Presents (Compilation) One track: "Cocktails in Space" * ''Moog-Tastic! - Electronic Melodies from the 24th Century'' (Oglio Records CD, 2010) * ''Pop! The Incredible, Fantastic Retro Pop World of Dana Countryman'' (Sterling Swan Records, 2013) * ''International Pop Overthrow, Vol. 17'' (contains the track ''Jealous Heart;'' Pop Geek Heaven, 2014) * ''Pop 2! The Exploding Musical Mind of Dana Countryman'' (Sterling Swan Records, 2014) * ''John Hunter Phillips and the Hurricane Beach Band'' (contains the track "I'll Get Right Back to You;" Hurricane Beach Productions, 2014) * ''Power Popaholic Fest Original Soundtrack Vol. 4'' (contains the track "Twenty-Four Hours with You;" Power Popaholic Productions, 2015) * ''Pop3! Welcome to My Time Warp'' (Sterling Swan Records, 2015) * ''Power Popaholic Fest Original Soundtrack Vol. 5'' (contains the track "Every Kiss Reminds Me of You;" Power Popaholic Productions, 2016) *''Raymond Scott Songbook'' (contains the tracks "Huckleberry Duck" and "The Toy Trumpet" performed with Countryman and Jean-Jacques Perrey; Li'l Daisy Records, 2016) * ''The Joy of Pop'' (Sterling Swan Records, 2017) * ''Cabaret of Love'' (Sterling Swan Records, 2018) * ''Come into My Studio'' (Sterling Swan Records, 2020) * ''Pop Scrapbook'' (Sterling Swan Records, 2021) * ''Pop the World'' (Sterling Swan Records, digital release, 2022) Jean-Jacques Perrey and Dana Countryman: * ''The Happy Electropop Music Machine'' (Oglio Records CD, 2006), with Jean-Jacques Perrey. * ''Destination Space'' (Oglio Records CD, 2008), with Jean-Jacques Perrey. * ''Switched On Bob'' (CD, 2009, Italy) (Comp) One track: ''Chicken On The Rocks''. * ''Galactic Hits'' (CD, 2010, Switzerland)- Vibrations Presents (Compilation) One track: ''Huckleberry Duck / The Toy Trumpet'' (A giveaway CD for subscribers to Swiss music magazine "Vibrations".) Tricia and Dana Countryman: * ''In Harmony'' (Sterling Swan Media CD, 2012) As producer and songwriter where indicated: * ''Sometimes When I'm Dreaming,'' Tricia Countryman (Sterling Swan Records, 2016) * ''Girlville! New Songs in the Style of Yesterday's Hits!'' (Teensville Records, 2017; all songs written or co-written by Dana Countryman) * ''Just the Two of Us: The Duet Album,'' Tricia Countryman (Sterling Swan Records, 2019)

References

External links

Dana Countryman's Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Countryman, Dana 1954 births Living people American electronic musicians