Rising genre blender Daniel Donato recently rolled into Hear Here studios with the same momentum that continues to carry them through the ranks of both the jam and country music scenes. The four-piece helmed by the titular Daniel Donato delivered a four-song studio performance in front of a live audience, the video of which premieres today exclusively through Live For Live Music.
From the basement-meets-warehouse-meets-gallery ambiance of Here Here studios, Daniel Donato and Cosmic Country begin their set with “Rose In A Garden”. The opening rockabilly scale throws viewers headfirst into the session as drummer Noah Miller sets ablaze a rhythmic flame that will burn throughout the performance. It’s with this song, as well as the following “Darlin’ Cory”, that Donato and bassist Will McGee put on full display the harmonies that put the “Country” in Cosmic Country.
“My sound is a product of my nature as a being,” Donato told Live For Live Music of his unique musical concoction. “It is my emotions and philosophies of existence, my Honky-Tonk Nashville neon light late night roots, and my personality of exploration manifested in improvisational approach. Cosmic Country is the amalgamation of these vehicles, presented with an aesthetic, a vision, and a band that can go to several dimensions and back. ”
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On the ensuing “Always Been A Lover”, Donato and company kick off their boots and stay a while. The original off 2020’s Young Man’s Country counterbalances the front half of the set with the band’s Cosmic elements, from the effects-laden psychedelic intro through the improvisation that came from Hear Here accommodating Daniel with a live studio audience.
“The experience of recording on camera is a different dynamic than that of playing on stage,” Donato said. “The Hear Here team combined both by bringing into the studio a live audience. That variable, coupled with their sincerely unique studio space, allowed the experience to be natural and inspired, necessary values for me when I play with Cosmic Country.”
To cap off its Hear Here session, Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country deliver a fitting rendition of “Big River”. This Johnny Cash original favored by the Grateful Dead exemplifies the perfect intersection of Cosmic and Country, as the twangy classic is imbued with a timeless psychedelic quality.
Watch the full Hear Here session from Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country via the player below and check out a gallery of images from the performance courtesy of photographer Lily Shea.
Donato has a summer tour schedule loaded with appearances alongside Cosmic Country as well as the new Allman Brothers Band tribute act, Trouble No More. Fans can also listen to high-quality live recordings of Cosmic Country through the band’s partnership with nugs, as well as purchase exclusive NFTs via the band’s series with YellowHeart. Donato also hosts regular episodes of the Lost Highway podcast for Osiris.
Hear Here Presents: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country – Full Session
