Jeff Daniels to spotlight son’s Ben Daniels Band in Rockford as part of Michigan tour

Up-and-coming indie-rock bandleader Ben Daniels says his actor-singer dad “burned the blues into my mind.” The Michigan band will back Jeff Daniels on stage and play a set of its own.

 

When it comes to congenial Hollywood stars, they don’t get much friendlier or down-to-earth than Jeff Daniels.

And because the award-winning actor and singer-songwriter happens to be a die-hard Michigander, founder of Chelsea’s Purple Rose and Detroit Tigers fan, he’s become a much-beloved icon in the Great Lakes State, earning kudos and selling out venues across the state whenever he tours, something he’s done ever more frequently as he concentrates on the musical side of his career.

But another Daniels – inspired by his dad – is starting to make a name for himself in Michigan with an Americana-hued band that boast a unique folk- and dance-flavored, bluesy, indie-rock vibe.

Ben Daniels, 29, himself has crisscrossed the state and the Midwest in recent years with the Ben Daniels Band, playing everything from Rockford Brewing Co. to Bell’s Brewery in Kalamazoo to The Ark in Ann Arbor to the Grand Marais Music Festival while releasing several albums.

Now, for the first time ever, the Ben Daniels Band is backing Jeff Daniels on a mini-tour of Michigan venues that brings them to Rockford High School’s Fine Arts Auditorium on Saturday night. The concert begins at 8 p.m. Saturday; reserved tickets are $35 and available online.

“The tour came about through some discussions with my dad. We both thought it would be a good idea to try his performance with a full band,” says Ben Daniels, a graduate of Chelsea High School who earned his audio engineering degree from the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science in Arizona.

The Southeast Michigan-based band – with Daniels on lead vocals and guitar, Amanda Merte on vocals and percussion, George Merkel on lead guitar, Wesley Fritzemeier on drums, mandolin and violin, and Tommy Reifel on bass – will play “a 15- to 20-minute set during the middle of the show,” Daniels says.

‘HELPFUL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BAND’

Jeff Daniels, of course, has released a bevy of folk- and blues-styled albums over the years – featuring everything from humorous ditties to poignant ballads to odes to Michigan – and he has been at work on another, bringing musicians into the studio such as bassist Dominic John Davis, who appeared on his 2010, “Keep It Right Here” album. So, plenty of new material will be on this tour’s docket.

“Learning the songs has been hard work, but (they) have gone smoothly,” says Ben Daniels. “Our bass player, Tommy, is playing upright bass instead of electric which is new for him, but it’s all helpful for the development of our band.”

Band members’ excitement about the tour is palpable: “Follow us and our tour shenanigans on our lovely Instagram page,” they wrote on their Facebook page earlier this week. “This could get crazy.”

After the tour, the band will continue to perform regularly “as well as recording a new album this fall,” says Daniels. “We hope to do more shows backing my dad as well.”

He credits his dad for encouraging him when he showed interest in playing the guitar.

“My dad was really my first musical influence and he was always a huge supporter of my learning the guitar,” says Daniels. “He’s been playing for as long as I can remember. He burned the blues into my mind.”

The Ben Daniels Band will return to Rockford Brewing for a free show on Sept. 18, following a series of dates in Illinois and Wisconsin. Get more details about the band and links to purchasing its music at bendanielsband.com.

For more information about Jeff Daniels, visit his official website at jeffdaniels.com. For a link to ticket sales and availability of tickets for Saturday night’s show, visit rfaa.yolasite.com.

Email John Sinkevics at john@localspins.com.
Copyright 2014, Spins on Music