Denison Witmer’s acoustic stylings have drawn acclaim from such disparate outlets as Entertainment Weekly and Pitchfork Media.
There’s nothing freaky about Denison Witmer’s music. The acoustic guitar work is sturdy; the melodies and singing are true. Witmer’s angular sunshine recalls Jackson Browne paradigms much more than the twisted chaos of contemporary folkies, such as Devendra Banhart or The Shivers.
“I’d much rather be thrown in the category of ’70s songwriters,” Witmer said. “Honestly I don’t have a particular take on freak-folk. I think it’s great people are writing some great songs and they’re being recognized for them and blending different genres. I like it to a degree, but I also think they missed the point a little — the weird, really bizarre sounds don’t always go somewhere.”
When asked about his favorite acoustic guitarist, Witmer named the decidedly normal Paul Simon. He admires Simon’s ability to play economical parts one moment and intricate the next. The young songwriter found 1983 Simon record “Hearts and Bones” particularly affecting. Other Witmer influences include sometime band mates Neil Young and Graham Nash. The Philadelphia-based tunesmith even covered Nash’s “Simple Man” for his own LP, “Little Flowers.”
“Few people can approach their instrument in a simple way and make something interesting come out,” Witmer said. “It’s the space between notes…”
Long-since-deceased English folkie Nick Drake is perhaps Witmer’s most pivotal reference point. In fact, Witmer only plays Guild acoustics, the same axes Drake preferred until his death in 1974. Witmer also cribbed his usage of open tunings, including open-D, from the “Pink Moon” author.
Witmer grew up in an unglamorous hamlet, Lancaster, Penn. However, the city is strategically located near several metropolises —†Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
“It enabled me to do a lot of day trips and definitelygave me a rounder world view,” Witmer said.
Innocent Mission’s Don Peris produced Witmer’s most recent full-length record — 2005’s “Are You A Dreamer?” — to reflect its sleepy title. The guitarist also contributed plenty of watery vibrato licks to the project. Indie-rock golden boy Sufjan Stevens, an old friend of Witmer’s, also appears on “Are You A Dreamer?” Stevens contributed banjo, Wurlitzer, organ and arrangement ideas to the project. But don’t expect Witmer to advertise that fact.
“It was actually an organic, full-circle thing,” Witmer said of Stevens’ cameo. “We’d done some touring before, and I actually played bass in his band for a while. He would come up with some cool parts for some of the songs, so the natural thing was to let him do what he wanted to do.
“It’s really weird. In some ways, I’m really excited Sufjan is on the record, but in a lot of ways, he’s kind of a hot item right now and sometimes I think people get the wrong idea of why he’s on the record.”
“Are You A Dreamer?” ponders some heavy stuff, including aspiration, fulfillment and, of course, dreams.
“I don’t know if it’s a bi-product of the information age, but there seems to be this huge pressure to gain as much knowledge as possible and be on this career path,” Witmer said. “I’m totally into curiosity, but I also think it creates a false sense to be bigger than what you feel the need to be. But I almost think there’s a little backlash to that. People like a little mystery; I know I do. I sound so New Age-y, but people need to give themselves a break.”
Witmer’s first release was a 1995 cassette entitled “My Luck, My Love.” Since then he has released five LPs, a covers album, two EPs, and a record with his side project, The River Bends. “ Are You A Dreamer?” has been given rave reviews by such disparate outlets as Pitchfork Media and Entertainment Weekly. Witmer also plays with Rosie Thomas and the aforementioned Sufjan on the album “These Friends of Mine.”
Last year for his 30th birthday, Witmer gave his fans a sweet, lo-fi gift. The singer/songwriter recorded 30 songs — including numbers from his catalog, unreleased tunes, a few covers and even some podcasts — using just one microphone to record both his vocal and guitar simultaneously. The idea stemmed from a sparse Paul Simon demo of “Renee and Georgette Magritte.” Fans can download Witmer’s birthday material for free. In return, the singer asks listeners make a donation to two of his favorite charities, Partners In Health and Musicians On Call. Witmer has promised to add new content to the site each year on his birthday. For more information on the birthday project, go to happybirthdaydenison.com.
