DON DILEGO

FACT: Yes, that is Don DiLego’s brainscan portraying Jim Carrey’s brainscan in 2004’s “The Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind”…just in case that mystery has always been dogging you. Further proof the world, as Don sees it, does indeed move in mysterious ways. Growing up in the hills of Western Massachusetts, Don often could be found wearing yellow polyester pants while also claiming to have actually met The Lone Ranger. First record he owned was Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy", but mostly listened to his dad's Frank Sinatra and Al Jolsen records. Currently splits his time between New York, NY and Velvet Elk City, where his crushed-velvet recording studio is located. Drinks too much coffee. Talks to himself a lot, and has about 200 or so unfinished songs. Is quite confident that "Butch Cassidy & The Sundance Kid" says all there is to say. There are banjos, harmonicas, guitars, tambourines, mandolins, basses, accordians, and a wurlitzer strewn across his studio in various states of disrepair. A Betsy Ross edition piano sits handsomely in the corner, a full and melodious half-step out of tune. A fact that doesn’t sit too well with his band. Knows that if he can't decide what to listen to, "Sweetheart of the Rodeo", "Being There", "Harvest Moon", "Pink Moon”, or any album with “moon” in the title never feels wrong. Wishes he wrote “Red-Headed Stranger” by Willie Nelson, but to this day, refuses to wear a bandana. Spends an unhealthy amount of time in the studio. Some of the most talented people he knows are his friends and they're all broke too. NEW ALBUM: Recorded in equal parts New York City and Portland, OR, "Photographs of 1971" is Don’s latest and third full-length album. It was self-produced along with Portland’s engineer auteur Gregg Williams (The Dandy Warhols). Having stumbled across some old stained and tattered family photographs from the 70’s, Don was inspired to write a song that grew from the ashes of the collage at his feet. That would later give way to the album’s theme of celebrating our life’s misadventures and failures. A much more personal record began to take shape within the varied instruments and sounds that Don had begun experimenting with. Prior to it’s release, "Photographs" had consumed over two years of Don’s life as a constant and evolving album that grew along with his extensive travels and touring. Performer Magazine remarks that “Photographs of 1971 is a great album for anyone embarking on a trip across the country.” HIGHLIGHTS: Don's first release, "The Lonestar Hitchhiker," was recorded for Universal Records shortly after his move to New York. Featured musicians included Jay Bennett (ex-Wilco), Gregg Williams (Sheryl Crow, Wallflowers), and Paul Garisto (Jesse Malin, Ryan Adams). Since then, he has toured extensively in support of all three of his releases, slowly building national recognition as a touring artist. He has opened for the likes of Norah Jones, Graham Parker, Jackson Browne, Duran Duran, Roger Clyne, and many more. His songs have been featured in both film and tv (MTV, VH1, Disney, Discovery, E!...), and he just recently wrote the score for the feature-length film, “Ranchero.” His latest work had recently been added to regular rotation on the increasingly popular XM Satellite Radio. Radio stations such as the influential KCRW and WXPN have also begun to feature songs from the record, so too NPR’s “All Songs Considered.” For his first album, Hear Music selected Don for their “Emerging Artist” campaign, and Rolling Stone would state that “New York City's emerging folk-twang songsmith, Don DiLego, is alt-country's next poster boy.”