Dana and Alden
In the far northwest of what we know as the United States, in a city that is home to the University of Oregon—among other things—a place renowned for its organic farming, bike paths, a love of and commitment to the “outdoor life,” and a community deeply engaged in society and the arts, we find the hearth of the unconventional upbringing of the brothers Dana and Alden McWayne. These values are not so different from those we cherish here in the northern parts of Scandinavia.
Perhaps this is why their music speaks so directly to our Nordic sensibilities. It seems as though the McWayne brothers bring an egalitarian essence into their music, blending it with a potpourri of references that they carry within themselves.
Alden, the younger brother, is a drummer and a recent graduate of Berklee College of Music, while Dana, the elder, plays the saxophone and works with the supervision of organic farms in Durham, North Carolina. Their influences are, therefore, wonderfully varied and dynamic.
But as much as their childhood references shape their sound, they also bring Californian sensibilities into the mix: surf, summer, and sunshine, with hints of Baroque influences. And then, suddenly, a distorted memory of space disco (??), a living-room organ with the rhythm box set to rhumba?? And a splash of Fela Kuti-inspired grooves woven into it all.
In August 2023, they released the album Quiet Music for Young People (which they describe as an amalgam of childhood), to great acclaim. The album title emulates something akin to a doctor’s prescription, and just as the title seems to address an audience born after the turn of the millennium, the material is presented in a way that resonates with this generation.
It’s an unapologetic and self-assured approach to blending elements into an Eclectic Stew. This comes naturally when one escapes the constraints of genre and canonization while having access to the music of the entire world.
In one moment, they sound like the quirky cousin of Lemaitre; at other times, like a reflection of BADBADNOTGOOD. Their explicit influences range widely—from Ahmad Jamal to Big Thief to Bad Bunny..
Regardless of which references one uses to articulate their sound in words, it all boils down to this amalgam of childhood, ultimately wrapped in a lo-fi crust. Bake at 180 degrees for 60 minutes and serve at Storyville on Saturday, July 19th, at 10:00 PM.