BIO
There’s a numinous yearning to Dan Hochman’s music. He asks questions about what it means to be human and what it takes to heal. But like his favorite mystic poets, he finds questions more compelling than answers. Hochman has birthed three albums: Hearts Alive, his homespun debut; Midday Muse, his somber sophomore album; and Shadow Blues, a heartbreak record penned while travelling through Central America. Ear Milk Magazine praised his “bittersweet melodies and soulful vocals,” saying “Hochman effortlessly fuses elements of blues, folk, and soul.” He’s toured across the east coast and through the mountains of Colorado at venues like Planet Bluegrass (Lyons), Belly Up (Aspen), Fox Theater (Boulder) and the Bitter End (New York).
When Hochman walked into Hiss Golden Messenger’s rural studio, he could feel the collective energy of all the artists who’d ever recorded there. The studio’s celadon green walls, parquet floors and cosmic patterned carpets were quirky, lived-in and inspiring. The fruits of these sessions will be released as a triptych of new singles produced by M.C. Taylor and featuring drummer Matt McCaughan of Bon Iver, among others. The gritty guitars and soulful vocal performances lend these songs an atmosphere of rumination and oceanic depth.
“Wishing on a Clover,” Hochman’s new single, is a buoyant Americana song about trying to keep your mind off an ex-lover while secretly full of longing and regret. The lyrics are earthy and relatable. He sings about being “down and out in the cul-de-sac / searching for the table scraps.” Similarly on brand, “Leave a Light On” is a raucous number about finding hope in the warm glow of a new lover while still healing the scar tissue of a broken heart. “Reformed Man” is a half-fictional chronicle told from the point of view of a delusional, newly divorced musician sobered up by his own faults and pining for the one who got away. It’s in the voice of an unreliable and out-of-touch narrator slowly coming to terms with his own shortcomings.
Hochman grew up in a vibrant and chaotic hippie household in New York. He was encouraged to be his wild and quirky self, drawing on a mustache with eyeliner before school and writing spoken word poetry in his journal. Music became a refuge, a safe harbour in an unpredictable childhood. He started writing songs early and still picks up his guitar every day to see what might pour out. Sometimes in mid-conversation or halfway across a train platform, he’ll stop to jot down a nascent lyric in his trusty notebook. Like any wise horticulturist, he knows not to squander a good seed. After spells in New York, Costa Rica and Colorado, Hochman is now living in Austin, taking a respite from his vagabond ways.
Press
“His single "Pain Of An Almost" features delicate acoustic guitars, bittersweet melodies and soulful vocals for a cathartic listen.”
— Earmilkmagazine
“With deeply bluesy, soul, and folk sounds, Colorado-based singer-songwriter Dan Hochman captures the universal experience of heartbreak and the struggle to let go.”
— Toomuchlovemagazine
“A captivating songsmith, with a touch for capturing the deeper aspects of the human experience.”
— AVALive
