Taking music into his own hands, and home
This started at the beginning of last summer, and nearly a year later they've expanded from small house shows to a mini-festival of sorts, taking place on April 24 to 26. Part of the weekend's festivities will likely include Dan Mancini, a Fanshawe student, who performs under the name Handsome Dan and his Gallimaufry.
The name is a testament to his modesty, and is one of the reasons he chooses not to use his name on any recording he does.
“To be Handsome Dan and to play with a fictitious backing band as ridiculous as The Gallimaufry” he expalins, means that he can “write about anything, sing in any voice, and play any style of music without it representing and essentially, confining Daniel Mancini. He may write the songs, but he has no place within the songs.”
Thus, Handsome Dan is an alter ego of sorts, an observer of situations outside the life of Mancini himself. The songs that he sings are poignantly written, heartfelt and soulful folk tunes that don't require auto-tune or perfectly matched harmonies to convey emotion.
They also revolve around subject matter which contextually takes place outside of the average person's life. “Cuckolding”, for instance, is a song from Mancini's debut album, Father Noon, which explores the “creepy but fascinating” fetish in which some couples derive sexual pleasure from an extramarital relationship. This is perhaps an extreme example of Dan's song writing, but to him, the creative process is all about delving into the unknown.
“I always like writing about things I know very little or nothing about. I lead a fairly simple life, so if I chose to write about personal experience, I don't know if I could generate much interest there,” Mancini said. “Researching and reading about a person or concept or place and then writing a song about it is a lot more fun and rewarding for me than just writing about my latest love interest. I think everyone knows how that song goes.”
That sense of experimentalism and observation landed Mancini in the hands of the Open House Collective some months ago, through which he has become acquainted with artists of similar mindsets.
Now, apart from Handsome Dan and his Gallimaufry, Mancini performs as a drummer for both Bryan Pole and CHRW “Record of the Year” winners Olenka and the Autumn Lovers. He has also enjoyed stints playing with The State Bird of Idaho and For Love or Money.
In fact, the term ‘gallimaufry', which refers to a hodgepodge or confused medley, could be applied to the Collective, itself. Most contributors play in each other's bands, and from a few founding members, a uniquely supportive (if not slightly incestuous) support chain has been created, through which the Collective tirelessly works to promote local art.
Musically, this has manifested itself in the creation of The OH! Compilation, which Mancini says represents “all things London. It turns out that each song was written, recorded, and performed in London and the OH! people did all the layout and artwork and arranging and printing and everything else themselves, so it's really a great example of DIY and what can be accomplished when you get organized.”
Currently it's available at Grooves and The Village Idiot for the low price of $5.99, and all the money gets redirected towards the collective, too, in order to fund future recordings.
Altogether, the mission statement of the OH! Collective is an admirable one, and with support growing daily for the young group of friends, they are just what London needs, especially after a time when artists were forced to move to larger cities, looking for success.
The full line-up can be viewed online at www.ohfest.com, and Dan Mancini's music can be heard at http://www.myspace.com/handsomedanandhisgallimaufry
