Danielson Famile: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Videos
• Photos
• Groups/Boards
• Fan Sites

• Deerhoof
• Sister
• Peter and the Wolf
• Pixies
• Tuscadero
• Sister 7
• The Siren Six!

• Pixies
• Bongwater
• Cypress Hill
• Ween
• Beat Happening
• Bob Dylan
• Rapeman

• The Choir Practice
• The Winks
• Bodies of Water
• Ohbijou
• Wolf Parade

• Dan Zimmerman
• Soul-Junk
• Woven Hand
• Lenny Smith
• The Singing Mechanic
• Half-Handed Cloud
• Crystal Skulls

Formed:

Jan 1, 1995 in Clarksboro, NJ

Genres:

Rock Music, Alternative Rock Music

Decades Active:

1990's|2000's

Artistic Quality

Low

Ratings Guide

For his senior thesis project at Rutgers University Daniel Smith handed in what became the Danielson Famile's album A Prayer for Every Hour; he got an A. The album was released on Tooth Nail records in 1995. It features Smith backed by his siblings who range in age from 12 to their early 20s. Tell Another Joke at the Ol' Choppin' Block, produced by Kramer (Galaxy 500, Low, Palace Brothers), followed in 1997. In 1998 Smith launched Tri-Danielson to convey his three distinct musical directions: solo, with his family, and a more rock based incarnation called Danielsonship. Tri-Danielson released Alpha in 1998 and followed in 1999 with Omega. The Danielson Famile is unmistakably a Christian band, but in the same way that Flannery O'Connor was a Christian writer. They reject the conventional set of Christian symbols and subject matter while at the heart of every song, underneath the weirdness, is a perfectly orthodox Christian message; and Smith's falsetto vocals are downright shocking, an effective tool in cutting through the barriers to convey these messages. No contemporary Christian radio station in their right mind would ever play Danielson, they're just too out there. They sound like Captain Beefheart's Magic Band joined by the Partridge Family at some roadside revival along the Jersey Turnpike -- definitely an acquired taste.

- Jason Nickey, All Music Guide