Distinguishing characteristics of the band include frontman Daniel Smith's squeaky falsetto and sometimes nasally vocals. The band also incorporates visuals into some of its performance such as matching costumes and encouraging audience participation of clap-alongs, hand gestures and dance moves. Some appearances have seen Daniel playing a guitar while inside a costume of a ten foot tree bearing nine fruits of the Holy Spirit.[1]
Members of Danielson Famile portray a proud DIY attitude within many aspects of their work. All of Danielson's album artwork is done by Daniel himself, with the exception of the construction paper inserts of the two Tri-Danielson albums which were done by Chris. The animation in their music videos for the songs Headz in the Cloudz and Rubbernecker feature stop motion animation done by Chris. The band members' uniforms begin as Daniel's vision and then are designed by Megan. Although all the girls participate in the sewing, the driving force behind the construction is Marian, their mother.
But I Don't Wanna Sing About Guitars
Danielson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everyone's playing, all on their own,
And all at once, a suspicious lurking ambiance.
(It's gettin' dark)
(Mark Shippy solo)
The audience is losing patience.
You better not be
Or dearly you'll pay
It's not just okay.
Our boiling blood will ruin your day.
As soon as you hear
The sound of the horns,
The harps + the lyres.
The gold smiths are shamed,
The instruments fakes,
They got no breath in their wakes.
(Glen Galaxy solo; Mark, Glen, Mark descending then...Chris Cohen plays the blues! Then the guit orch rocks it hard.)
Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is.
Awake harp + lyre, the dawn is waiting patiently.
Come me + all, celebrate with all our might(y).
Procession coming from the highest place
Mountains move closer to get to hear clear.
We sing a new song on our 10 string lyres.
Charming savage beats + religious spirits.
Exchanging lies for truth...so hear the...
The horn, the flute, the sun + the sky.
The harp + the moon, guitars strumming,
Animals humming,
Celebrate with your might.
The lyrics of Danielson's song "But I Don't Wanna Sing About Guitars" may seem to be a whimsical and playful exploration into the artistry of music, but beneath the surface, there are themes of authenticity, creativity, and spirituality. The song starts in a crowded music venue, where the musicians are all playing their instruments independently, creating a cacophony of sounds that lead to a "suspicious lurking ambiance." This line can be interpreted as a playful commentary on the dissonance that can occur when artists are not on the same page and not creating in harmony, but it can also be a plea for musicians to be more intentional and authentic in their music-making.
As the song continues, the lyrics shift to a focus on the power of music to inspire and move people. The audience, represented by the "boiling blood" mentioned in the song, demands authenticity and skill from the musicians, warning them that they will "dearly pay" if they are found to be "lying." This can be seen as a call for artists to be honest in their music and not just create for the sake of commercial success. The second half of the song takes a more spiritual turn, referencing forest, dawn, and the sun and the sky, and calling for a celebration of music that is full of "religious spirits" and "exchanging lies for truth."
Line by Line Meaning
Downtown at the music place,
We're at a music venue in the city center.
Everyone's playing, all on their own,
All the musicians are playing their own instruments separately.
And all at once, a suspicious lurking ambiance.
There's a weird atmosphere that suddenly appeared.
(It's gettin' dark)
It's getting late in the evening.
(Mark Shippy solo)
Mark Shippy is playing a solo.
The audience is losing patience.
The crowd is getting annoyed.
You better not be
Don't even think about
Lying to us
Deceiving us
Or dearly you'll pay
Or you'll face the consequences.
It's not just okay.
It's not acceptable.
Our boiling blood will ruin your day.
We'll get angry and make your day a nightmare.
As soon as you hear
Once you hear
The sound of the horns,
The horn instruments' sound,
The harps + the lyres.
The harp and lyre strings' sound.
The gold smiths are shamed,
Even the best musicians and singers are humbled.
The instruments fakes,
Their instruments aren't good enough.
They got no breath in their wakes.
Their music lacks vitality and emotion.
(Glen Galaxy solo; Mark, Glen, Mark descending then...Chris Cohen plays the blues! Then the guit orch rocks it hard.)
A series of different instrumental solos happen one after the other.
Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is.
Inspire me to play music like the natural world does.
Awake harp + lyre, the dawn is waiting patiently.
Let's start playing music together at sunrise. It's worth the wait.
Come me + all, celebrate with all our might(y).
Everyone should join me and give it their all for this celebration.
Procession coming from the highest place
A group of people is coming down from a high place.
Mountains move closer to get to hear clear.
Even the mountains want to listen and are getting closer.
We sing a new song on our 10 string lyres.
We're improvising and experimenting with new music on our lyres with ten strings.
Charming savage beats + religious spirits.
The music is both instinctual yet divine.
Exchanging lies for truth...so hear the...
Our music reveals the truth and dispels deception, so listen to what we've got.
The horn, the flute, the sun + the sky.
The various instruments (horns, flutes) and elements (sun, sky) are part of our music.
The harp + the moon, guitars strumming,
The gentle sounds of the harp and moon are mixed with the more intense strumming of guitars.
Animals humming,
Even the animals are swaying along to the music.
Celebrate with your might.
Let's all celebrate together as hard as we can.
Contributed by Ellie C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.