A voice like honey melting in tea on a warm Spring night – It’s singer-songwriter, Dan Sandoval at the Spoon Coffeehouse and Eatery. Dan engages with the audience asking everyone to “join in” and clap their hands to the rhythm of his guitar strum. The crowd becomes the drummer to Dan’s smooth indie-folk strumming patterns and silky voice. “We’ve got some awesome clappers here today!” Dan says as he finishes out his song.
The cafe is packed. There is not a single seat open. Yet, fans are still walking in to witness this incredible performance. Dan’s lyrics are mature and his melodies are soothing. Dan’s voice is reminiscent of a bright burning fire on a cold winder night. His voice also serves as a reminder that Summer is just around the corner. It seems like Dan is the perfect sound for this hip cafe on a busy Friday night. Dan Sandoval plays both cover songs and original songs as the crowd nods their heads and taps their feet. The mood is stress-free and people seem incredibly happy to be a part of Dan’s special feature night here at the Spoon Coffeehouse.
Dan dedicates a song to his friend Kyle who is away at school. The song is called “Two Coins” and was written by one of Dan’s favorites, City & Colour. I could picture Dan Sandoval opening up for City & Colour one day in the near future. He definitely has both the passion and the talent that it takes to hit the big stage with one of his idols. Later in the night, Dan also covers “The “Girl” and “Hello, I’m In Delaware” by City & Colour, nailing all the intricate guitar riffs and vocal lines. Dan also covers Neil Young’s “Old Man” and Death Cab For Cutie’s “I’ll Follow You Into the Dark.” After his last break, in this two and a half hour performance, Dan invites his friend Allie to come up to the stage and accompany him. Together, they sing a Sublime mash-up including hit-songs “Bad Fish” “What I got” and “Garden Grove.” Before jumping into the mash-up Dan tells the audience to sing along because “It’s almost un-American if you don’t sing along.” He also explains that he and Allie only “met up last week and decided to perform together.” The two sounded like they had been practicing for years.
Dan says that his favorite song to cover is “Thirst” by City & Colour. His favorite original song to play is “Faithless” which tells the story of how he first had no confidence in his music and how he overcame that feeling. When we asked Dan what he loved about music, he responded “What isn’t there to love about music?” The young singer says he loves relating to the feelings and emotions of other people and music provides a great source for that. Music reminds him that he’s “not alone.”
The Spoon Coffeehouse & Eatery in Lindenhurst, NY has live music on Friday and Saturday nights. On Wednesday the Spoon hoses Open Mic Night, a weekly tradition that has been going on since 2005. Pop into the Spoon for great bites and delicious coffee. You may just discover an incredible local artist such as Dan Sandoval.
Follow Dan on facebook for upcoming shows and releases: https://www.facebook.com/danielsandovalmusic