DANA HUBBARD, -acoustic singer/songwriter, blues guitar slinger, rock 'n roll raconteur. . . Here's what people are saying: "Soulful singer/songwriter, first rate acoustic guitar player, scorching electric blues guitar". -METRO Music review Santa Cruz, CA. "His thoughtful approach is exactly what we look for to keep the integrity of the Bay Area music scene's reputation on the rise." -BILL EVANS / Music Director -KFOG 104.5 San Francisco, CA. "He's got soul and can write a song." -BAM MAGAZINE -CD review Los Angeles, CA. "The team of harmonica and guitar together is impressive. His voice may be the best thing yet." -RPM MAGAZINE -Live review San Francisco, CA. His songs have been featured on: "Local Anesthetic" -KFOG 104.5 San Francisco, CA. and "Sonoma Grown" -KRSH 95.5/95.9 Santa Rosa, CA. He's appeared with a lotta famous folks: Chris Isaak, Robert Cray, Gregg Alman, Etta James, David Lindley, Albert King, Jorma Kaukonen, James Cotton, Maria Mauldaur, Norton Buffalo, Peter Wolf, Roy Rogers, Junior Walker, Sam & Dave, Queen Ida, Charlie Musselwhite, Joe Louis Walker and many more . . . Dana Hubbard's career started as a solo acoustic guitarist in the singer/songwriter tradition, with deep roots in acoustic folk and country blues. Then he strapped on the electric guitar to lead his band through the burgeoning blues scene. Now as his singing and songwriting have become more prominent, the acoustic guitar as once again become his main instrument. A California boy through and through, he was born in the central valley town of Stockton and raised on the coast in Monterey. He comes from a very musical family, with a father who's a college professor of music and a mother trained as an operatic singer. "We were all expected to play an instrument from an early age", he says. "Mine was trumpet". But for christmas he received a harmonica, which led to an interest in mountain banjo and eventually he was sneaking into his sister's room to play her guitar. By the time he went to the University of California at Santa Cruz he was forced to confront his obvious fascination for acoustic music becuse the only class he had a perfect attendance record in was "The History of Early Folk Music & Country Blues". Otherwise, while his friends were seriously studying, he was seriously playing acoustic guitar. They finally said, "Man, what are you gonna do with your life?" And not thinking before he spoke, he answered, "I don't know, the only thing I want to do is play music . . .". So, once the words were said, there was no choice but to follow them. It wasn't long before he had made the migration north to San Francisco and was singin' and busking in the streets. He soon moved into playing the clubs and as the big city has it's seductive charm, so does high voltage electric music. He put together a band, The Delta Twisters, and successfully rode the blues wave, which led to the release of his first cd, "Tummy Lust". During this time he became a very accomplished front man, singing, playing guitar, blowing harmonica and leading his band. He got the opportunity to work with many of the great players living in the Bay Area, folks like Myron dove, bass player for Santana and Robin Ford, or Trey Sabatelli, drummer for Todd Rundgren and The Jefferson Starship, and Kenny Dale Johnson, drummer for Chris Isaak. It was also during this time however, while recording his first cd, that he would occasionally take a break and pick up the acoustic, dusty from leaning in the corner, and play just for himself. And he was reminded of all the reasons he picked up the guitar in the first place. What started as stolen moments for himself soon became a growing passion for the acoustic guitar and solo performance. He started hearing the distant, but insistent call of his acoustic roots and it's the voice that has become the dominant sound in his music. Now that he's come full circle back to his "acoustic roots", he draws from the best of both worlds as he performs startling originals backed by amazing guitar playing. Imagine a Michael Hedges or Leo Kottke with the voice and songwriting prowess of a John Hiatt or Jackson Browne and you get the idea of what Dana is striving for. And what ever formatt he's performing in, you get to see someone who's wonderfully confident on stage, having spent much time there! His latest cd, "Livin' Live", is all acoustic, relying on his masterful guitar playing to anchor the songs, occasionally augmenting the mix with a percussionist and/or guest soloist. But everything rides on the guitar and vocal. And it's all recorded live! Dana's crazy 'bout live performance and live recording. It's his philosophy! He literally drags a hard disk recorder around to every show and records routinely, waiting to capture the wonderful magic of an inspired performance. If you hang around musicians long enough, eventually you'll hear them remark after a particularly good version of a song, "Ah man, I wish the tape had been rollin' for that one." Well, Dana's motto is, "the tape's always rollin'! We're livin' live!"