ALAMOSA — Of all the quiet treasures in Alamosa, Society Hall is among the best as the small but committed crew of volunteers succeed time after time in bringing amazing talent to that unique, historic stage. And the performer coming to the Society Hall stage on Thursday night is a shining example…and more.
For those who are already familiar with Dan Navarro, nothing further needs to be said. For those who don’t know him yet, let this be an introduction.
Navarro’s list of credits is more than impressive and too long to list in detail. As part of the acoustic duo Lowen and Navarro, he had a prolific, successful recording history with the release of 12 albums.
When Eric Lowen passed away from ALS, Navarro continued as a solo artist, releasing the highly praised “Shed My Skin,” “On the Horizon Line,” and “All Wood and Led,” a new duo album with James Lee Stanley that re-imagines Led Zeppelin songs in organic “Laurel Canyon” settings.
Navarro has written or co-written songs for Pat Benatar (the Grammy-nominated “We Belong”), The Bangles, Dave Edmunds, The Temptations, Dionne Warwick, and Austin outlaw country legend Rusty Weir. He has sung on albums by Andrea Bocelli and Neil Young.
In addition to a professional music career in music that spans 40 years, Navarro’s had an equally successful film career that is just as long, having voiced (among other things) characters in “Pirates of the Caribbean 5,” “The Book Of Life,” and the “Playmobil Movie.”
But that resume is just a reflection of what Dan Navarro creates every time he gets on a stage. At its core, Navarro’s music is deeply authentic and as varied as the human experience.
“The urge to write stemmed from the urge to create something that was personal that I could sing,” he told the Valley Courier. “I started as a musician in the fourth grade and the feeling of music coursing through my body as part of that ensemble was just the greatest feeling imaginable. It was as exhilarating and uplifting as anything I’ve ever experienced or have experienced since then.
“The idea was of creating something that expressed what I felt inside — usually issues of fear and disconnection and alienation or uncertainty with the hope of something better. As I kept doing and doing it, I got closer to why it was important to me.
“And now, 50 to 60 years later, it continues to inspire me to express those things. Playing and singing and writing and performing for an audience. I give to the audience, they give back to me and it’s like a circuit and feeds on itself. With any luck, I’ll continue to do it for the rest of my life.”
Navarro’s voice is rich and strong with just enough fray on the edges to reflect how it has been seasoned over the years. One song, accompanied by gentle licks on his acoustic guitar, will feel intensely intimate and tell a story of painful reflection that can lead a person to think, at least once, has this guy been reading my mail? That song can be followed by another upbeat, alive, and full of the drive found in rock and roll.
Yet, across a huge, diverse playlist that comes after writing and performing for decades, there is an undercurrent of connection with the listener, also causing a person to think, at least once, how have I missed listening to this guy all these years?
As it turns out, that feeling of a universal connection is just baked into how he writes.
“My writing isn’t canned... I don’t sit down to write something that I think people can relate to,” he says. “It’s more like trying to unravel the things that drove me to write, which was usually like some kind of emotional upheaval. Like I need to get this down to get these feelings out of me. It’s a visceral, explosive act in its own sense."
After experiencing that feeling of “let me get this out,” Navarro came to realize the common ground that people share.
“People often have the same triggers, whether it’s the sense of lamenting a loss or a bad choice, which is usually driven by a need to connect in a way that isn’t presenting itself easily,” he says. “Writing…it’s like throwing something out there that someone can catch. And when they do, when they catch it, that creates the connection. And I have to admit the thing that inspired me to do that was when I received what was thrown my way, from Frank Sinatra to Joni Mitchell to Prince. That’s when I knew that I wanted to be expressing it, too, for other people to catch.”
Music is a form of healing, he says.
“It’s like a massage. When I rub a muscle that aches, it starts to feel better. Music is like that. That pain is released. I’ve spent my whole career trying to heal myself in that way. Once I get there, maybe I’ll stop, but that hasn’t happened yet,” he says.
Navarro is also clear that it is the pain that motivates him to create.
“Joy inspires me to live life, actively. Walk along a beach. Take a hike. Drive a convertible very, very fast. It’s the pain that causes me to sit down in a little tiny corner and focus in,” he says.
No matter how it is described, writing about Navarro’s music does not truly capture the depth and richness of what he creates on a nightly basis.
That must be experienced in person, which will happen at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Society Hall. Tickets cost $20 before the performance and $25 at the door. They are available at the Green Spot on State Avenue in Alamosa or by going to www.societyhall.com.
