It was the last gig of a late winter tour, and Daniel Donato was ready to exhale. His band was, too, having had the rare treat of seeing their wives the night before, as they prepared for one more show, a late night performance in Asheville, NC. As Daniel told me, they were all in high spirits, and I knew this bode well for their performance, which dovetailed with the Billy Strings concert in town earlier that evening. Thanks to my friend Greg Gerald, I got to take in Billy Strings’ show before we scooted from downtown to west Asheville for Donato’s set.

Earlier that evening, I spoke with Daniel in the green room at Salvage Station, named for the site’s former use as a salvage yard, in February 2024, where he spoke in depth about his conviction that his life’s work is a service to listeners, his ever-present muse, playing with Bob Weir, and surprisingly to me at least, being an angry kid who was an avid wrestler not all that long ago. Still in his 20s, Daniel Donato has quickly made a name for himself as a kind of musical mystic, a master of the telecaster and a favorite in the burgeoning cosmic country scene. 

Songs heard in this episode:

“Dance In the Desert” by Daniel Donato, from Reflector

“Lose Your Mind” by Daniel Donato, from Reflector, excerpt

“Darlin’ Corey” by Daniel Donato, live at The Grey Eagle 03/12/2022, excerpt

“Sugar Leg Rag” by Daniel Donato, from Reflector

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This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here.

Thanks to Jason Guadagnino at The Salvage Station for helping make this interview possible, to Greg Gerald for hosting me after the show and for taking photos of our interview. Thanks also to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on public radio WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs.  This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick