
Forget a one-man band. Dan Fester is a one-man dance party. With 17 years and roughly 1,000 shows under his belt, those impressive statistics don’t even begin to tell the story of the 25-year-old artist. A well-studied musician, his frequently updated catalog features more than 400 songs that the audience can choose from to guide the show, in addition to originals and improv jams thrown in along the way. Dan is a live-looping artist, using synthesizers, electronic drum kits, guitar and vocal manipulation to create a full spectrum sound. A sampling from his eclectic mix includes murder ballads from Johnny Cash, the epic guitar jams of Jimi Hendrix and fan favorites from Prince and the Beatles. But the roster doesn’t stop there. His flexibility is apparent in his take on today’s hip-hop and electronic dance music. Drawing on tunes from Kendrick Lamar, Flaming Lips, Drake, Calvin Harris and Daft Punk, a mere cover just doesn’t cut it: he plays the role of musical magician as he elevates, renovates and remixes songs to his taste, coaxing his auditory mashups into something transcendent.