Danny Mayer has released his debut solo album, Beginner’s Mind, via Color Red. The album marks the first-ever full-length solo album by the veteran sideman, who has played guitar with Eric Krasno Band, Star Kitchen, Alan Evans Trio, On The Spot trio, and more. On the new solo project, Mayer explores a new, minimalist approach and shows off his abilities as a fluid multi-instrumentalist and producer.
The album’s release was preceded by a pair of singles. “Basic Goodness“, the album’s opening track, takes its title from a concept coined by Tibetan spiritual teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. His theory of “Basic Goodness” observed that human beings are wired to experience joy through entities as simple as sound and color. The concept, Mayer says, extends into how nature provides the basic needs for human survival.
“That awareness that our needs are being met, that we’re being taken care of on a basic level, tends to lend itself nicely to a more relaxed state where things don’t feel so threatening and at which point you can kind of start grooving with the world around you,” Mayer explained. “That’s really all this song is—a relaxed and playful groove based on the concept of basic goodness.”
A second single, psychedelic dub voyage “Upsetter”, was written last year but got its initial release in September as a tribute to pioneering dub producer Lee “Scratch” Perry, who passed away this past summer.
As Mayer said of his debut LP in a post on social media, “While the whole world was shut down, and the unknown was ever present, I, as I usually do in uncertain times, turned to music. This time, it was just me—no band to write and rehearse with, no upcoming gigs to play. Just a complete and sudden pause in the grind that was my life before the pandemic. Sitting with myself & understanding that if I could make music on my own, in the comfort of my own home, that could be all the solace I needed! So I just started plugging away, learning how to use various programs, & with the help of a few friends, I learned that I could make music, on my own—music that I actually really liked! A year & a half later, here we are! A full length album … steeped in the intent to provide some peace of mind, a sense of belonging, meditative states, and hypnotic grooves! I can’t wait for you guys to hear it!”
Beginner’s Mind, the debut album from Danny Mayer, is available to stream now via Color Red. Listen via Spotify below.
Danny Mayer – Beginner’s Mind – Full Album