The Dexter Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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'Nynth Avenue Drifters' bring national talent to town
By Sean Dalton, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: June 5, 2008
The Nynth Street Drifters are coming fresh off of performing for President George W. Bush last week to performing in Dexter this week.
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The Drifters, comprised of Dan Cooney, the front-man for the Encore Musical Theatre Project, and his band-mates Andy Jobe and Michael Lanning, will be at the Bear Claw Coffee Co. in downtown Dexter on Saturday for performances at 7 and 9 p.m.
The group formed when Cooney and Lanning met touring with Larry Gatlin in a Broadway show called "The Civil War."
"We pretty quickly started doing gigs together as a duo, covering bands like The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and some of Lanning's originals," Cooney said.
"I taught Andy (Jobe) in a vocal performance class at New York University in 2000, ran into him years later and he played me a few songs he had written and I was immediately hooked."
The Drifters say that the secret to their sound is the unique blend of their three distinct vocal styles that, when harmonized, result in their "sound."
"The differences in our voices become apparent in each of our solo moments in our music," Cooney said.
"Michael Lanning, coming from a rich background in rock 'n' roll, Americana and blues; lends a rich, soulful, rock sensibility to our songs.
"Andy Jobe has taken a lot of his inspiration as a singer from James Taylor, and the singer-songwriters of the '70s. His tenor voice can both be powerful and subtle at the same time.
"I'm a vocal powerhouse in my own right, coming from a background of Broadway and classical theater. So, when these three contrasting voices come together in harmony, a very unique and unexpected blend results in the sound that the Nynth Avenue Drifters are known for."
Cooney says he is really thrilled to be back in the town that has won his heart.
The Drifters were part of the Larry Gatlin performance that kicked off the project last January.
"We are thrilled to get back to Dexter after having such a wonderfully positive response from the community months ago," Cooney said, adding that the Drifters are planning to play some new songs and covers that they have been working on specifically for Dexter residents.
While performing songs from "The Civil War" for President Bush at the National Theater in Washington D.C. last Sunday was a thrill, Cooney is really looking forward to Saturday.
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