From The Beginning
Born in the concrete jungle of New York City, and raised in a revolving door of homes in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Washington, D.C., Ohio, and Massachusetts, singer/songwriter David Gielan paid his musical dues early on. With a wide range of ability, Gielan cultivated a rich, musical foundation at the legendary, Manhattan School of Music, studying Jazz instrumentation and vocal performance. David, equally skilled at singing, guitar, piano, and percussion, not to mention his exceptional skills as a record producer, David seemed to excel in every area. David furthered his playing and songwriting as a music major at Ohio Wesleyan University, ultimately continuing his musical emersion at Berklee College of Music, whose attendees include Grammy-winning and multi-platinum artists Paula Cole and John Mayer.
In-between his rigorous training and solo material, Gielan was picked up by East Coast garage band favorite Gizmo, touring the United States at the tender age of 14. While the other members of Gizmo were well into their late twenties, David held his own, playing famous haunts such as Washington, D.C.’s 9:30 Club and sharing bills with Indie Rock darlings, Trans Am (Thrill Jockey). Moving deeper into Jazz, Rock, Funk, Blues, Acoustic, and Electronic mediums that which would eventually become his trademark sound, David set off on tours of his own, even opening up for RCA/BMG recording artists Vertical Horizon, all before his 18th birthday.
David, tired by the confines of merely being a bass player and ready to become a full-time singer/songwriter, headed west, landing in Los Angeles. Backed by a mainstay of talented musicians, David quickly moved up the scene’s musical ranks, playing packed shows at all of L.A.’s premiere venues – The Sunset Room, The Roxy, The Whisky, and The Viper Room – and clearing his merchandise, including 2009’s highly anticipated album release, The Imperfect Tense, which garnered critical acclaim and high praise. Reviewing a recent show at the Knitting Factory, MusicHighway.com’s Amanda Turner Manning wrote, “I will be looking out for David’s next gig and future success. Picking up the acoustic guitar, and leading his band, David Gielan performs like a true front-man should, capturing our attention with the depth of his vocal inflections and huge range, not to mention great looks!”
David continues to develop a loyal following nationwide, garnering 6000 hits per month on his website www.gielan.com alone. Eric Jordan of Flynet Media Group said, ” David Gielan’s music is well-composed and his vocal range is astonishing. If we offered record deals, he would be the first to receive one. David is definitely the new artist to look for in 2010.”
After forming, developing, and launching several successful bands of his own, Simple 6 (Heat Recordz) and Oh Crap! Ninjas, David continues to put out one solid solo album after another. With numerous releases on iTunes, and more on the way, it seems there is nothing keeping him down or holding him back. 2013 closed out as a big year for David, during which he signed a one album deal with TMG (Tate Music Group) for his latest EP “Wading Through The Bracken: Part 1” which continues to receive critical acclaim. Additionally, during the 2013 awards season, David was nominated by the Artist In Music Awards with the honors of “Producer of the Year”, “Adult Contemporary Artist of the Year”, and “Singer/Songwriter of the Year”. With so many exciting things happening, we can’t wait to see what happens next.
