Deren Michael Ney is an American musician, songwriter and filmmaker from San Francisco, California. He performed with Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers before making his solo debut in 2019 with "West Coast Mama" on Volplane Records.
Deren Ney | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Deren Michael Ney |
| Born | Berkeley, California, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, filmmaker |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, keys |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels |
|
A multi-instrumentalist, Guitar World editor and The Allman Brothers Band biographer Alan Paul described him as "a secret weapon of sorts."[1]
In recent years Ney has directed music videos for Amanda Shires, Marcus King, Animal Liberation Orchestra, Jaime Wyatt and Greg Loiacono.
Biography
editNey and former classmate Nicki Bluhm[2] formed the band Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers in San Francisco in 2008. Bluhm told The Mercury News in 2012, “Initially, I was a solo artist. I quickly realized I didn’t like that. It was hard to cut through the noise in clubs all alone. I asked Deren to come with me."[3]
The band's 2012 performance of Hall and Oates' I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) in their tour van amassed over a million views and prompted them to go on a North American tour.[3] National tours, festivals and appearances on late night shows followed. They were featured on New York Magazine's Pop Culture Matrix. The "Van Sessions" have over 10 million views on YouTube to date.
Ney penned the band's highest-charting radio single, "Waiting On Love". The band has been inactive since 2017. Their final performance was at the Stern Grove Festival in their hometown of San Francisco.[citation needed]
On October 18, 2019, Ney released a single "West Coast Mama" on Volplane Records. It was a surprise hit he hasn't matched with his following singles. His stable of musicians includes Tim Lefebvre, Pete Levin, and former Grambler bandmates Steve Adams, Dave Mulligan and Mike Curry.[citation needed]
Ney has also directed and animated music videos for Amanda Shires, Marcus King, Animal Liberation Orchestra, Jaime Wyatt and Greg Loiacono. Ney resides in Oakland, California.[citation needed]
Discography
editSolo
edit- West Coast Mama, single, (Volplane Records, 2019)
- Crown Shyness (Stay Home and Get High), single, (Volplane Records, 2020)
- You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, single, (Volplane Records, 2020)
- Easy Money, single, (Volplane Records, 2021)
Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers
edit- Toby's Song (Little Knickers, 2008)
- Driftwood (Little Knickers, 2011, re-released 2012 on Little Sur Records, 2012)
- Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers (Little Sur Records, 2013)
- Love Wild Lost (Little Sur Records, 2015)
Dave Mulligan
edit- Runaway Blues (2012)
Painted Horses
edit- Painted Horses (2019)
Backline
editFollowing the suicide of guitarist Neal Casal in 2019, Ney's widely-shared remembrance of his friend helped inspire the creation of the mental health organization for musicians called Backline (though in a 2019 interview with the Jake Feinberg Show, he called his contribution minimal.)[4][5]
As director
edit| Year | Video | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Another Rolling Stone" | Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers |
| 2019 | "San Felipe" | Greg Loiacono |
| 2019 | "Close Your Eyes" | Greg Loiacono |
| 2019 | "Chamberlain's Trunk" | Greg Loiacono |
| 2019 | "West Coast Mama" | Deren Ney |
| 2020 | "Crown Shyness (Stay Home and Get High)" | Deren Ney |
| 2020 | "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" | Deren Ney, Greensky Bluegrass, Infamous Stringdusters, Midnight North, Brothers Comatose |
| 2020 | "That's All" | Amanda Shires |
| 2020 | "All Come Together" | Leslie Mendelson |
| 2021 | "The Problem" | Amanda Shires |
| 2021 | "Drivin' Down to Georgia"" | Tom Petty (FX shots) |
| 2021 | "Gone For Christmas" | Amanda Shires |
| 2021 | "Need Shelter" | Jaime Wyatt |
| 2021 | "No One Above You" | Marcus King featuring Eric Krasno |
| 2021 | "Bird With No Name" | Jimmy Herring featuring Circles Around The Sun |
References
edit- ^ Paul, Ala (2015-09-29). "Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers: Into the 'Wild'". alanpaul.net. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ Howland, Lance (11 May 2012). "Lafayette Songstress Harmonizes With Van". Walnut Creek, CA Patch. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ a b Fancher, Lou (6 June 2012). "'Van Sessions' helping Lafayette's Nicki Bluhm get places". The Mercury News. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
- ^ "Ney – The Deren Ney Interview | Jake Feinberg Show". Retrieved 23 December 2019.[dead link]
- ^ McCartney, Kelly (2019-11-06). "In Wake of Suicides, Backline Seeks to Connect Musicians to Help". No Depression. Retrieved 2024-05-09.