About the artist
Inspired by the Notorious B.I.G. and Ludwig Van Beethoven, » Dan Kreiger has chosen a life devoted to music. The 24 year-old classical pianist resides in Alphabet City.
As a solo artist under the pseudonym » For Jerz, Kreiger uses a free-associative style to create music. When writing, Kreiger uninhibitedly spills out everything within himself, feeling as though he is in a therapy session. Rather than hating on his super-ego, he embraces it as a necessary translating mechanism that reifies his feelings into sounds and songs.
Acting as writer/performer/producer/engineer on all of his recorded compositions, Kreiger creates his music alone, incorporating influences from every style and genre.
His deliberate, somewhat egoistic and isolated approach towards his solo work is simply representative of » one of his personas (“Fit”). He explains that “Fit” counteracts “Karl” (his more altruistic persona he assumes with his bands).
In fact, Kreiger believes increased success in his music career is necessitated by his super-ego. The world shapes his super-ego, and thus, and acclamation of his songs represent a successful connection between his songs and the world.
Superlatives
Kreiger, a rather boastful man, enjoys talking about his personal and professional achievements. A connoisseur of his own successes, he prefers those that take immortality in material form such as those in the superlative section of his high school yearbook: “Most Confused” and “Best Musician”.
Having received more than one superlative, Kreiger, not entirely arrogant, expresses a sense of guilt of having received too much praise.
Kreiger went to high school in suburban Connecticut, and is now a senior undergraduate student at NYU. Kreiger swears he is financially independent despite his background (and the fact he is a young musician living in the East Village).
Superficiality
Kreiger loves life, and everything superficial and non-superficial. In other words, he is an ironic man, but not a hipster. His friends identify this simultaneity as hip in itself, but the whole thing seems involuntary, thrust upon him, or maybe not worth thinking about.
While considering himself a classical pianist, Dan Kreiger has been also active as a performing keyboardist and songwriter for various rock bands, including » Mook and » Quintus. With these bands, Kreiger has performed everywhere from Montreal to Los Angeles.
His musical versatility is further reflected by his performing experience, having appeared everywhere from the Nokia Theatre, to the Mercury Lounge, to Steinway Hall.
Kreiger's experience as a performing artist (both on stage and in the studio) has led him to work with various notable people in the music industry.
He has shared the stage/recorded with » Soulive, » Rusted Root, » Levon Helm (The Band), and » Tom Rothrock (producer for James Blunt, Elliot Smith, Beck, Badly Drawn Boy etc).
Super Sand
Kreiger tried to be funny once. Failing miserably, he became confounded. Eventually, he found clarity in Homer Simpson's fatherly advice to his son:
“Son, you tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.”
Kreiger loves a lack of structure. It is in this ambiguity where he finds truth, and where he can build music.
In addition to being a performer, Kreiger teaches piano in New York City and Fairfield County, CT.
Before Kreiger took himself seriously, he played exclusively jazz piano.
He is Jewish.
Considered new showering habits when listening to Jack Nicholson criticize a Jewish couple in “As Good as it Gets” (the line: “people who use metaphors can shampoo my crotch”)
So it goes...
The Woodhaven Digest
