Darren Hanlon is an Australian singer-songwriter from

Gympie, Queensland Gympie ( ) is a city and a locality in the Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. In the Wide Bay-Burnett District, Gympie is about north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city lies on the Mary River, which floods Gympie occasionally. The l ...

. Prior to becoming a solo artist in 1999, Hanlon was a member of Lismore

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band The Simpletons, with whom he released four albums and several EPs prior to their 1997 split. Hanlon also contributed backing guitar and keyboards for

The Lucksmiths The Lucksmiths were an Australian indie pop band formed in March 1993 by Marty Donald on guitar, Mark Monnone on bass guitar and Tali White on drums and lead vocals. Louis Richter (ex-Mid State Orange) joined on guitar in 2005. They released ei ...

, The Dearhunters, and

Mick Thomas Michael James Thomas (born 7 February 1960) is an Australian singer-songwriter, producer, guitarist and hotelier. Thomas was the founding mainstay of a folk rock group, Weddings Parties Anything (1984–1998), and leader of Mick Thomas and t ...

. Hanlon describes his style of music as "

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

folk," and has been described by ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' as having "distinctive narrative vision" in his music.

Career

Hanlon has released five solo albums, four EPs, and nine singles on

Candle Records Candle Records was an independent record label that operated from 1994 to 2007. Candle Records was originally based in Melbourne, Australia and founded in September 1994 by Chris Crouch. The label concentrated only on local bands with an " ...

and Flippin Yeah industries, as well as several compilation tracks. After the dissolving of Candle Records, he has started his own pseudo-label called Flippin Yeah Records in 2008. He self-published his first 'zine in late 2017. Hanlon is known for his engagement with his audiences, through his down-to-earth storytelling at live gigs. He has toured with

the Weather Station The Weather Station is a Canadian folk music band fronted by Tamara Lindeman, formed in 2006. The band membership has changed over the years, and as of 2022 includes Lindeman (lead vocals, piano), Ben Whiteley (bass), Johnny Spence (keyboards), ...

, Michael Hurley,

Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer-songwriter and left-wing activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic themes. His music is ...

David Dondero David Dondero (born 24 June 1969 in Duluth, Minnesota, United States) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. In 2006, NPR's All Songs Considered named David one of the "best living songwriters" alongside Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and T ...

Tim Kasher Timothy J. Kasher (born August 19, 1974) is an American musician from Omaha, Nebraska, and is the frontman of indie rock groups Cursive and the Good Life, both of which are on the Omaha-based record label Saddle Creek Records. Music Slowdo ...

Violent Femmes Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of founding members Gordon Gano (guitar, lead vocals) and Brian Ritchie (bass, backing vocals), joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza (joined 2004 ...

The Magnetic Fields The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel ''Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American Band (rock and pop), band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocali ...

, and

Courtney Barnett Courtney Melba Barnett (born 3 November 1987) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP ''I've Got a Friend Calle ...

. Described as having "a certain brilliance", Hanlon has also been praised as "a spectacular songwriter; able to create a whole scene from the sum of its subtleties and wit interspersed with poignant moments." In 2015 Hanlon released his fifth solo album, ''Where Did You Come From?'' Songs were recorded in New Orleans, Memphis, Muscle Shoals, Nashville and Clarksdale, with an array of musicians he met along the way, from instrumentalists of popular music

Spooner Oldham Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy ...

, David Hood,

Howard Grimes Howard Lee Grimes (August 22, 1941 – February 12, 2022) was an American drummer, best known as a member of the Hi Rhythm Section on records by Al Green, Ann Peebles and others in the 1970s. Life and career Born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 2 ...

, to unknown buskers and street musicians. Hanlon performs

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

concerts in December of each year, and has done since 2005. The shows, mostly held in churches and halls, routinely sell out each year.

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

EPs

Zines

Turning his creativity to the written word, Darren Hanlon planned to write a series of stories based on conversations he has with barbers. He self-published his first 11-page

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

in late 2017 and is called the ''Cutting Remarks'' series.

References

External links

Darren Hanlon - Official Website

Flippin Yeah Industries - Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanlon, Darren Living people Australian singer-songwriters Folk rock musicians Folk punk musicians Australian folk musicians Australian rock guitarists Australian folk singers Australian ukulele players People from Gympie Year of birth missing (living people) Yep Roc Records artists Australian male guitarists Australian male singer-songwriters Australian banjoists