James Lee Stanley & Dan Navarro

Two of the most prominent singer-songwriters to grace Música Del Río, and never together before, have joined forces for our first house concert of 2022. Read on to better understand the new and highly noteworthy collaboration of Dan Navarro and James Lee Stanley. James and Dan have known each other and learned from each other for years. But what has brought them together for this project is a keen interest in examining some of the ways rock & roll history can wrap itself around modern day acoustic music, known as Americana.

James Lee has found an expansion port to his music over the past few years in his effort to share many noted contemporary music forms, which were seldom shared before in the cross genre way he sees them now. These became projects of musical respect and admiration, not duplication or cover. This included his “All Wood and Stones I & II” projects with John Batdorf in 2005 and 2013; and his “All Wood and Doors” project with Chris Eberhardt in 2011.

These earlier musical crusades of James’s caught Dan Navarro’s interest. Dan thought “What if Led Zeppelin had lived in Laurel Canyon in 1967 instead of England?” That singular thought from an artist with an extremely vivid musical imagination, brought Dan and James to this remarkable musical evening we have planned for you in February.

This project is the result of two years and hundreds of studio hours finding just the right approach to reimagining the songs of one of the most successful and influential bands in rock history, Led Zeppelin. And along with James & Dan’s musical precision, their individual unfiltered “free child” seems to prosper in a live performance…together. That means the musical expression is not likely to be limited to Led Zeppelin…or Laurel Canyon. On February 5, two of our most notable Música Del Río alumni will help us rethink the melding of contemporary musical history.

All Wood and Led, an acoustic rendition of Led Zeppelin, will be shared with you here. Be there!