The Ballad of Danny Malone, Songwriting Genius

Back in my Austin club scene days in the ‘00s, there was a name that kept coming up over and over again..

"Whoa, have you heard this Danny Malone guy?" "You gotta check out Danny Malone." "Danny Malone is a world-class songwriter, holy crap."

And so on. And on and on and on.

When the Austin Chronicle declared Danny to be "Austin’s answer to Elliott Smith," I’ll admit—I bristled. That was a title I secretly (okay, maybe not so secretly) hoped might be attached to my own music. So, naturally, I had to check him out, if only to see if this was well-earned praise or just a whole lot of hot air.

Well, fuck.

This guy was good.

I mean… really, REALLY good.

Once I got over my petty songwriter jealousy, I became a full-fledged fan. And as fate would have it, our paths eventually crossed some years later when Danny guested on my Indie Orchestra show. Turns out, he’s an absolute sweetheart to boot. Orchestrating his songs for that show was a blast, and it went over so well that Danny and I decided to take the orchestration for Skyboy—which I co-wrote with Mother Falcon stalwart Matt Puckett—and include it on his upcoming album. I assembled a studio orchestra and chorus, conducted the session, and helped mix it all down. It turned out beautifully, and I was honored to be part of it.

Then the pandemic hit. The world shut down, and Danny disappeared from my radar. Hell, he disappeared from a lot of people’s radars. Every now and then, in musician circles, you'd hear, "Hey, has anyone seen Danny?" Usually met with shrugs or uneasy glances. His struggles with the musician’s life weren’t exactly a secret, and if we’re being honest, a lot of us feared the worst.

Then, out of the blue, I get a text.

Danny wanted to settle up the tab for the Skyboy sessions and let me know he’d be coming down from Dallas to play his first Austin show in forever. As we kept talking, we figured having some musical backup onstage might help shake off the rust. So, I was in—pedal steel, guitar, background vocals.

Digging back into his music was a total treat. The guy can REALLY write a song. And then REALLY perform the pants off it. He’s a total natural.

The night before the show, we got together at my rehearsal space, and everything just clicked. That piano playing, that deceptively intricate guitar work, and… THAT VOICE.

*Brent & Danny (photo: samehrnsteinphoto)*

For the show, Danny kicked things off solo, with me joining him halfway through. Which meant I got the best of both worlds—watching from the audience as a fan before stepping in as a player. The crowd? Packed. Singing every word. More than a few tears were shed—Danny’s music does that to people.

When it was my time to join, I realized I hadn’t thought about how I was actually going to get to the stage through the wall of bodies. But I made it. The rest is kind of a blur, except for the overwhelming feeling that this was one of the best shows I’d played in a long, long time.

Mere words can’t capture how incredible it was to see Danny back in action—newly sober, sharp as ever, and absolutely owning the moment. I love Danny Malone and his music. And I couldn’t be prouder to be part of his comeback.

If you’re familiar with his music, you know. If you’re not, I encourage you to correct that deficiency ASAP.

You can thank me later.