GUITARIST DAN MCKINNON RELEASES NEW ALBUM "THE CLEANER" MAY 4

Toronto-based blues/rock guitarist Dan McKinnon has been working hard to establish himself as a Canadian Blues artist on the rise. Following the success of his debut full-length album As Sharp As Possible (2013 Canadian Blues Debut of the Year from the Blues Underground Network) and a year where he won the 2017 Toronto Blues Society’s Talent Search and the Amy Louie Grossman’s Music Scholarship, he is back with a brand new album The Cleaner, a ten-song collection of raucous, hard-hitting blues/rock that has pays homage to the music’s greats, all while keeping an eye on where blues can go in the years to come.

Recorded live to tape at Toronto’s Canterbury Music Company (only one song contains overdubs), The Cleaner captures McKinnon and his band in their element; playing music with a relentless intensity. With unmistakable originals (Storm, King Baby, One Track Mind) and other tunes that give a nod to influences such as Albert King (17 Years), Junior Kimbrough (All Mine), and the White Stripes (Walk That Aisle), The Cleaner is an album that puts the focus on modern blues songwriting with an emphasis on fuzzed out riffs, searing solos, and infectious grooves.

“My favourite period of Blues music, both musically and creatively, came from the late 60’s to the mid 70’s.” says McKinnon. “Albums like B.B. King’s Completely Well, Muddy Waters’ Electric Mud, and Bobby Bland’s Dreamer were rooted in the blues tradition, contained high-quality songwriting, and sounded contemporary for the time. With The Cleaner, I wanted to make an album that hit on these three points.”

Esteemed music blog Blues Rock Review once wrote, “With one great lick, a genre can don a new face, a new energy and excitement. Enter Toronto native Dan McKinnon…from the slow and soulful to the edgy solos that really bite, the road ahead knows no limits.”

McKinnon’s new album offers a fresh voice to the blues/rock genre, while remaining rooted in tradition and respect for the musicians who came before.

Album Track Listing

1. Storm

2. Walk That Aisle

3. 17 Years

4. King Baby

5. Thoughtless

6. All Mine

7. One Track Mind

8. More Than Enough

9. Til You Come Around

10. WOWOWOW