Today we’d like to introduce you to Dan Houtz.
Hi Dan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started performing in my late teens attending open mics at local bars and coffee shops in the area focused on songwriting and developing original material rooted in my favorite music, 90’s alternative rock music. I had been working on lots of poetry and other free verse forms of writing as a means of expression and eventually it clicked that I would be able to use those ideas to craft them into lyrics. After attending these open mics, some with my older sister Jules and some at local coffee shops hosted by people like Rob Hinkal and Uncle John Sawbriar, I eventually started hosting my own showcases as a singer/songwriter at Huckleberry’s Coffee and Tea, Roger’s Coffee, The Bottomless Cup and now at Vagabond Sandwich Company. This showcase, known as the Start Something Spotlight Series is still active today at Vagabond and is accompanied by an Open Mic that I host there on the 1st and 3rd Monday of each month.
During this time I had also been performing as a vocalist and front man for local rock bands. A lot of these things happened concurrently. As I was developing the showcase and performing/running open mics, bands would be playing club shows in the Baltimore Original Rock Scene. Some of the bands I performed with are Erasing All, 90 Second Life Story, Ashes To Embers and Through The Wake. The last band in the line is called Think Again and it is an ensemble of friends and cohorts from my music career coming together to build a full band sound around my singer/songwriter material.
Currently Think Again is proceeding as a recording project and the majority of my musical time is spent on my solo work under my name Dan Houtz. I am currently performing live about 5 times per month as a cover musician, and a few more times playing or hosting original types of events like songwriter’s showcases or open mics. I have also been writing and releasing music under my name. I am set to release a new album “Idle Hands” on April 18th, 2025. This is my first album or EP release since Think Again’s Keep Hope Alive EP in 2019. The name “Idle Hands” comes from a title track on the album, and promotes an emphasis on using energy to make progress.
My music has developed significantly over the last several years just as my life has. In 2025 I will turn 40 and at this point in my life, I am performing more than I ever have and creating what I believe to be the best ideas I have had to this point in my writing. I used my time at home during the COVID 19 Pandemic to start building out my cover song list. This was something to do since my band was inactive due to social distancing. Looking into the the great expanse of cover songs, I have really started to listen to, learn, and be influenced by a lot more different styles, eras, and genre’s of music, which comes out in the new album.
Outside of my musical endeavors, I am a land surveyor working for the Maryland State Highway Administration and my wife Hillary and I are raising two children (Hunter (8) and Violet (5)). I try very hard to keep up with the opportunities available for my music life, but I make a point to be there for my family.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I don’t think a smooth road exists as a musician if you are really trying to make progress.
As a host and a solo musician the biggest struggles have been that so many great businesses I have worked with like Huckleberry’s, Roger’s, Bottomless Cup have gone out of business. These series and performances built a lot of community around these spaces, and them closing was really hard.
In my band life it is typically about the struggle of being noticed, or getting the right show opportunities, band members departing and keeping a band going and motivated for the time it takes to build a brand and build success. There are numerous challenges that even the most successful bands face.
My greatest personal challenge in my band career was over practicing and having struggles with my voice in live performances in the later part of the Ashes To Embers years. I
In my music career overall, the greatest challenge was nerve damage in my hand that causes me to have to tape my picks on so I can play the guitar for a full set without pain up my arm.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My full time job is working for the Maryland State Highway Administration. I work as a land surveyor managing survey efforts for roadway projects.
In my music career:
I am a singer/songwriter that works to write and create songs,
I am a performer that performs my songs and a large variety of cover songs from many artists, eras and genres. I tend to feature popular cover songs in those sets, song that people would typically sing along with.
I am a host, running open mics to encourage new talent, organizer for a showcase to feature current regional talent. I produce live sound at these performances and absorb the cost so the artists have a space to create without any burden of production costs.
I am also starting to work on my own production. I am super proud that most of my record Idle Hands was recorded by me in my home studio. This approach allowed me to experiment with more layers and parts than I typically would as a singer/songwriter on my own. After I recorded my parts, I had my album post-produced, mixed and mastered by Tony Correlli from the Deep End Studio.
I am know for having an intense voice with some grit, thoughtful lyrics, and a well rounded cover set list with songs you may not expect.
I am probably most proud of the overall group of things I am doing and my tenacity to make it happen.
Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I think things will continue to progress forward and new stars will emerge. I think the most successful acts will be the independent acts that can operate as frequently as possible with low overhead, especially those that create and put out new material often.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danhoutzmusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan.j.houtz/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danhoutzmusic
- Twitter: https://x.com/dan_j_houtz
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DHmusicThinkAgain
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dan-houtz-704831854?p=a&c=1&si=2a05f00133d5402288095f6d8f036998&utm_campaign=social_sharing&utm_medium=text&utm_source=other
