Bios of the Artists of Aeolian May

James Durham - Songwriter/Producer

Originally trained on the violin by a master violinist who owned a Stradivarius known as "The Rose," James' early exposure to music included mainly classical influences such as Grieg and Schubert. With an ear tuned to melodic progressions, arpeggios and sweeping orchestral textures, James was fascinated by synthesizers the second he set eyes (and ears) on one. He purchased his first synthesizer as a young teenager, when he started composing his first songs.

Completely self-taught on keyboard, music production and music engineering, over the years James created a large collection of original songs and compositions in a broad range of styles. Meanwhile, he recorded, produced and/or collaborated with other artists on projects ranging from traditional jazz to alternative rock. His songwriting and producing have been widely praised and his first personal release of his own music took place in 2003 with Aeolian May: Port of Embarkation.

James has been branching out with film scoring and continues other music productions and collaborations. He is currently recording an experimental new age electronica album entitled Arothea: The First Attempt at Breaking the World and is producing the follow up album to Port of Embarkation.

Danan Healy - Singer/Songwriter

A professional classical singer by trade, Danan Healy started singing pop at around age 22. After graduating from Southern Methodist University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, she moved to Columbus, OH and started a collaboration with songwriter Dan Rogers. Together they produced soundtrack music for the Sundance Film Festival movie Chillicothe, which can be rented or bought at Hollywood Videos across the country. While Danan went on to get her Graduate Degree in Voice from the Eastman School of Music, the collaboration continued and they now have a 4-song demo under the name “bluevision.”

In 2000, Danan got a job singing in the US Army Soldiers’ Chorus and in 2003 won the job of Lead Singer in the Army’s premier touring rock band The Volunteers. She has sung with local Baltimore bands The Dave Ashman Group, Frantic Moon, and most recently, the rock/ska project 23 Skadoo.

Also in 2003 she met and started collaborating with songwriter/producer James Durham and became the lead singer of Aeolian May. From this collaboration comes their first full length CD, Port of Embarkation.

In the summer of 2005, Danan started a solo project entitled You Need More Love featuring her original music.

Matt Ellison - Lead Guitar

Guitarist Matt Ellison pulls together a wide range of influences into his own musical style, a combination that includes jazz, blues, rock, and funk. His music blends these influences into a sound that is at once melodic, soulful, and rhythmically complex. Influences include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Pat Metheny, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Joe Satriani, Sting, Chick Corea, and numerous heavy metal hair bands from the late 1980s.

Matt began studying guitar at 15, playing with rock bands throughout the D.C. area. He continued his music education at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where his interests focused on jazz improvisation and performance. After leaving Berklee, he continued studying jazz guitar with national jazz recording artist Vinny Valentino. Since then, he has recorded and performed with musicians throughout the East Coast, including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and New York. He has collaborated on recordings with the traditional jazz group The Federal Focus Jazz Band (released 1995, 1996), D.C. rock bands Crimson Burn and Honeypole (1996), and his own jazz/rock group, Kind of Blue (1997).

Matt has maintained a long-term collaboration with songwriter/producer James Durham through several projects, and is the lead guitarist of Aeolian May. Matt is featured extensively on Aeolian May's first full-length album, Port of Embarkation.

Instruments used while recording Port of Embarkation: Ibanez PM100 hollowbody guitar, Fender Strat, Ovation 1860 Custom Balladeer cedar top electric/acoustic.

Damien - Additional Guitar

Damien has been playing and studying the guitar since he was 10. He is an accomplished musician as well as a songwriter/composer in his own right. Self-taught on the guitar as well as the piano, bass and drums (although he does admit to taking a few lessons), Damien has performed in several bands over the years, including Strange Vibes and Hailey's Jam. Fans of his have enjoyed his original music in many venues from festivals to restaurants and bars.

His primary influences include Stevie Ray Vaughan, Paco de Lucia and Richie Blackmore.

Damien is currently developing his own demo of original compositions, and can be most recently heard on the album Aeolian May - Port of Embarkation.