Local Review: Danny Wildcard – Delusions of Pander

Danny Wildcard
Delusions of Pander

Loaded Deck / Beergrass
Street: 10.15.14
Danny Wildcard = Scott H. Biram + Slim Cessna’s Auto Club + Ghostwriter

My first impression of Danny Wildcard is that if he just beefed up the instrumentation on these tracks he’d really have something, but after a listen or two, I realized that the sparse approach really allows the songs to breathe and gives them a lingering quality. Also I would hate to see anything get in the way of Wildcard himself, whose performance really sells these songs. Hailing from Ogden, this darkgrass banjo player is insanely rhythmic in his playing and finds ways to get amazing sounds out of his banjo that I don’t think many players have even thought of. “Sisyphus” is a wonderful tune that displays so much of Wildcard’s talents, and the way he can pound out a song. It may be misleading to call this experimental, but there are definite elements  challenging the listener to follow Wildcard wherever he takes you—and I’m willing go. –James Orme