Born and raised in Los Angeles, Gary Dranow is a writer and guitarist involved in multiple different projects, namely, Gary Dranow and the Manic Emotions. Dranow moved to Park City Utah in 1998 to ski professionally and run a ski racing academy. In 2023, he released an album called Destiny Road, which he’d written in the 90s and never released. An old California friend shipped him back the tapes it was recorded on, and Dranow figured out how to convert the tapes to WAV files, with some really cool help (it’s not an easy process).
Since the Destiny Road release, Dranow has been working on a new double-album called Never Give Up that’s currently being released in a series of singles. Dranow’s signature sound is one that revolves around the guitar. Among his hefty collection of guitars, Dranow said he picks one to write on and becomes inspired by the guitar to write “a musical idea.” He then is typically inspired by the musical idea to name the song — pretty early in the song-writing process, but it helps Dranow’s songs take shape.
In this episode, he talks about his late-in-life diagnosis of Bipolar 1, which he considers his super power. You’ll hear more about his song-writing process and how he collaborates with musicians all over the globe. Plus, you’ll hear some of his nostalgic stories of falling in love with the guitar in the ’60s, and learn about some of the artists from his youth that inspired him.
Gary Dranow and the Manic Emotions are also starting a residency at O’Shucks Bar and Grill on the Park City Main Street strip every Monday night from 6-9. You can catch them performing on the patio this summer, and they’ll also be live streamed on Facebook. You can follow Gary Dranow Music or Gary Dranow and the Manic Emotions on social media, and find Dranow on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you stream.