Just some of my favorite songs that I worked on using GarageBand in my home studio.  I have two goals. The first is to continue to recreate my favorite songs...but producing and mixing them effectively and efficiently is the goal. I want to learn all the bells and whistles of GarageBand (eventually Logic perhaps) so I can better apply those tools once I start churning out original ideas. 

My second goal is to develop a better sense of how GREAT songs are structured. What makes great songs great?  I think it’s hard for me to do many original compositions right now because I feel I need to refine my understanding of song structure and composition. I guess, this is where having limited formal training in music and theory comes back to bite me a bit.  

Enjoy!  I've learned a lot.

Covers By Daniel Magnuson

About the composer: Willy Porter is a contemporary American rock musician and singer-songwriter from Mequon, Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.  A largely self-taught musician, his live shows are guitar-driven grit, soul, silence and muscle– at times electrifying, dynamic, and unique in the way that Porter’s voice blends and fuses with his fret work.

Daniel Magnuson's Album

Unconditional (Willy Porter)

Opening Tuning: CGCEAD - Steven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived for much of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity.  He died in 2003 of two stab wounds to his chest.  No one knows if they were self-inflicted or if his death was a homicide.

Clementine (Elliott Smith)

Song for George (Eric Johnson)

Just a bluesy number I have always loved by the artist David Wilcox

Strong Chemistry (David Wilcox)

Distant Sun (Crowded House)

A song performed by Daniel Magnuson and written by David Wilcox from his album "How Did You Find Me Here".

Leave It Like It Is (David Wilcox)

Into the Mystic (Van Morrison)

I Will Dare (The Replacements)

These Days (R.E.M.)

I'm a public school teacher(23 years) and a self-taught musician.  I currently teach 5th grade at Lake Harriet Community School. I also play guitar with the school’s staff rock band. Most of my experience with guitar has been acoustic folk but recently I’ve started exploring electric guitar. My pipe dream is to continue to serve in education but also (especially during the summer months) play guitar at open mics, coffee shops, parks around Minneapolis.  I mostly perform the music of my favorite folk artists: David Wilcox, Storyhill, Peter Mayor, Elliot Smith, Willy Porter, etc.  I have written a few original pieces as well.