Wonder in the Wood
story: Gary VanDeWalkerphotos: Taryn Burkleo
New Traditions Dulcimers and Wood Crafts in Yreka
The sound of the Appalachian dulcimer is the feel of sunlight through the woods in a hilly countryside. The notes blow like wind, rustling the leaves of memories and warming the air. The songs flowing from the hourglass-shaped instruments speak of the lives of farmers and settlers of America and the homespun values of years past.
Musician Dan Daniels crafts his life along with business around the dulcimer. The four-string bodies in his store represent a lifetime of music and enduring craftsmanship. The instruments speak of a philosophy of simplicity, represented by Daniels’ other works: flutes, wood toys, soaps, and signs with personalized messages embodying what lays in his heart.
Daniels’ musical background formed on the lathes of folk music in Colorado, where as a teen he started playing guitar. “It was an extraordinary time,” Daniels says. “You could go to the local coffeehouse and hear John Denver and Judy Collins.” He played and learned; however, life called him to the Pacific Northwest and a job in biomedical electronics. “Folk music has followed me through life,” Daniels says. “It expanded and my life continued to be filled with music.”
A turning point in his life was in 1982, when “I made my first dulcimer for a guy named Brian,” he says. Daniels’ work represented a return to music as a central focus of his life. His musicianship and craftsmanship brought new outlets for his talents, including the building of various wood musical pieces.
His instruments are all made of indigenous woods, with the exception of the Alaskan spruce used for the dulcimer’s soundboards. “I don’t use harvested wood. I look for the downed cherry, black walnut, pear and myrtle trees growing in the area. I don’t import wood. My focus is on what I can find in Siskiyou County. I just made three flutes from a mahogany table leaf given to me from a piece of furniture that had been in Yreka for 75 years.”
Joni Mitchell reintroduced the dulcimer to the West Coast in the 1970s. “It’s American music,” Daniels says. It’s the American heart, an American sound. One of my goals is to re-educate folks about the dulcimer. Every customer I have is unique. Every instrument I make is unique. Nothing is mass-produced. What I make is for people looking for what is hand crafted and Americana.”
Daniels opened up his business on historic Miner Street in Yreka. New Traditions Dulcimers and Wood Crafts is in the Americana Hotel. The brick building centers on a street where gold miners and cowboys marked their lives, and today the city lane still whispers of simpler times and a history not forgotten. Inside his store, the largest original tin ceiling on the block covers overhead as musical instruments, soaps and wooden toys invite the customer back to modern times.
“The business is very green. Along with using reclaimed wood products, our soaps use clean ingredients and our soy candles are 100% natural,” Daniels says. “The purpose is for people to live healthy, fulfilling lives, especially through music.”
One customer with emphysema purchased a flute. Daniels took time to give lessons and the man improved in his playing, but also found increased ability to breathe as he learned to play.
Daniels performs, taking a tour once a year. He returns to Denver, swinging through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. Then he moves down through Washington and Oregon to return home. The store carries his music. The open guitar case behind his work desk sometimes fills the store with the melodies he cherishes.
With a quiet smile, Daniels bright eyes think back over the many places he has lived and worked. His voice almost whispers, “This is it. I’ve lived in great places. This is ideal.” •
www.newtraditionsdulcimers.com
312 W. Miner Street, Yreka
(530) 842-3942
