Danny Click (photo: Carolyn McCoy)

Words by Carolyn McCoy

Intimacy can be thought of as a connection between two or more people sharing an experience that brings them closer together. Music can be thought of as a type of conduit to intimacy, as the sharing song, rhythm and the creative spirit can form a bond, which creates connection not only between the music maker and the fan but between those who hear the music as well.

Marin County blues-rock guitarist and songwriter Danny Click has somehow managed to bring deep intimacy into his shows and his music. From each note that he plays, Click inspires us to think, feel, and embrace the truth and hardship that inhabits the heart; the good and the bad. He brings his music into being with lively songs, haunting lyrics, and the cohesion of instrument and voice. During his live shows, there is a true connection between listener, band member, and Click himself.

With his hard-driving Americana and Texas-blues-tinged songs, Click has left his mark on the Marin County music scene as a force to be reckoned with. He takes magic and channels it into music that is so pure and so real it fills any room up with a sound that can carry one to another realm of reality. That is why music is so powerful. That’s why music is so healing.

Amid the art deco beauty and hand painted details of  Mill Valley’s Throckmorton Theatre, it is easy to understand that Click has found his calling up on the stage. The evening’s performance was in celebration of Click’s 6th album, Live At 142, which was recorded in 2014 but is just now being released.

“The new live record is a total departure for me and us as a band, it’s all acoustic with a string section,” states Click of his new release. “I think certain passages and songs on this record are hauntingly gorgeous.”

Culling from his five prior albums, Click’s first set was solely acoustic and highlighted many of the songs on the live new album, including the forceful truth-telling of “Let Me Down Hard,” the haunting beauty of “Rescue,” and the bluesy drawl of “Jolena.” More true to his performance style, the second set was rollicking, rocking, and electric, and included many favorites such as the life-affirming romp “Life Is A Good Place,” the hard-rocking “Wait My Turn,” as well songs that many of his fans, including myself, know and love. The final song of the evening was a fantastic version of Tom Petty’s “You And I Will Meet Again,” which was a satisfying sing along and an appropriate tune that closed an incredible and heart opening night of music.

“I really do think this band stacks up against other in the world this point,” says Click of his crew. The band is solid and tight and each musician brings in his or her own sound and personality to the music, creating a whole world of magic that swells and blooms with each performance I have experienced.

To Click, it isn’t about the fame or fortune, it’s about the music and what it does for his soul and the soul of others. “I feel right with the world when I play live. Like I’m in my kind of church. It’s a very spiritual feeling. I find that it’s kind of like leaving the body sometimes.”