Deren Ney

Deren Michael Ney is an American musician, songwriter and filmmaker from San Francisco, California. He performed with Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers before making his solo debut in 2019 with "West Coast Mama" on Volplane Records.

Deren Ney
Background information
Birth nameDeren Michael Ney
BornBerkeley, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, filmmaker
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, keys
Years active2008–present
Labels
  • Volplane Records

As a multi-instrumentalist, Guitar World editor and The Allman Brothers Band biographer Alan Paul described him as "a secret weapon."[1]

Notable performances include Bonnaroo Music Festival, Newport Folk Festival, Hardly Strictly Bluegrass and Red Rocks Amphitheatre with Tedeschi Trucks Band, and was featured in Jay Blakesberg's Guitars That Jam book.

He has directed several music videos, including for Amanda Shires, Marcus King, Jaime Wyatt and Greg Loiacono.

Biography

According to Jay Blakesberg's book Guitars That Jam, Ney took up guitar after seeing Back to the Future and was exposed to live music while frequenting the East Bay's all-ages music clubs 924 Gilman and Berkeley Square.

Former classmate Nicki Bluhm recruited Ney to accompany her live in 2006.[2] Bluhm told The Mercury News in 2012:

“Initially, I was a solo artist. I quickly realized I didn’t like that. It was hard to cut through the noise in clubs all alone. I asked Deren to come with me.[3]

The duo expanded and added the moniker of The Gramblers. The band's performance of Hall and Oates' I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) in their moving tour van amassed millions of views and changed their fortunes overnight.[3] National tours, festivals and appearances on late night shows followed. They were featured on New York Magazine's Pop Culture Matrix. The "Van Sessions" have over 10 million views on YouTube to date and include Cameron Crowe among their fans.[4]

Ney was an occasional songwriting contributor, and wrote the band's highest-charting radio single, "Waiting On Love".

The band has been dormant since 2017. No formal statement has been released about their status. Bluhm released a solo effort.

Solo career

On October 18, 2019, Ney released a single "West Coast Mama" on Volplane Records. His solo band includes Tim Lefebvre (David Bowie, Tedeschi Trucks Band), Pete Levin (Gregg Allman, The Highwomen) and former Grambler bandmate Mike Curry.

Discography

Solo
  • West Coast Mama, single, (Volplane Records, 2019)
  • Crown Shyness (Stay Home and Get High), single, (Volplane Records, 2020)
  • You Ain't Goin' Nowhere, single, (Volplane Records, 2020)
  • Easy Money, single, (Volplane Records, 2021)

Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers
  • Toby's Song (Little Knickers, 2008)
  • Driftwood (Little Knickers, 2011, re-released 2012 on Little Sur Records, 2012)
  • Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers (Little Sur Records, 2013)
  • Love Wild Lost (Little Sur Records, 2015)

Dave Mulligan
  • Runaway Blues (2012)

Painted Horses
  • Painted Horses (2019)

Backline

Following the suicide of guitarist Neal Casal (Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Circles Around the Sun, Ryan Adams & the Cardinals) in 2019, Ney's widely-shared remembrance of his friend helped inspire the creation of the mental health organization for musicians called Backline (though in a 2019 interview with the Jake Feinberg Show, he called his contribution minimal.) [5]

As Director
Year Video Artist
2014 "Another Rolling Stone" Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers
2019 "San Felipe" Greg Loiacono
2019 "Close Your Eyes" Greg Loiacono
2019 "Chamberlain's Trunk" Greg Loiacono
2019 "West Coast Mama" Deren Ney
2020 "Crown Shyness (Stay Home and Get High)" Deren Ney
2020 "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" Deren Ney, Greensky Bluegrass, Infamous Stringdusters, Midnight North, Brothers Comatose
2020 "That's All" Amanda Shires
2020 "All Come Together" Leslie Mendelson
2021 "The Problem" Amanda Shires
2021 "Drivin' Down to Georgia"" Tom Petty (FX shots)
2021 "Gone For Christmas" Amanda Shires
2021 "Need Shelter" Jaime Wyatt
2021 "No One Above You" Marcus King featuring Eric Krasno
2021 "Bird With No Name" Jimmy Herring featuring Circles Around The Sun

References
  1. "Nicki Bluhm & the Gramblers: Into the 'Wild' – Alan Paul". Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  2. "Lafayette Songstress Harmonizes With Van". Walnut Creek, CA Patch. 11 May 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  3. "'Van Sessions' helping Lafayette's Nicki Bluhm get places". The Mercury News. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  4. Crowe, Cameron (27 March 2012). "@nickibluhm @timbluhm don't sell the van!". @CameronCrowe. Retrieved 23 December 2019.
  5. "Ney – The Deren Ney Interview | Jake Feinberg Show". Retrieved 23 December 2019.
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