Dan Maguire Believes Everything's Going to Be OK

Dan Maguire hopes they remember how they felt.

When I asked him how he would describe one of his concerts, he didn't begin by talking about guitars or songwriting or even rock and roll. Instead, he told me what he hopes happens to the audience.

"I hope that for at least a little while," he said, "everything's gonna be ok."

That answer stayed with me.

Dan's music is rooted in Rockford, but his story began long before he arrived there. He fell in love with music growing up in Tulsa, where he developed what he calls a "Southern fried attitude" toward songwriting. College took him to Denver, where he studied guitar, played in bands, and continued developing as a musician. Eventually he settled in Rockford, where he built a career, raised a family, and continued writing songs.

Each place became part of his music.

Rockford didn't create his songwriting as much as it gave it another chapter.

When I asked what keeps him inspired after all these years, his answer was simple.

Life.

The planned events. The unexpected events. The experiences that shape us over time.

And above all, his family.

One song in particular still affects him every time he performs it.

It's called Maeve.

Dan told me his family experienced an overwhelming tragedy years ago. At some point he made a decision that he was going to write one song that took something beautiful and hopeful from what had happened.

He wasn't going to let the tragedy have the final word.

"I wasn't going to allow the experience to have all of the power to decide how this experience was framed in the present, the journey and the future."

Every time he performs Maeve, he says the song is different because of whatever is happening inside him that night.

I suspect audiences can hear that.

His songwriting process is wonderfully uncomplicated. He plays guitar constantly. Eventually he hears something interesting. He keeps playing it, begins humming, and gradually the melody, lyrics, and story reveal themselves together.

Nothing feels forced.

That same honesty carries into his performances.

Dan told me he tries to sing every song sincerely, remembering exactly where he was emotionally when he wrote it. He also enjoys telling audiences how songs came to be, and he makes room for humor because, as he put it, laughter and happiness are things we need and they help connect us with one another.

That feels very much like Wesley's Place.

When I asked what he enjoys about listening rooms, his answer made me smile.

"I LOVE Listening Rooms."

He described them as places where people come specifically to immerse themselves in music. Close. Intimate. Authentic. The kind of setting where songs don't need production or distraction because the performance itself is enough.

Looking back over his career, Dan said he is most proud that he never stopped.

Music has given him successes, disappointments, reinventions, surprises, and countless opportunities to pick himself back up.

"But I've gone through all of that pursuing something I wanted to do," he told me. "It's remarkable."

By the end of our conversation I realized that everything he had said pointed back to his first answer.

He wants audiences to leave feeling, even if only for an evening, that everything is going to be okay.

There are worse reasons to spend a Friday night listening to music.

Dan Maguire joins Lone Canary for Rockford Night at Wesley's Place on Friday, July 10.

And if you're wondering what kind of music Dan Maguire plays, he has the perfect answer.

"Slow cooked Rock 'n Roll."