Emporian returns home with band
By Joey Berlin
Originally published 01:50 p.m., May 30, 2008
Updated 01:50 p.m., May 30, 2008
Daniel Hart found plenty of Meaning in growing up Emporian — enough to even write songs about it. Next Friday, Emporians will get to hear what kind of music this city inspires.
Hart has become an accomplished performer in the indie rock world during the last eight years. His band, The Physics of Meaning, a combination of indie, chamber and folk rock influences with a rotating instrumental lineup behind Hart, performs next Friday at the Emporia Arts Center’s Black Box Theatre.
A multi-instrumentalist who plays violin while fronting Physics, Emporia’s influence on Hart’s music is evident in his songs. Several songs on the group’s self-titled first album, made in 2005, are related directly to his growing-up years here, according to a release.
“When I started writing songs for the first Physics of Meaning album,” Hart said in the release, “I realized that they had a common theme: the ways in which the places we live affect who we are, and at the same time we affect the identity of the places we live.”
One song, “Small Towns and Invisible People,” even opens with the line, “Living started in a small town, at 1423 West Street.”
“I went to Butcher Elementary School, I took violin lessons from Anita Wright, I sang in the choir at St. Andrew’s, I went sledding in the winters at Jones Park,” Hart said. “All of these things are still with me, all of them have shaped who I am, and I’m proud to be from Emporia and I’m excited to come back and perform there.”
The Physics of Meaning is Hart’s latest musical project, but he’s made a name for himself as part of some other bands. He’s a member of two other popular indie rock crews — the band backing singer John Vanderslice and the group St. Vincent — and has also contributed to another popular indie group, the Polyphonic Spree.
Tickets to next Friday’s limited-seating show are $10 and are available at the Arts Center, 618 Mechanic St., or at the Sweet Granada, 805 Commercial St.