Former Semisonic front man Dan Wilson has just digitally released his first live album, an epic performance at his hometown of Minneapolis' legendary Pantages Theater. Released on July 20th, the live album spans the Grammy-winning artist’s entire career, containing both solo and full band sets, Wilson’s recent collaborations with other musicians, and some of the most beloved songs from his recent solo album Free Life. Free Life was produced by Rick Rubin, who says of Wilson, “Dan’s music touches my soul. He is/has the perfect combination of inspiration and songcraft. He is a timeless artist whose music will feel as good in 50 years as it does today.”
Wilson, who is currently writing with Josh Groban for Groban’s upcoming album, is in high demand as a songwriter and producer. On June 30 his song “Ours” co-written and co-produced with The Bravery, will be featured in the film, Twilight: Eclipse, the third installment of the wildly successful Twilight series, as well as on the film’s soundtrack. Wilson has also written recently Keith Urban and Jason Mraz. He co-wrote three songs with Adele that will appear on her upcoming album to be released in September, co-wrote two songs and produced one song for the newly release Griffin House album and he co-wrote and co-produced “BOY” with KT Tunstall for the end title of the upcoming U.K. film release, The Kid. Wilson also recently wrote and produced the track “You Take My Troubles Away,” which was performed by Rachael Yamagata and appears on the Dear John soundtrack.
In the mid-nineties, Wilson rose to prominence as a founding member of the Minneapolis-based trio Semisonic. In 2006 Wilson co-wrote a number of songs on the Dixie Chick’s album Taking the Long Way, which sold over 2 million copies in the U.S. and won the Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. Wilson is currently recording a solo studio album set to release in 2011.