Dan Tedesco Jan 8 at Founders Taproom

Singer/songwriter Dan Tedesco is one of the fortunate few to attend college based on musical talent--in a warm climate, no less. The Chicagoland native was the recipient of a scholarship to the music school at Arizona State University.

“I was given a scholarship to study jazz performance for guitar and that helped me make my decision initially to go in that direction,” Tedesco said during in a recent interview.

But after two years in Tempe he says the educational side of music was getting mechanical and a little too scientific

“That’s not a bad thing to explore,” Tedesco said of the rigors of advanced study. “But I felt like it was getting to the point where if I kept going down that road I might lose my original attachment to music.” 

Faced with delving deeper and deeper into the theoretical side of things, including melodies that were derived from mathematical sets, Tedesco switched study areas for fear of losing the organic accent.

“I graduated with a double minor in music and business,” Tedesco said. “I did that to get more of a well-rounded experience and knowledge before I was done.”  

Folk/rock musician Dan Tedesco looks to put his musical education in the spotlight when he appears January 8 at Founders Taproom.

Tedesco acknowledges one thing the music regiment at the college level taught him: the importance of overstepping your comfort zone.

“It’s a healthy thing to stretch your brain and push yourself in areas where you might not stumble on your own because that’s how you grow,” Tedesco said.

Sticking with the fundamental side of music has paid off for Tedesco. To date he's recorded 3 CDs including the 2014 release Death in the Valley. 

On Death in the Valley, Tedesco addresses the exploration of human habits and ditching of stagnant routines. Conceptual topics center on growth, endings, and renewal. He said the record examines how life leads to death but how death also leads to new life; good things are born out of the expiration of old ideas. The songs appear tailor made for the season.

“It’s never too late to try something new,” Tedesco said. “Challenge is the only way you grow. It’s important not be afraid of it.”

Above all some of these guys talk the good talk. What shakes out in the end is sometimes interesting. Tedesco, however, sounds like he’s walking the walk.

“It’s a hard thing to say goodbye to something you’re comfortable with because it’s going to be different in the morning,” Tedesco said. “That’s a scary thing but also very exciting and that is important to remember.” 

Dan Tedesco wsg Nicholas James & Bigfoot Buffalo, 9:30, Thursday, at Founders Taproom. Free

Founders dot com event page