Danny Freeze & The Earthlings: Don’t’ Think Twice It’s Alright
L.A. | The Atom
Amarillo musician Danny Dobervich started out with a $12 guitar when he was a kid. He learned to play “House of the Rising Sun” and “Tell Ol’ Bill.” He also got a harmonica around age 10. His best friend, who lived across the street joined in to make up songs and sing together, playing for other kids in the neighborhood and going door to door playing for a penny a song.
“That was our first paid gig,” said Dobervich.
Although he had taken violin lessons from grades 4-6, he learned to play the guitar mostly from songbooks with chords and figured out a lot of songs by ear as he was growing up and went to Tascosa High School.
He got married young and started a family, just playing guitar as a hobby when he had time. He joined the Navy for the steady paycheck and health insurance and sometimes played guitar around the barracks and onboard ship.
“I wrote a few songs while I was in the Navy,” Dobervich said.
He went on to study at Amarillo College, where he learned from guitarist Gary Thompson.
“He taught me that being accurate mattered,” said Dobervich. “That brought me up a step or two.”
Dobervich then attended UT Austin, where he was exposed to the music scene in the 1980s. He went to work as an electrical engineer and later a math and engineering teacher back in Amarillo.
He was 42 when his father passed away in the ‘90s and Dobervich began to think about his own priorities. He realized that he shouldn’t wait to do the things he wanted to do. He decided it was time to get on a stage.
Playing at an Amarillo venue called Boondocks, he started out working for a $1 off discount on his beer and moved up to $20 per show.
“I didn’t know enough songs for a formal show, so I played some more than once,” Dobervich said. “I started getting more serious, sitting in and playing with better musicians around town. I learned some more technical things about playing the harmonica and played in a few bands.”
He joined the DryLand Dreamers with guitarist David Arterburn, Leon Lang on bass and Danny Daughtry on drums. They played ‘60s rock, folk and country music, in addition to writing original songs.
“We played together at a lot of backyard parties and Wildcat Bluff,” said Dobervich.
He met musicians like Ben Cargo, Rick Todd, Michaela Robinson and Moses Moran and played at the Long Wooden Spoon, Starlight Theater, Gooney’s and the Sunset Center. Dobervich became the guitarist and front man for his band called the Earthlings.
Going back to Amarillo College for a couple of semesters of guitar lessons from Homero Campos also helped him to fill in some music theory gaps that led to a better grasp of jazz chords and several new original songs.
“I got to make music with a lot of cool people,” Dobervich said. “I used to play at Leftwood’s until they closed. That was the cool musician hangout for a while. That’s where I met Josh Fitch, Jason Hodges, Andrew Fox and a lot of others.
“Most of what I play is older music now,” said Dobervich. “I do shows for nonprofit organizations once every month or so. I like writing songs and I’ve been wanting to record more of my old originals.
Learn more about Danny Freeze & the Earthlings on Facebook and YouTube.
Listen: https://youtu.be/p3ZgYlth4FM?si=swNLALxler7B0DJ2
Listen: https://youtu.be/fbqgvVO59p0
Catch Danny Dobervich from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 4 at the Senior Enrichment Center, located at 605 38th St in Canyon, Texas. Watch for other opportunities to hear him play live this summer!
