Daniel Steinbock was born and raised on the California coast north of the Golden Gate, the only child of a sailor and a librarian. A singer-songwriter in the sublime lyrical tradition of Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and Neil Young, pre-apocalyptic love songs and spare folk poems fill his song book with a rare spiritual nakedness. Taking inspiration from American poet-mystics like Mary Oliver and Walt Whitman, his work treats human ecstasy and suffering as inseparable from the natural world. Imagine if Whitman had left New York as a young man and wandered West through tent revival spirituals and Delta freedom songs, to grow quiet and haikuist at the feet of giant California Redwoods.

Steinbock began self-releasing music while a graduate student in Education, garnering a loyal local following. He produced two EPs in this period — Sea Inside and The Blade. The title tracks of each EP won Stanford University’s annual student songwriting contest two years in a row, and were featured on the resulting compilation albums.

“Out of Blue is a soft-hearted, introspective look at enveloping love that is uncontrollably honest and surreal.”
– No Depression, Journal of Roots Music

Steinbock’s debut studio album, Out of Blue, was primarily recorded live in the rural Pacific Northwest, on the stage of the 100 year-old OK Theatre in Enterprise, Oregon. The record is a shining example of modern Americana songcraft, painting with colors of rock n’ roll, gospel-soul, country and blues, with features by fellow troubadours John Craigie, Ayla Nereo, and Rainbow Girls.

Out of Blue is now available worldwide. Listen here.