Biography
Nad Navillus revolves around Dan Sullivan, whose guitar approach spans multiple styles while drawing most heavily from fellow musicians of his era. An austere vocal tone, precise playing technique, and thoughtful song structures give his releases a surface kinship with other works, yet they retain sufficient independence to hold their ground. By drawing on relatives and close associates, his material conveys a depth rarely found in singer/songwriter efforts built solely around acoustic guitar. Sullivan deploys both acoustic and electric instruments within a complete ensemble framework, never relinquishing the central force of his voice-and-guitar pairing.
Although Sullivan had performed on guitar for years, his first official album appeared in 1999 as the self-titled release on ProShop. The label itself emerged from a musician-run collective that included Sullivan, yet it ceased operations shortly after that debut. A marked evolution arrived with the 2001 Jagjaguwar follow-up, which moved beyond the guitar-only format of the first record to feature Sullivan’s vocals and a full band for the first time. Iron Night, his third album, surfaced in 2002 on the same Jagjaguwar imprint.
While pursuing his own projects, Sullivan assisted Parker Paul with the Wingfoot album and spent two years performing with Songs: Ohia, appearing on Mi Sei Apparso Come un Fantasma and Magnolia Electric Co. Whenever time permitted, he also joined his brother and additional players in the Butcher Shop Quartet, a group committed to reinterpreting classical repertoire—including Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring—through electric guitars and other modern rock instruments.
Although Sullivan had performed on guitar for years, his first official album appeared in 1999 as the self-titled release on ProShop. The label itself emerged from a musician-run collective that included Sullivan, yet it ceased operations shortly after that debut. A marked evolution arrived with the 2001 Jagjaguwar follow-up, which moved beyond the guitar-only format of the first record to feature Sullivan’s vocals and a full band for the first time. Iron Night, his third album, surfaced in 2002 on the same Jagjaguwar imprint.
While pursuing his own projects, Sullivan assisted Parker Paul with the Wingfoot album and spent two years performing with Songs: Ohia, appearing on Mi Sei Apparso Come un Fantasma and Magnolia Electric Co. Whenever time permitted, he also joined his brother and additional players in the Butcher Shop Quartet, a group committed to reinterpreting classical repertoire—including Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring—through electric guitars and other modern rock instruments.
Albums
Live