UNC alum Daniel Levi Goans releases first solo album

English majors often use books in their careers — but not as musical instruments.

Daniel Levi Goans, who graduated from UNC in 2009 with an English degree, does just that on his album “BrotherStranger,” which was released Saturday in Greensboro.

Goans ­— who is from Greensboro — said he is strongly influenced by his North Carolina roots.

“Folk music is a music of stories,” he said. “It connects people and it’s a much more community-based genre.”

Goans recorded the album in an old library in Royal Oak, Md., on the Chesapeake Bay during his nine months at Trinity Forum Academy.

The academy hosts a postgraduate fellowship that allows 12 artists each year to hone their craft in a community setting. He said he spent about two years crafting and writing the album that was recorded there.

Goans said that although his sound is distinctly North Carolinian, he was inspired by his surroundings, and used the spines of the books in the library as percussion.

His first, “Choice Cannonball,” was released in September 2009.

Earlier this month, he released a 40-minute single, recorded in Greensboro with other local musicians as a precursor to the album release.

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Goans first played with the band as a freshman when they needed a keyboard player in a pinch.

He learned 15 songs in about two hours, Cash said.

While the band toured around the U.S. and recorded in Nashville, Tenn., Goans said he completed his final semesters at UNC through correspondence courses.

Though The War was a rock band, Goans said he classifies his solo music as folk.

Cash said that Goans’ transition from rock music to folk is not surprising.

“He’s got a great ear for rock music, but he’s always been into James Taylor and Paul Simon,” he said.

Although Goans recorded his album in almost complete isolation, 12 musicians performed with him at the CD’s release party on Saturday, recreating the tracks’ layers.

Greensboro musician Edward Kerr played guitar at the show. He said the live performances of the album demonstrate Goans’ passion for community in music.

“Getting that many people in one room together, making sounds that we all love, is going to be really exciting,” Kerr said before Saturday’s performance.

The release party was held at The Blind Tiger Neighborhood Bar, a Greensboro venue.

During his time as a student in Chapel Hill, Goans’ interest in building community was not limited to music.

As a freshman, he started the Pirate Club at UNC.

Despite its lack of purpose, the club garnered more than 600 members in a matter of weeks, he said.

The club created “Shiver Me Timbers” T-shirts that at least 200 people purchased.

“I’ve always loved community, so that’s why I’m drawn to writing and music — and the Pirate Club,” he said.

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