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Musician Daniel Isle Sky ascends to new heights
“Like music, rock climbing has been a passion of mine.”
San Diego Reader, Dec 24, 2020. By Jay Allen Sanford
broke my hip bone while rock climbing in Zion National Park in Utah,” reports singer-songwriter Daniel Isle Sky. “I was rescued by a [National Park Service] helicopter the next day. A surgeon in St. George screwed my bones back together.” Sky had been staying in nearby Springdale to work on a motivational book (Because You Can) and develop non-music gigs as a motivational speaker. Doing so near his favorite mountain range seemed only natural.
“Like music, rock climbing has been a passion of mine. It’s more of an escape from reality than conquering mountains. Just like all the songs in the universe haven’t been written, all of the mountains in the world haven’t been climbed. Through my explorations, I’ve been able to do the first ascents of ten mountains officially named on maps of Zion National Park, my favorite place to climb.”
The pandemic closed down the Park, as well as making work difficult to find. “I was lucky enough to regularly perform outside of Deep Creek Coffee. The shop was open for outside service only. I had found a space that allowed me to perform, unplugged, at a safe social distance.”
When Zion finally opened to climbing once again, “I had the idea to do a traverse of what are called beehives, a series of white sandstone peaks that look like beehives. To get to any of them was difficult. To climb them all in a row had never been done. In addition to difficult climbing, there are canyons between each that had to be descended. Full adventure. The owners of the coffee shop hooked me up with a local who was working there as a guide.”
It took the duo three days to complete the climb. “It was on the way down, less than 400 feet from the ground, when the incident occurred. We were rappelling an 800-foot cliff. On the way, we had found a fallen balloon, the type kids get at parties. It had a picture of a unicorn on it. My song ‘Lucky the Unicorn’ came to mind. I told my partner we were lucky. I always pick up trash, and stuffed it into my pack.”
The climbers were hanging from a bush on the side of a mountain. “I took the 600 feet of rope we had, wrapped it around the bush, and threw both ends down. That would allow us to go 300 feet, perhaps get us to the ground. The rock face below us was blank. To the side was a ramp with more bushes. So I started following the bushes. After about 15 feet of going diagonally, I straightened out. I went down about 100 feet and heard a snap. The rope had been going over a bush on the ramp, keeping it straight. When it broke, I started to swing like a pendulum. I swung around the corner and slammed into the side of another corner, a flat outcropping. There was no way I could swing around it. I hit the corner flat and square on my hip and came to a complete and sudden stop.”
Despite suffering a broken hip bone, Sky made it to the ground with the help of his partner. “But we couldn’t move me away from the cliff, the terrain was too rugged. The search-and-rescue and law enforcement cleared the parking lot and road at a nearby hotel, the Zion Lodge, to stage the rescue. The helicopter first made a few recons to see if it was possible. A foot team arrived to help me — an EMT, and someone on the ground to aid the helicopter. They asked me if I had sunglasses. It was to protect my eyes from blowing dust and rocks. I got short-hauled on a cable attached to the bottom of the helicopter to the hotel site. I didn’t have health insurance, so I waived taking an ambulance. My partner drove me to the hospital in St. George.”
Sky, who moved here from Santa Fe, New Mexico in 2014, is back in San Diego and on the mend. “Since I’m not able to work or climb, I’m spending more time on my music.” His new single “Lean on Me” was recorded at Pacific Beat Recording in PB with Rolling Stones producer Alan Sanderson.
“I joke that if I get a good number of streams and follows on Spotify or whatever streaming service people use this coming year, I’ll stick to music. If, on the other hand, I’m not inspired by what comes, perhaps I’ll go back and do another climb. The ones on my list are remote and difficult.”
“The songwriting style is very positive, like the song “Love (Give a Little)”, giving encouragement that “love’s letting go of all your plans, a smile or shaking hand, give a little bit when you can.” This CD is a really good effort, showcasing what a singer/songwriter/guitarist can accomplish in a solo setting. ”
No man is an island or sky except maybe Daniel Isle Sky
“I didn’t smoke and didn’t drink enough to keep up with my bandmates.”
After moving from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to San Diego in 2014, the acoustic troubadour spent a week studying with famed Scottish folkie Donovan, attending a master class on composition and guitar style in the Bahamas as one of seven participants chosen by Donovan, based on their song submissions. That experience had a lot to do with influencing the richly pastoral sound of Sky’s 2016 album Waiting for You, especially the title track.
“Donovan told me he liked the song so much, I should go into the studio to record it. The tempo reminded him of ‘I Saw Her Standing There.’ He called it a rock ballad and said, ‘If you play it live, be prepared for girls to throw themselves at you.’”
Sky recently self-published Lyrics and Song Stories, a 200-page full-color book that includes the lyrics and stories behind writing and recording the songs on each of his four albums.
“Received your new album Daniel. Well done. Lead song [Waiting for You] came out quite well. Sister Valerie too. The Irish Airman turned out excellent! My favorite. Try these three live. Let me know reaction. Keep on trucking! ”
— Donovan
By Jay Allen Sanford, May 3, 2017
WHAT’S IN YOUR MUSIC PLAYER?
Blind Melon, Blind Mellow. “It’s got its own, raw, honest sound. Everything sounds the same today.”
Donovan, The Essential Donovan. “iTunes has a parental advisory for explicit content on it. Really? What on Earth for?”
REM, eponymous. “Early REM before they got popular. Less commercial.”
ANYTHING YOU WERE EMBARRASSED TO MENTION?
“One of my favorite bands was Abba. I’ve got the Abba Gold CD.”
WHO ELSE DO YOU HATE TO LOVE?
“Taylor Swift. Too many of her songs. But they play them so much, they grow on you.”
EASIEST WAY TO A MUSICIAN’S HEART?
“We’re easy — just tell us you like our music. It’s not hard to be our friends.”
BEST THING YOU EVER HAD TO LET GO OF?
“I forgot her name. It’s in a song or two.”
SCARIEST FAN ENCOUNTER?
“Toothless Native-American woman who wanted to kiss me onstage in a bar in Española [New Mexico]. I kept backing away, not wanting to upset the biker group she was with and start a bar fight.”
IDEAL SUPERPOWER?
“The ability to read minds and send thoughts back. The next time someone cuts me off in traffic I’d get into their head and probably learn that, rather than being a complete asshole, they’re late for work because their kids didn’t get up in time to catch the school bus. I’m sure I’d do more important things with the power but, in the meantime, it would make me less pissed off.”
MOST VISITED WEBSITES?
“Google Maps, for the street view of my next apartment.”
“Musicians Friend, for browsing gear I can’t afford or don’t need.”
“eBay, for stuff I’m selling to pay for another guitar I don’t really need.”
DRINK OF CHOICE?
“Strong coffee. Also my drug of choice.”
STAR WARS OR STAR TREK?
“Star Wars. It’s not as cerebral.”
CRAZIEST WAY YOU EVER MADE MONEY?
“Tell me. I could use some more. I’m a pretty straight-up hard worker.”
EVER COMMIT A CRIME?
“The first and last time I shoplifted, I helped myself to a bunch of candy bars when I was at the grocery store with my mom. Back home, she noticed me eating them and coerced a confession. She drove me back to the store and made me go back inside, by myself, to ask for the manager and tell him what I’d done. From that time on, every time we went to that store, the manager smiled at us and gave my mom a free loaf of bread. I’ve never stolen anything since.”
WHAT REMAINS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST?
“Open for Tom Petty.”
YOUR BEST DISH (AND WHAT’S YOUR SECRET)?
“Muffins with blueberries — or anything you can pick in the summer in Oregon. I use yogurt instead of butter. Low fat. I don’t use recipes. Mix some flour and oatmeal in a bowl. Add blueberries to liking. Maybe some honey. A little baking powder. The eggs are optional; you can leave them out for vegan friends. If it’s too thick, I’ll add soy, almond, or rice milk.”
THREE THINGS WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
“My age, real middle name, and how old I was when I got my first kiss.”