Dane was born and raised in Trumansburg, a small town in Upstate New York just north of Ithaca on the southern end of Cayuga Lake. He studied percussion and music theory for 8 years under the direction of Joseph Prevost, the musical director of the local central school system and also studied vocal and vocal stylings under Eve Parkes for 2 years at the Conservatory of Fine Arts, a local visual and performance art school.
Dane has played and recorded with local bands such as Vera Cruz, was a founding member of Razors Edge with Harrison Rumsey of Ire Clad, the John Gibson Band and MADDOG ‘77. Dane honed his guitar style in his late teens by sitting in with numerous local blues/rock bands, most notably Pete Panek, Delta Mike Shaw, and Ted Oberhaus among others.
While growing up, Dane was heavily influenced by his fathers’ love of rock & roll and R&B bands of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s which led to his broad tastes and appreciation of many types of musical styles, including Americana, Blues, Rock, R&B, Jazz, Swing, and multiple Roots Music (OldeTyme, Traditional Country).