GUITARIST
In a band setting or in the studio as a session guitarist, Cervantes has collaborated with an eclectic range of producers and songwriters—including Ethan Miller and his psych-rock jam band Howlin Rain; Rami Jaffee of the Foo Fighters; actress Daryl Hannah; Grammy Award-winning Songwriter Jeff Silbar; L.A. Indie rock artist Biirdie; Hall of Fame Songwriter Jack Tempchin; Scarlet Rivera of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue; and Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes. The focus is always to develop an artist’s vision, in the moment—dialing in hooks and parts that serve the song and stepping into the spotlight at the drop of a hat.
Read more about one of Dude’s contributions to Howlin Rain in the NPR segment Songs We Love
The toolbox ranges from six- and twelve- string electric and acoustic guitars of all styles, to bass, mandolin, slide, and even pedal steel guitar. Seasoned by miles on the road, rolling tape, pre-productions demos, and straight-to-the-hot seat sessions, his résumé of collaborations is matched by countless shared and captured moments on stage as the musical director of The Last Waltz.
GUITARIST
You could call it a calling with the last name Cervantes, but the “gift of writing” has been a craft of storytelling, honed day and night since high school. As a songwriter, he’s co-written and arranged with Lee Wilder and Creature and the Woods, as well as with artists outside the Blind Owl wing. In 2015, he co-wrote San Diego City Beat’s Album Of The Year, Birdy Bardot—penning “Dirge”, “Honey”, “Nothing”, “Candlelight Vigils”, “Sad Town”, and “Heart and Smoke”, with acclaimed lyricist Alfred Howard from The Redwoods Music.

As the primary songwriter in MRS. HENRY, his catalog of songs has grown from the early days of barroom blues to the full-fledged rock opera Keep On Rising—his most recent achievement, and 38-song opus hailed by Mojo Magazine as “the right kind of relentless, with sharply written anthems in an arena-church production that embraces improbable dreams”. One year in the studio during the height of the pandemic, and four more years later of blood, sweat, and tears, his creative vision has finally seen the light of day in all its rock `n` roll glory. Featured on SiriusXM’s The Writer’s Block, the concept album is just beginning to pick up steam and earn recognition for the group’s accomplishments and the storytelling within. In the spirit of Pink Floyd’s collaboration with Gerald Scarfe on The Wall, Daniel worked countless hours with master artist Alan Forbes and graphic designer Tim Lowman to create a stunning visual universe that tells the classic hero’s tale. The 3 LP, 2 Disc CD, and 100 Page book comes in a collector’s set that UK’s Shindig Magazine calls “the deluxe bells-and-whistles edition housed in the kind of sturdy box (illustrated by legendary poster artist Alan Forbes) usually reserved for massively expanded editions of rock classics—company in which Mrs Henry clearly have their sights set.”
Cervantes’s solo body of work comes from the heart, aptly described by Americana Highways as “Clearly embodying the soul of a true songwriter”. The first two albums All By Myself and Dreamers are the start of this journey, cultivating from nights performing solo as a troubadour in San Diego serenading speakeasies in front of listening crowds. It’s singer-songwriter when he’s storytelling, guitar-centric when he’s improvising, and twin guitars blazing when he rides with his rock `n` roll amigos The Panchos. Featuring members of Sacri Monti and Warish as It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine puts it, “this is channeling Crazy Horse and The Pixies, with twin lead guitars peeling the paint off the walls”.