Author: David Elan Kelley
David Elan Kelley (AKA Élan) is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist who performs and composes in a wide variety of styles including rock, pop, jazz, classical, and blues. Originally from our nation’s capitol, Washington DC, David has lived all around the country, but has called Oregon his home for the last 15 years. When he’s not strumming his trusty six string you can find him biking or hiking in the hills and mountains around beautiful Portland!
David holds a Masters Degree in classical guitar performance. During his schooling he studied classical guitar under David Rogers, Bryan Johanson, and Jesse McCann, and jazz guitar with Jeffrey Putterman. He also performed in master classes for some of the world’s finest guitarists, including the Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist David Russell, the Grammy Award-winning composer Andrew York, and the celebrated finger-style guitarist and composer Ralph Towner.
David currently performs as a solo artist as well as in various ensemble including the Rogers-Kelley Guitar Duo and the Oregon Guitar Trio. As a one-man band David plays multiple instruments including bass guitar and melodica while using looping pedals and other technology to create layers of music that simulate a full band. His set lists are as varied as his musical tastes, ranging from swing arrangements of Baroque lute suites to covers of pop hits from the last century, as well as original songs and instrumentals that fuse elements of many popular musical genres. There’s something for everyone to love!
Improvisation #1 in A minor 2/23/20
Welcome to the Weekly Loop Log!
This blog is going to chronicle the weekly loop pedal improvisations created by David “Élan” Kelley. These are made using multiple instruments spontaneously in real time, nothing rehearsed or planned. There may be some mistakes but its all good! Instruments include a Yamaha Compass Series acoustic electric guitar, a Godin Freeway series electric guitar, an Ibanez Mikro electric bass guitar, a Moozika electric kalimba, and a Hammond H-44 Pro melodion. Pedals include the Zoom G1-on multi-effect pedal and BOSS RC-300 Loopstation.