Danny Balis, former bassist and one of the founding members of Dallas-based band Sorta, will release his first solo album, Too Much Living, Sept. 1, 2009. The recording will be available beginning Sept. 1 on all popular digital download sites (iTunes, Rhapsody, Napster, etc.), with CDs available in stores, and for sale online through Balis’ MySpace page and www.goodrecords.com.

Too Much Living may seem like a departure from what Sorta fans are accustomed to, as it is a straight up, old school, country and western record -- a fresh mixture of Merle Haggard, Townes Van Zandt, and Don Williams. Entirely written and recorded following the tragic death of his best friend Carter Albrecht, Balis draws from the dark side of country music, exploring self destruction, love lost, and the effects of grief. A few reviews from Balis’ contemporaries are already in:

"I grew up listening to country music, so Too Much Living is a nostalgic listen for me. While country music today sounds like a hallmark card gone bad, sung with a southern drawl, Danny is true to the heart of classic country music."
--Eric Pulido, Midlake

"Danny's got this smooth, rich, authentic country voice that goes down as easy as a fine wine. A throwback, Danny is at home on a honky tonk stage, a young man with an old soul. Too Much Living is pure, genuine American country music, a body of work that comes straight from the heart."
--Deryl Dodd

"Too Much Living is a great record. It recalls my favorite, old-time country, yet still feels fresh. Danny Balis is the real deal."
--Rhett Miller, The Old 97's

"I love this record. It's the most old school, bad ass, no-frills, truth-only country music I've heard in years."
--Jack Ingram, ACM Male Vocalist of the Year, 2008

Too Much Living’s first single, Tethered, will be released August 1st to Texas country radio, online on Balis’ MySpace page, plus various music blog sites, such as Dallas Observer’s DC9 at Night, FinelineLive.com, and GorillavsBear.net.

A CD release show is scheduled for Aug. 21 at the Granada Theatre in Dallas at 9:00 p.m., in support of Slobberbone (Denton, Texas). The CD will be available for the first time at this event.

Danny has been a Dallas musician for 23 years and has played with the bands Sorta (Trey Johnson) and Sparrows (Carter Albrecht), as well as with solo artists Doug Burr and Salim Nourallah. He has recorded bass, guitar, and vocals on dozens of releases as well as nationally televised commercials including Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels. He currently plays over 100 shows a year with popular Dallas honky-tonk outfit The King Bucks. Danny has also produced the highly-rated Dallas sports talk radio program, The Hardline, for the last ten years. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.