A budding guitarist from the early age of 8, Dan Kolcun, originally from “a town known as Wheeling WV”, received his first guitar as a Christmas present, and was given four years of formal instruction by a local music teacher to follow. As Dan entered junior high, other activities took precedence and the guitar took a back seat for a few years. However, upon hearing Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” being played by a neighbor his sophomore year, everything changed. He dove into his closet, pulled out and dusted off his faithful Harmony Rocket II, and as they say, the rest is history.
After several years of college, playing in local bands, coffee houses, and church, Dan decided he needed to do something different, so he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and began a new career. It wasn’t long before he was married and started a family, so the guitar again took a second seat. He occasionally played in bands established by unit personnel for holidays or special events, but he didn’t seriously pursue music again until after he’d retired from the USAF in 2009. He began playing more seriously after his USAF retirement and during his subsequent employment as an Army civilian, and now that he is completely “retired” he is focused solely on music.
Today, Dan plays frequently with people in the NoVa area, and has played in several bands, most recently joining Flight of Odin.
Dan continues performing in showcase events hosted by the DC Rockers. Additionally, he volunteers as a guitar instructor for the Veterans Administration-aligned “Guitars for Vets” (G4V) organization, a non-profit org that provides guitar instruction to veterans who are afflicted with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) to find comfort and solace behind the strings of an acoustic guitar. Dan has graduated over fifteen individual students so far, through online instruction during COVID and face-to-face instruction continuing today, teaching both individuals and group lessons for graduates of the program. He continues a program of self-study and looks forward to writing original music.
Flight of Odin warmly welcomes Dan as seasoned a guitarist and co-creator.
