Dana Porteous
Dana Porteous, is one of the most knowledgeable people on the planet, when it comes to music and the artists who create it. He and I have known each other for a very long time and he has never wavered in his passion for music. We met in High School in Topsfield, Massachusetts,and have remained friends all of these years.
In the summer of 1969, my parents loaded up the family station wagon with their four children, and followed the moving van to our new home. A couple of months later ,I would start High School at Masconomet Regional High School in Topsfield, Massachusetts,and meet one, Dana Porteous. My life was about to change! Dana and I met through his younger sister, he was a year older than me and super cool even in High School. Dana was a goalie on the hockey team, and that was the first thing I knew about him, but what I was about to discover was his crazy sense of humor and ability to make anyone feel special in his presence, and his LOVE of music. We were lucky to live 45 minutes from Boston and at that time Boston had the best music scene. Because of all of the colleges in town, there was a plethora of great college radio stations,and many great small venues to see bands in and boy we go to see music. To say Dana has been passionate about music his entire life is an understatement. He turned all of his friends onto so many cool bands through the years, after high school he even got an ushering job at the Music Hall, in Boston. Dana always had the gift of gab and it was no surprise that he befriended someone in the ticket box at the Music Hall,who also had connections to other Boston venues . Through that connection Dana was always able to get the best seats! He was crazy about Pink Floyd, Genesis and Yes, and every other progressive rock band during that time. Dana was always the first person to discover an obscure artist, through combing record stores for new releases. Dana saw almost every band that came to Boston, in the 70’s and 80’s. Whether it be progressive rock, straight up rock and punk. When Dana moved out west in the early 90’s he brought his passion with him and immediately got into the music scene in San Francisco, and the local scene in Petaluma. It blew me away when I saw his numerous shoe boxes filled with ticket stubs, and his collection of records that fills an entire shipping container. Dana’s music taste and knowledge is boundless and spans many genres.
While most of us let life get in the way of going to see live music or discover new talent, with Dana he has never wavered, his love of music, and the people who made it continues today, no matter where he lives or what he does for a living, music and people are Dana’s passion. When he told me he was doing a radio show in Petaluma, I was not surprised, with his wit and vast his encyclopedic knowledge of bands , and catalogue of music it was a perfect fit for him. I wanted to know what took him so long? He belongs in the studio playing music and interviewing the people who make it. For those of you who are about to listen to a podcast by or be interviewed by Dana, fasten your seatbelts as you are about to have a fun ride!
— Zanya Gissler