Patrick Dethlefs joins the ranks of Colorado acts featured on Daytrotter

Colorado-based singer-songwriter Patrick Dethlefs got a nice gift for his 21st birthday: his very own Daytrotter session. 

“I was on my way out to Kentucky to visit some friends and play some music and was traveling by myself, so I was glad to stop by the Daytrotter studio and be with people and record some of my songs,” Dethlefs says. “It was great when I got there. We set up a few mics that I sat around, and I would let Mike Gentry, the sound engineer, know the name of the song, and then I would play them. All of the songs were recorded in one take, so it didn’t take much time. It was really cool to record there because they use some great analog equipment and record straight to tape and then run it through the computer. I had never done that before, so it was cool to see.”

Dethlefs’ songs show maturity beyond his years and a true appreciation for lyricism. These songwriting skills are put on shining display in the sparse Daytrotter recordings, which feature Dethlefs playing solo with an acoustic guitar or a banjo. On his debut album, Stays The Same, songs such as “Let’s Go” and “The Moon” are dressed up with mandolin plucking and hints of fiddle, but the stripped-down Daytrotter versions arguably sound better than the studio recordings.

Dethlefs joins a small but talented crew of Colorado acts honored by Daytrotter, including fellow folkster Nathaniel Rateliff, Dovekins, and Paper Bird. Dethlefs was all for participating. “I’m very glad to be a part of the music on the Daytrotter website,” he says. “They are great people and are doing amazing things.”