Nassau county-bred musician Dan Sheehan may have moved to Queens, but he still rehearses in Garden City Park with his bandmates. In fact, most of The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy’s shows have been on Long Island. “Our favorite places to play so far have been the Zebra Club and Molly Blooms,” he says, “and we’re psyched to be playing some new venues in the upcoming months.”

Far from a musical neophyte, Sheehan fronted Banter, the acclaimed late 90s Boston rock band, until 2002 when he returned to New York. “Boston’s a great place to start out as it has a very accessible music scene,” he notes, “but you can only go so far there because the college fan base keeps changing.”

With former Morrissey skinsman Spencer Cobrin and session man Roi Star sharing drumming duties, and Sheehan playing everything else—guitar, vocals, bass, synth, slide whistle—the Conspiracy recorded their eponymous CD locally in 2007. Inspired by bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Pearl Jam and the Screaming Trees, The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy sounds like a mix of genres from folk to classic and prog rock. Their debut album has garnered extensive radio play, and Sheehan’s music hit the CMJ Top 30 on five stations.     

One of their most accessible tunes, “See Kay,” is about the price of fame. “It’s about Meat Puppets’ bassist Cris Kirkwood,” notes Sheehan, “and the way he was taken down by drug addiction and a rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle.” And while Sheehan can sound like everyone from Chad Kroeger (Nickelback) to Meat Loaf, he ironically seems to be channeling the shamanic Jim Morrison at the song’s climactic ending.

Like the philosophical Morrison, Sheehan writes about everything from love and nature to alienation, war, heaven and hell. On the imaginative “Melting Snowman,” Sheehan sings about feelings of alienation when living in a big city, while the anthemic “Valley” and “Comatose” have a spiritual theme. “I’m not an anarchist or an atheist,” remarks Sheehan, “I’m a questioner. I question why things are the way they are because I’m puzzled why a creator would create such a crazy place.”

Sheehan’s music was recently in good company when the social work department at Stony Brook University used the Conspiracy’s “Collateral Damage” and Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” as examples of songs that call people to organize a movement. Hopefully Dan’s fans will organize a movement to his shows as he embarks on a summer tour. Acts Sheehan would love to tour with include a reunited Meat Puppets or Led Zeppelin: “I’ll take the Smashing Pumpkins and Pearl Jam, too, if anyone has them to offer up, and will gladly open for any Led Zeppelin reunion tour that might materialize!” Until then, check out The Dan Sheehan Conspiracy on June 28^th at the Sound Beach Inn. For updates go to www.dansheehan.net.