Daniel Nestlerode is a singer and songwriter who writes and performs principally on mandolin. Born in Pennsylvania, seasoned in California, Daniel is now based in Cambridge, UK and is rapidly building a reputation for excellent vocal ability and history soaked original songs.

 Born and raised in central Pennsylvania Daniel picked up the guitar and started writing music before he moved to California in pursuit of a career in music.  Inspired by his acquaintance with mandolinist/percussionist/raconteur, Joe Craven, Daniel began playing mandolin. He was hooked from the first moment, and in a few years made the mandolin his primary instrument.

 In 2012 Daniel relocated to Cambridge, England where he has had the fortune of working with artists Anthony John Clarke and Louise Jordan. You can catch Daniel in some of the UK’s best folk clubs playing original songs, a variety of traditional folk songs, and more modern covers.

Some questions Daniel gets asked regularly…

Can you tell me about your instruments?

For the new CD I used six different instruments.  

• A Vessel F5 mandolin made for me in 2006 by Gary Vessel of Modesto, CA

• A Mix F5 mandolin made of carbon fibre by New Millenium Acoustic Designs

• A Weber tenor mandolin (actually it’s an alto mandolin because I tune it up to EBF#C#) made by Sound to Earth of Missoula, Montana

• A Hathaway mandola made by Paul Hathaway of London

• A SCGC dreadnought guitar made by Santa Cruz Guitar Company of (you guessed it) Santa Cruz, CA

• A RainSong OM-1000 guitar made of carbon fibre by RainSong guitars of Woodinville, WA

What picks & strings do you use?

Wegen TF-140 picks, D’Addario strings.

What about amplification?

My carbon fibre instruments have pickups in them.  I generally go straight to the PA with them.  My wood instruments are usualy mic’ed, though the Hathatway mandola has a pickup too.

Why did you move to England?

Simple!  I married a French woman.