"...another artist on the verge of a major breakthrough—Dan Schwartz. His new release The Art of Making Fire will undoubtedly place him among the likes of Shawn Colvin and David Wilcox.”

"Schwartz's sophomore CD is an all-over-the-map exploration of funk, jazz and acoustic music that should sing live. The new CD shows off his versatility, placing the Minneapolis finger-style guitarist square in the spotlight.”

“Who knew there was such a thing as a bachelor of fine arts degree in fingerpicking? Well, this Midwesterner has one, which is saying something since even Doc Watson doesn't really have a doctorate. Schwartz is indeed a tasteful, expert player, as evidenced by three solo instrumentals here (The Art of Making Fire), including an ingenious cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" that puts one in mind of another North Country picker, Leo Kottke. But, like Kottke, Schwartz's impressive technique serves songs that are more than excuses to showoff, as evidenced by such vocal exercises as the title track and ‘All These Things.’"

“Dan Schwartz is a true intellectual with the heart and soul of a rebel.  His lyrics are so compelling, so engaging, so well-thought out and yet his music is so unrestrained and free thinking....it makes for an exciting, unpredictable and invigorating contrast. If you enjoy immersible music, you've got to have The Art of Making Fire.”

“...the melody is intelligent, the playing excellent, the rhythm energizing, and the vocal work well-planned and well-presented. Acoustic music needs what writers like Schwartz give it - an intelligence that enjoys experimenting with what doesn't make sound as much as what does, and a true sense of the importance of rhythm. There is an art to making fire, and Dan Schwartz is perfecting it quite well.”

 “An elegant finger-style guitarist with a warm, engaging tenor, Schwartz writes lilting, introspective pop/folk tunes (a la early Paul Simon) which display his talents to maximum effect.”

“This fire making art stuff sounds like it could be infiltrating Jesuit doctrine, so be cautious!”