Hans Blix

Guitarist and Composer Dan Venne was born and raised in Wausau, WI. He has toured nationally and internationally with his bands Hans Blix and Cougar, playing in such locales as The UK, Argentina and Slovenia. Venne has served as faculty at New York University (NY) and Beloit College (WI) and in addition, has taught extensively through his own private studio in Brooklyn, NY. In NYC, Dan is a producer and composer at a company that does music for TV and film. He recently co-composed the sonic logo for Discovery Studios, and has done session work for projects such as Masterpiece Theatre, The Weather Channel, History Channel, and The CBS Early Show.

Dan recieved his Bachelor's degree in Classical guitar performance from the University of WI, Madison. It was in Madison where he met other like minded musicians who went on to form the band "Cougar". Cougar's debut recording "Law" has been described by The Wire as "a gleaming gem...gloriously precise and urgent".

In 2004 Dan moved to NYC where he received his Master's degree in jazz guitar performance and was the sole recipient of the Barney Josephson award in Jazz Excellence. While attending free-improvisation sessions at Ralph Alessi's Center for Improvisational Music (CIM), he met and played with the fellow musicians who would later become Hans Blix.