Highlights

• THE ELEMENTS

  Denny remains an enduring figure in the Cleveland music scene with his first love being songwriting (see History). Still, he continues to write songs, host his readio show, organize concerts and play out in all sorts of venues as solo or with a set of backup musicians.

  

  Most recently, he headed a group called The Elements. The Elements were named during an off-the-cuff conversation during one of their gigs. It was a result of the fact that the group had no set players, but was rather a conglomeration of diversely talented individuals who performed based on availability and venue....as a chemcial is made up of various elements. In addition to the variety of talent, there was also a mix of instruments, ranging from a zen drum (elctronic, portable) to an accordian. This was in addition to a number of different guitars and percussion instruments.

  Although, as is the case for most groups, the players are no longer the same and they don't play with the same frequency, there are a few individuals who make up a leaner band, but still having the same quality of music.

• COFFEEHOUSES

  Over recent years, it has become apparent that he has a natural drawiing towards the coffeehouse atmosphere, which has become a hallmark for him. Whether featuring at Seekers, Borders and Arabica, or organizing his own Denny Carleton and Friends Coffeehouse at the Willoughby Fine Arts Association, the performances draw a varied audience and no two are ever the same.

  He is as comfortable performing solo as he is with a backup and his style works well with all types of performers - and he knows a LOT of performers. Regardless of the fact that the coffeehouse shows have been around a while, Denny seems to really enjoy the ability to bring different types of music as well as artists to each performance, allowing the audiences to feel that they are part of the show, as well as truly entertained. If you haven't already been to one of these venues, keep an eye on his calendar and catch one as soon as you can.

• CHRISTIAN

A big part of Denny, both on and off the stage, is his commitment as a Christaian in both Christian based and secular based venues. As he indicates in his witness, he does not believe that his role is to play entirely Christian music, any more than it is to play entirely secular music. Perhaps that is one of the reasons his coffeehouse concerts are so successful, in that he gives his witness through his music and actions, not merely his words.

Further defining his vision of his puprose in Christ is the description of Charismatic Catholic, [Charismatic Catholic] which might be considered more of an elementry way of living his life through Christ. As part of this, he is involved with Life Teen in Twinsburg as well as Life Teen for the Mount Carmel-Immaculate Conception newly reorganized group.