The don. in a Paragraph

Then. Now. and Soon.

Denver-based guitarist and producer don. (Born Brandon Craven) picked up a guitar practically as soon as he was out of diapers, and twenty years later he still considers himself a student of the craft. Hailing from “almost Wisconsin” (Chicago suburbs), he started gigging in high school, then studied music at the University of Colorado Denver. He knew early on that he would play guitar for the rest of his life, but considered himself a contributor rather than an artist in his own right– until he began producing. After years of collaborative releases, don. dropped his first three solo tracks off his 2024 debut project Sleepless FM, a lo-fi EP released through Arden Records. His indie solo debut, the “guitar stack house” EP Ripples, was released in April 2025 on the heels of ATLASTCITY, a joint album created with hip-hop artist Kyron Rashad. Whether he’s supporting other artists live, in the studio, or cooking up his own music, don. maintains a well-rounded musical identity and consistent point of view. Fusing elements of jazz, hip-hop, R&B, and house music with the spur-of-the-moment vitality of live improvisation, his eclectic tapestry of influences includes versatile pianist and composer Robert Glaspar, the iconic hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, and foundational jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery. Beyond the boundaries of any single genre or style, don. makes music to invigorate and embolden casual listeners, introspective intellectuals, and fellow creatives alike.