Daniel Higgs is a Baltimore-born musician and artist, born in 1964, whose work spans folk, experimental, psychedelic, freak folk and psych folk, alongside art, poetry and dance. He is associated with the bands Reptile House, Lungfish, The Pupils, The Skull Defekts and Fountainsun.

Early work and Reptile House

Higgs forms Reptile House in Baltimore in the mid-1980s. The band is rooted in art-punk and is influenced by groups including the Sex Pistols, Black Flag, Minor Threat and Devo. He fronts the group as it becomes locally popular, opens for touring national acts, and tours the United States several times. Through this period he becomes friends with Ian MacKaye, who helps issue the band’s only full-length release.

Lungfish and related work

After Reptile House ends, Lungfish emerges from its remains. Higgs continues to perform as part of that wider circle, and also works on solo material between band activities. He plays solo sets using jew’s harp, guitar and vocals, while continuing other artistic work alongside music.

Side projects and solo releases

In the early 2000s, Higgs works with Lungfish member Asa Osborne in The Pupils. The pair release a self-titled record on Dischord Records in 2002. Higgs also issues solo work on Holy Mountain Records, including Ancestral Songs and Metempsychotic Melodies. He is also involved in a CD/book project with Thrill Jockey, in which the music is paired with an artist-made book of related artwork.

Artistic practice

Higgs describes his creative work as a convergence of art, music, poetry and dance that begins in childhood and continues as a single practice. He presents that work in terms of personal experience, worship and sacrifice, and it remains tied to his wider output as both musician and visual artist.