Danny Deane
can be found at
dannydeane.com
by Shauna Skye
Danny Deane plays "radio-driven pop/rock" and is influenced by David Bowie,
Gary Glitter and T-Rex. He has fronted several bands but this is his first
time solo. What struck me most about him was his great singing voice. Here
follows, our interview...
SHAUNA: Danny, to start with why don't you tell us how you became a musician?
DANNY: I grew up in a household where music was a pretty important part of
our "cultural" upbringing. Music lessons were really encouraged by my folks.
There was always music playing in our house. My parents had a love for
popular music and many of the pop vocal crooners of their day. I was really
attracted to the charisma and star-power of some of these artists that were
popular in our home. My Dad listened to artists like Sinatra, Bing Crosby,
Bobby Darin, etc., while Mom was into Englebert and Elvis.
As a kid, I remember all the girls were into the teen idols like David
Cassidy and Donny Osmond. So I guess from an early age it was the show biz
side of things that held the allure of becoming a "rock star." The
musicianship came later. <laughing>
SHAUNA: I understand you were once signed to Ghetto Records. What happened
with that?
DANNY: Ghetto Records was a great stepping stone in the very early days of my
music career. I was in a band at that time called Mr. Bones that was signed
to a production/development deal with producer Leslie Howe (Alanis
Morrisette, Artificial Joy Club, One 2 One) and his label Ghetto Records. It
was a very small label with only ourselves and Alanis working with Leslie at
that time. It was a great experience for the band where we able to record and
co-produce a ton of great material. We had access to the best recording
facilities and to some very powerful insiders in the music industry through
Leslie.
Unfortunately, even with all of this support things never really broke for
the band, despite the fact that at the same time Alanis was inking a deal for
major distribution with MCA. I guess we felt as if we were getting a little
lost in the shuffle and the band members decided to move on.
Myself and writing partner Tom Saidak recorded one more album for Leslie
under the name "New Junk Gods," which featured members of MCA's "Love Chain"
and Mr. Bones.
SHAUNA: I think it's cool that you're a David Bowie fan. Would you say that
Bowie is your biggest influence?
DANNY: I've always loved everything David Bowie has done but it hasn't been
till recently that his influence has made it's way into my music. This was my
first solo CD and I wrote all the songs and performed almost all of the
instruments. I guess I look for strong examples of versatility and creativity
in other solo artists and David is at the top of that list. Plus, the man's
career has spanned decades. He certainly knows how to reinvent himself and
remain fresh and relevant with the music he creates. I'd love to borrow from
that.
SHAUNA: Who are some underground artists you like?
DANNY: I recently produced a 3 song EP for a Toronto-based band named
Tallman. I love their stuff and really enjoyed working with the band. I find
most of the new music I listen to these days comes from Independent artists
on the Internet. I frequent an artist's BBS online where I feel I've gotten
to know a great number of the artists who frequent the board. Listening to
their work seems to take on a new dimension when you've had the opportunity
to interact with these people online.
SHAUNA: How do you write your music? Do you have a system for it or do you
just write whenever the muse hits?
DANNY: I definitely have periods where creativity just seems to flow and then
other times when it's not quite so easy. I think it's very reflective of what
may be happening in my life at the time. When things get crazy, the music
seems to be the first thing to suffer.
Several of the songs I've written have come to me as 'complete songs',
arrangements and everything. By that I mean, I've laid awake at night and had
a tune pop into my head that would simply haunt me over the next few days
until I was able to record it. Other times it's a musical or lyrical riff
that I've thought of and it doesn't disappear until the idea gets developed
and eventually completed.
I've found it very hard to make time for writing over the last few months and
I currently have a couple of completed ideas swimming around in my head. I'm
eager to get back to my writing and have set aside some time this summer to
work on some new material for my next CD.
SHAUNA: What former bands have you been involved with?
DANNY: I actually have been playing in bands since I was 15 years old. I
quite school and went on the road for the next 5 or 6 years touring with
various cover bands. Music had become a full-time job for me. It wasn't until
quite some time later that I joined a band that actually wrote their own
songs.
Mr. Bones and New Junk Gods were some of the first acts I worked with. I also
performed a lot of session work for other artist such as Alanis (MCA), Siloam
(CBS/Word), and One 2 One (WEA). I also did a lot of trade and commercial
jingle work in Ottawa when starting out.
Shortly after relocating to Toronto, I worked for a brief period with A&
M/Hypnotic's "Jesus Christ." Two of the members of that band made guest
appearances on my last solo CD.
SHAUNA: You have a great singing voice, and you sound a little bit like Bono
sometimes. Have you been compared to U2 before?
DANNY: Yes, I've had lot's of comparisons to Bono but not until my solo
effort. It's funny, but a lot of people have compared Superstar to
Discothèque by U2 but I'm not even exactly sure which U2 song that is. In all
the years that I performed other peoples music, I've never covered a U2 song.
So it's a little weird hearing people use that as a frame of reference when
talking about my music. They are an amazing band, and I do love Bono's voice.
So I'll take the comparisons as a compliment, anytime.
SHAUNA: What goals do you have for yourself as a musician?
DANNY: To push myself creatively and continue to develop myself as a writer
and player. I honestly believe that I've yet to do my best work musically.
There are a long list of people who I'd love to collaborate with as well.
Being a solo artist has given me the freedom to cross genre lines and
experiment a little. Collaborating with other artists only pushes these
limits further.
SHAUNA: Who is your favorite Beatle? (I always ask this!) ;)
DANNY: I think John was the most interesting Beatle.
SHAUNA: If I came to see you in concert what could I expect to see at a Danny
Deane show?
DANNY: I believe live performance IS theatre. I like to make sure people are
entertained if they've gone to the trouble of coming to see an act live. I
think it's really important for people to have a reason to see your next show
so I try to make sure people want more. Theatrics, costume changes,
high-energy performance and great production are just for starters. Two
words, BIG ROCK!
SHAUNA: I see you're opening a recording studio this fall. Would you give
more information on that?
DANNY: Actually, I'm simply relocating my current studio to Victoria B.C. on
Canada's west coast this summer as I'm looking for a change of scenery for
myself. The difference is I'm currently doing a ton of upgrades and feature
enhancements to the studio and I'll be opening it up to other musicians and
commercial projects instead of just using it to record my own material.
SHAUNA: What do you think about Internet Radio?
DANNY: I think it's a great vehicle for Independent music online and an
excellent way for listeners to be exposed to music that otherwise might go
unheard. There's a lot of music online, and it's not always quality stuff.
For the most part, the shows that I listen to play and expose some of the best new talent anywhere.
SHAUNA: Where can our readers get hold of your music?
DANNY: My music is posted at several different Online Music Distributors, and
for the time being, I steer most of my online listeners to my page at MP3.com
(www.mp3.com/dannydeane) But with the face of online music changing so
rapidly, I recently setup my own domain so that listeners can always find me.
The URL is www.dannydeane.com If any of your listeners are interested in CD
purchases, they can contact me directly at info@dannydeane.com and I'd gladly
send them a disc.
SHAUNA: Anything you'd like to plug? If so, here's your chance!
DANNY: Glad you asked. I'll be launching my own virtual label called 64k
Records for online distribution of my solo project(s) and a few collaborative
efforts that I'll be working on later this summer. The label will also serve
as a publishing vehicle and "songwriting services for hire" site. The initial
site is posted at www.64krecords.com and will officially launch on July 1st.
Thanks for having me Shauna!
SHAUNA: Thanks to you Danny!
-SHAUNA SKYE
http://www.mp3.com/shaunaskye