WEBVTT 00:00:04.080 --> 00:00:08.080 You're on the Dan time podcast. I am your host 00:00:08.080 --> 00:00:12.919 Dan McArdle at Dan time pod on Instagram Facebook 00:00:12.919 --> 00:00:18.940 X and YouTube Dan time pod at gmail .com And 00:00:18.940 --> 00:00:22.660 I've got another fantastic Artist to introduce 00:00:22.660 --> 00:00:25.280 to you today somebody who's gonna fit nicely 00:00:25.280 --> 00:00:29.019 into an existing playlist My guest today is New 00:00:29.019 --> 00:00:33.619 Zealand indie rocker Dan Sharp We dive into Dan's 00:00:33.619 --> 00:00:36.219 songs, including his latest single, Late Night 00:00:36.219 --> 00:00:39.960 Poetry, and we highlight the EP and single of 00:00:39.960 --> 00:00:43.520 the same name, Man Don't Cry, where Dan broaches 00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:46.759 the topic of men and mental health. You'll hear 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:49.539 Dan perform an acoustic version of Man Don't 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:53.780 Cry on this episode. Between the brave, bold, 00:00:53.939 --> 00:00:56.899 and given up, that's the title of Dan Sharp's 00:00:56.899 --> 00:01:00.780 upcoming LP. Be sure to follow him on all channels. 00:01:00.780 --> 00:01:05.579 He's at Dan Sharp music on the socials and dansharpmusic 00:01:05.579 --> 00:01:08.840 .com And here are the guys making music with 00:01:08.840 --> 00:01:13.180 Dan on this latest project Stan Bicknell on drums 00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:18.379 Brad Craig on bass Will Henderson on keys and 00:01:18.379 --> 00:01:22.200 Johnny McClain on horns of percussion currently 00:01:22.200 --> 00:01:26.120 based in Mount Manganui, Dan grew up in rural 00:01:26.120 --> 00:01:29.670 Awetera OK, we're going to kick it off here with 00:01:29.670 --> 00:01:33.209 a preview of a track from the Man Don't Cry EP. 00:01:33.269 --> 00:01:37.109 This is Interstellar Runaway. Folks, it is Dan 00:01:37.109 --> 00:02:01.519 Sharp time. I used to wear the world loosely 00:02:01.519 --> 00:02:09.259 Cated to curiosity I could carry all the weight 00:02:09.259 --> 00:02:19.500 on my shoulders But now I'm sick of feeling tired 00:02:19.500 --> 00:02:25.830 Where's the warmth I need to inspire? I'm left 00:02:25.830 --> 00:02:30.930 fighting for a piece of my own mind, of my own 00:02:30.930 --> 00:02:38.189 mind Do I fight for a piece of my own mind? Waiting 00:02:38.189 --> 00:02:42.990 on a sun that just won't rise for me I can't 00:02:42.990 --> 00:02:47.449 go back, yeah I'm done with mine I can't stay 00:02:47.449 --> 00:04:27.720 blind, I can't stay blind, no Today it is my 00:04:27.720 --> 00:04:30.300 pleasure. I'm super excited because I've been 00:04:30.300 --> 00:04:33.319 listening to his music here for a couple weeks 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:35.959 Getting some goosebumps here Dan with some of 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:40.339 the songs over 1 million streams on Spotify alone 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:44.639 New Zealand based Recording artist singer songwriter 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:48.199 Dan Sharp is my guest today Thanks for being 00:04:48.199 --> 00:04:51.240 here Dan. How you doing my friend? I'm doing 00:04:51.240 --> 00:04:54.620 very well. Thank you for having me Yeah, so you've 00:04:54.620 --> 00:04:59.279 been pretty busy I'd say releasing a couple EPs 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:04.360 a new single Man, I gotta say I kind of I usually 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:07.339 start with the new material from my guests and 00:05:07.339 --> 00:05:10.980 work my way back and I could see a progression 00:05:10.980 --> 00:05:14.860 in your sound. It really comes together. I think 00:05:14.860 --> 00:05:18.899 the current single late night poetry Yeah, is 00:05:18.899 --> 00:05:22.519 just a really crisp sound almost getting a little 00:05:22.519 --> 00:05:25.819 bit back to basics, maybe, adding some saxophone 00:05:25.819 --> 00:05:29.839 in there. And this is just a real foot stomper. 00:05:29.980 --> 00:05:32.680 I think you described it as, you know, it bounces 00:05:32.680 --> 00:05:35.079 along beautifully and you couldn't have said 00:05:35.079 --> 00:05:38.180 it better. So I'm really enjoying the catalog. 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:40.980 How are things going now? Are you writing? Are 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:42.579 you performing? You do a little bit of both? 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:49.339 Yeah, there's kind of always a... a hybrid amount 00:05:49.339 --> 00:05:54.579 of many things going on like creating and then 00:05:54.579 --> 00:05:56.800 I guess the packaging like what are you doing 00:05:56.800 --> 00:05:58.860 with the things that you create and what are 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:01.560 the goals? So I often find myself wearing many 00:06:01.560 --> 00:06:06.220 hats and I currently I suppose the hats I'm wearing 00:06:06.220 --> 00:06:11.480 it's all about releasing music and the best way 00:06:11.480 --> 00:06:15.980 to do that is generally performing alongside 00:06:15.980 --> 00:06:19.680 a release. So then it's looking at how best to 00:06:19.680 --> 00:06:22.040 put this music on a stage with the people that 00:06:22.040 --> 00:06:24.740 have been in the band and how to really just 00:06:24.740 --> 00:06:28.860 get this stuff out there. But I am starting to 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:31.339 crave the creative part again, because they're 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:34.379 kind of like chapters in a book. It's been a 00:06:34.379 --> 00:06:37.180 while since I wrote the music and I'm finding 00:06:37.180 --> 00:06:42.000 I'm literally... waking up with lyric ideas and 00:06:42.000 --> 00:06:43.680 hearing things. And it's been a little while 00:06:43.680 --> 00:06:46.800 since that's happened for me. And that kind of 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.180 suggests that it's time to start creating again 00:06:50.180 --> 00:06:53.199 as a routine thing, which I'm excited about. 00:06:53.220 --> 00:06:56.439 It's really cool. I can imagine that the wheels 00:06:56.439 --> 00:06:59.800 are always spinning, new ideas, new experiences 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:01.639 that you want to capture in your songwriting. 00:07:02.379 --> 00:07:04.800 The first track that I heard and and I probably 00:07:04.800 --> 00:07:07.339 will come back to late -night poetry, but the 00:07:07.339 --> 00:07:11.439 first song I Took a shot on was man. Don't cry. 00:07:11.920 --> 00:07:15.620 Oh Wow, this one is just kind of a you want to 00:07:15.620 --> 00:07:17.639 hear it over and over once you get started on 00:07:17.639 --> 00:07:21.720 it You also described this is one of the heavier 00:07:21.720 --> 00:07:24.560 hitting songs emotionally that you've recorded 00:07:24.560 --> 00:07:27.560 One of the you know, one of the main lines in 00:07:27.560 --> 00:07:30.870 there What is a boy but an extension of the man 00:07:30.870 --> 00:07:34.509 who who made him just love these lyrics by day. 00:07:34.509 --> 00:07:38.069 He's building an empire Betrayed again by night. 00:07:38.589 --> 00:07:42.550 He's breaking He's faded to a double standard 00:07:42.550 --> 00:07:46.730 life and he wonders why the man don't cry Performance 00:07:46.730 --> 00:07:50.250 wise and and sonically I've been wanting to say 00:07:50.250 --> 00:07:54.209 this to you for the past week here this this 00:07:54.209 --> 00:07:58.759 is a a big venue song to me. It sounds like the 00:07:58.759 --> 00:08:00.639 type of song that you're performing in front 00:08:00.639 --> 00:08:04.379 of a big crowd who's kind of jumping in unison, 00:08:05.019 --> 00:08:06.800 and you just about got them in the palm of your 00:08:06.800 --> 00:08:10.839 hand. I mean, it's like really carved up and 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:14.600 composed for, I think, just that big stage atmosphere. 00:08:15.719 --> 00:08:18.560 Like a festival atmosphere. Yeah, I'd agree. 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:23.740 It feels like it wants that. It feels like it 00:08:23.740 --> 00:08:26.860 wants to be played on the biggest stage and it 00:08:26.860 --> 00:08:29.740 would sound at home in that space. Kind of has 00:08:29.740 --> 00:08:33.179 some flares of Springsteen. I don't know why 00:08:33.179 --> 00:08:35.559 Sting comes to mind, but maybe just sort of that 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:38.919 live component of Sting's package, you know. 00:08:39.559 --> 00:08:42.259 But you really hit one on all cylinders there. 00:08:42.789 --> 00:08:45.309 Oh, thank you. I really appreciate that. It's 00:08:45.309 --> 00:08:49.649 funny because Sting is somebody that isn't... 00:08:49.649 --> 00:08:54.470 I've not really connected deeply with the Sting 00:08:54.470 --> 00:08:58.669 catalogue and as I've progressed as a writer, 00:08:59.529 --> 00:09:03.289 I've come to appreciate a lot more about Sting 00:09:03.289 --> 00:09:06.960 and the sound of Sting and I... Only in the last 00:09:06.960 --> 00:09:08.679 couple days, this is the third time I've heard 00:09:08.679 --> 00:09:12.460 Sting come up and, you know, hadn't come up for 00:09:12.460 --> 00:09:16.399 years before. So I feel I generally trust things 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:18.919 in like, I don't know how to describe it, but 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:21.700 things come at the right time. Springsteen found 00:09:21.700 --> 00:09:24.480 me definitely at the right time and maybe I was 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:27.659 at the right time in my kind of journey to connect 00:09:27.659 --> 00:09:31.360 with that and Springsteen is absolutely the right... 00:09:31.419 --> 00:09:34.840 I guess example reference point, but there's 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:37.799 definitely, if we talked in a year's time, I 00:09:37.799 --> 00:09:40.600 imagine Sting's going to be put in that conversation 00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:42.860 as well. I can just feel it and I'm excited to 00:09:42.860 --> 00:09:46.139 go and dig into the entire catalog. It's just 00:09:46.139 --> 00:09:48.960 funny how these things work. Yeah. See, you know, 00:09:49.220 --> 00:09:51.000 when I was younger, I didn't really listen to 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:54.580 a lot of Sting's studio records, but I heard 00:09:54.580 --> 00:09:58.000 one of his live albums. And you have some of 00:09:58.000 --> 00:10:00.399 the horn section involved in some of that and 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:04.100 I was like, okay, okay I can I get it now Yeah, 00:10:04.120 --> 00:10:06.259 I think you I think you really are on to something 00:10:06.259 --> 00:10:10.139 there the song for me I love man. Don't cry but 00:10:10.139 --> 00:10:13.039 interstellar runaway. I was thinking about this 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:14.860 today I was listening to it this morning traveling 00:10:14.860 --> 00:10:18.840 to work and I said this is this is the goosebump 00:10:18.840 --> 00:10:22.580 song It takes about a minute minute 15 or so 00:10:22.730 --> 00:10:25.450 But you look down and yep, yep, the bumps on 00:10:25.450 --> 00:10:28.529 the arms when you make liftoff on that song. 00:10:29.289 --> 00:10:31.950 How does that one go over? Do you get feedback 00:10:31.950 --> 00:10:36.169 on Interstellar Runaway? It's funny because our 00:10:36.169 --> 00:10:39.809 first outing as a full band performing that song 00:10:39.809 --> 00:10:42.909 live is this Friday coming up at our local venue, 00:10:43.049 --> 00:10:45.210 which is... sort of the venue around and that's 00:10:45.210 --> 00:10:47.610 the show opener actually is that one and I've 00:10:47.610 --> 00:10:50.210 been I've had various formats you kind of touched 00:10:50.210 --> 00:10:54.409 on it there and that introduction is is an evolution 00:10:54.409 --> 00:10:57.830 of my music has taken place the way it's presented 00:10:57.830 --> 00:11:03.000 in the way that I have I guess going out on the 00:11:03.000 --> 00:11:05.299 road and done certain things, even the color 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:07.799 scheme, the branding, everything, it's definitely 00:11:07.799 --> 00:11:10.000 all taken shape over time. This will be the first 00:11:10.000 --> 00:11:13.340 time with a saxophone on stage in the band. And 00:11:13.340 --> 00:11:15.559 it's sort of a new, it's a bit of an overhaul, 00:11:16.460 --> 00:11:19.840 new musicians who are on that same page. And 00:11:19.840 --> 00:11:23.179 I'm excited to see how it goes, but I know how 00:11:23.179 --> 00:11:25.240 it feels in the room when we play it in that 00:11:25.240 --> 00:11:28.860 song. just, it sets the tone. So I imagine it's 00:11:28.860 --> 00:11:31.440 going to be the opener for, for the foreseeable 00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:35.620 future. And I love how, um, you, you include 00:11:35.620 --> 00:11:40.000 on the man don't cry EP, a real stripped down 00:11:40.000 --> 00:11:42.960 demo version. It sounds like, uh, the song old 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:46.980 chairs, just very, very raw. And it's, I think 00:11:46.980 --> 00:11:49.620 the, the recording is appropriate for what you're 00:11:49.620 --> 00:11:53.720 singing about. Um, you touch on a lot of subject 00:11:53.720 --> 00:11:56.889 matter that's I think very close to people who 00:11:56.889 --> 00:11:59.509 are listening, relationships, things that have 00:11:59.509 --> 00:12:02.590 not gone so well. And on some of these songs, 00:12:02.629 --> 00:12:07.870 I know you take ownership sometimes of a relationship 00:12:07.870 --> 00:12:10.409 that has gone sour, hasn't quite worked out. 00:12:11.429 --> 00:12:14.289 On some of those songs, are you writing from 00:12:14.289 --> 00:12:16.750 experience or do you have characters in mind? 00:12:17.389 --> 00:12:20.169 I would say everything comes from an experience 00:12:20.169 --> 00:12:23.789 and that is sometimes not always my first -hand 00:12:23.789 --> 00:12:26.289 experience but it's somebody close to me or something 00:12:26.289 --> 00:12:30.610 like a dynamic that I see. Certainly the relationship 00:12:30.610 --> 00:12:33.789 oriented stuff that has definitely been my kind 00:12:33.789 --> 00:12:37.090 of first -hand experience and they often just 00:12:37.090 --> 00:12:39.029 come from a moment. The songs will come out of 00:12:39.029 --> 00:12:42.539 a moment where maybe... Maybe something will 00:12:42.539 --> 00:12:44.059 happen you might hear something or you might 00:12:44.059 --> 00:12:46.259 see something and you're reminded of a situation 00:12:46.259 --> 00:12:50.559 and a new idea Not an idea trying to create a 00:12:50.559 --> 00:12:53.799 song but a new thought comes to mind that is 00:12:53.799 --> 00:12:58.080 a new lens on a situation For instance that song 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:03.360 old chairs, which was recorded in a way I'm approaching 00:13:03.360 --> 00:13:06.590 recording. I want to approach recording from 00:13:06.590 --> 00:13:09.129 an album perspective, and that song closes out 00:13:09.129 --> 00:13:12.929 the first side of the vinyl, so side A, and it's 00:13:12.929 --> 00:13:15.330 meant to be kind of like a, yeah, I guess like 00:13:15.330 --> 00:13:19.429 a palate cleansing come down and just really 00:13:19.429 --> 00:13:23.789 tender as that part of the story ends. But that 00:13:23.789 --> 00:13:28.179 song, the genesis of it, I suppose, was... Yeah, 00:13:28.259 --> 00:13:30.419 we're sitting in a house that was literally emptied 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:34.139 of everything that we used to have and and just 00:13:34.139 --> 00:13:36.539 thinking about like sitting literally sitting 00:13:36.539 --> 00:13:40.399 on the floor and going oh the furniture isn't 00:13:40.399 --> 00:13:44.039 here and that's so emblematic of the things that 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:48.039 this house used to hold and what used to exist 00:13:48.039 --> 00:13:51.700 inside it and I think it started out it was sort 00:13:51.700 --> 00:13:53.679 of like the last I can't remember what the phrase 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:56.019 was but it was almost like the last night in 00:13:56.019 --> 00:13:59.909 our first home And that that sort of kind of 00:13:59.909 --> 00:14:02.789 took different shape. And anyway, it felt like 00:14:02.789 --> 00:14:06.509 an important little just, I guess, just a snapshot 00:14:06.509 --> 00:14:09.690 of a thought at a particular time in the whole 00:14:09.690 --> 00:14:12.690 process. You know, it is a process. Yeah, I think 00:14:12.690 --> 00:14:15.490 everybody has when you talk about the room and 00:14:15.490 --> 00:14:18.669 the red wine stain on the carpet. Yeah, I think 00:14:18.669 --> 00:14:21.250 you do a really good job of placing people here, 00:14:21.269 --> 00:14:23.190 maybe whether they want to go back or not. But 00:14:23.190 --> 00:14:26.840 everyone has has had that experience where They're 00:14:26.840 --> 00:14:30.220 sitting in a room where you used to have deep 00:14:30.220 --> 00:14:32.379 conversations with somebody used to laugh with 00:14:32.379 --> 00:14:37.100 somebody there was a lot of a Lot of life in 00:14:37.100 --> 00:14:39.600 that house for that room and now it's it's empty 00:14:39.600 --> 00:14:42.240 but you see the traces of it so I just think 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:45.860 that's a really a Beautiful song and really shows 00:14:45.860 --> 00:14:48.720 how you're you're okay being vulnerable and showing 00:14:48.720 --> 00:14:53.399 that vulnerability Yeah, I've for some time felt 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:58.480 like my greatest gift or my power that I have 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:02.440 is that I'm not afraid to be vulnerable. And 00:15:02.440 --> 00:15:05.659 I guess that there's some themes in there, particularly 00:15:05.659 --> 00:15:09.580 the song Man Don't Cry, where it's almost calling 00:15:09.580 --> 00:15:12.480 for people to be more vulnerable, particularly 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:15.879 men. Because how the line that you mentioned 00:15:15.879 --> 00:15:18.220 before, like what is a boy but an extension of 00:15:18.220 --> 00:15:22.529 the man who made him? Often it's a pretty classic 00:15:22.529 --> 00:15:27.350 Kiwi trope around men don't cry. And I think, 00:15:27.350 --> 00:15:30.009 you know, it goes everywhere tough, toughen up, 00:15:30.169 --> 00:15:33.529 harden up. And if the way I see it is if people 00:15:33.529 --> 00:15:37.309 don't have role models of vulnerability, people 00:15:37.309 --> 00:15:40.669 role modeling vulnerability, how are they supposed 00:15:40.669 --> 00:15:44.049 to learn? So all we're doing is reciprocating. 00:15:44.049 --> 00:15:48.490 Yeah, I guess a cycle that has led to to pain 00:15:48.490 --> 00:15:52.889 and bad outcomes. I think New Zealand has the 00:15:52.889 --> 00:15:56.009 worst, maybe the worst, certainly top five to 00:15:56.009 --> 00:16:00.769 10 suicide rate in the OECD. The statistics here 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:04.029 are really bad. And so while the song's not informed 00:16:04.029 --> 00:16:08.070 directly by one specific situation like that, 00:16:08.529 --> 00:16:12.919 it's certainly, what's the environmental... factors, 00:16:12.919 --> 00:16:15.919 I suppose, or an environmental factor. And I 00:16:15.919 --> 00:16:18.600 certainly don't think I've got the answers, but 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:21.399 I think questions are important and vulnerability 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:25.080 is huge. Yeah. I like how you said that. And 00:16:25.080 --> 00:16:29.820 it takes a man to, and oftentimes to get men 00:16:29.820 --> 00:16:34.360 to check into those feelings and maybe talk about 00:16:34.360 --> 00:16:39.200 them and maybe size up their network, size up 00:16:39.200 --> 00:16:41.809 the friends around them and think, do these people 00:16:41.809 --> 00:16:44.450 really care about my well -being maybe I should 00:16:44.450 --> 00:16:49.289 foster friendships with people that I can talk 00:16:49.289 --> 00:16:53.009 to freely and openly and who might even ask me 00:16:53.009 --> 00:16:55.730 hey you look like you're having a rough day or 00:16:55.730 --> 00:16:58.789 you know you know that's that type of thing and 00:16:58.789 --> 00:17:02.409 so that's just a powerful song in so many ways 00:17:02.409 --> 00:17:07.049 speaking of the evolution of your sound on the 00:17:07.049 --> 00:17:10.559 water went away ep And going going back a little 00:17:10.559 --> 00:17:12.779 further. There's some elements here, which I 00:17:12.779 --> 00:17:16.960 really love of R &B Some some hip -hop elements 00:17:16.960 --> 00:17:20.380 even gosh a song like see the way that you used 00:17:20.380 --> 00:17:24.220 to the opener Might be my favorite but gosh, 00:17:24.220 --> 00:17:27.240 I love Louisiana I feel like Louisiana could 00:17:27.240 --> 00:17:30.519 be played on an R &B station. It could be even 00:17:30.519 --> 00:17:33.920 played on a country station I mean, it's got 00:17:33.920 --> 00:17:35.960 you really deliver the goods on there. It's an 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:40.200 infectious song Yeah, speaking of Louisiana, 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:47.700 do you perform that one still? I do not, I don't 00:17:47.700 --> 00:17:49.680 think it's going to be a part of this next little 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:52.839 run with the band. It was definitely, there's 00:17:52.839 --> 00:17:55.059 a number of reasons and the evolution of the 00:17:55.059 --> 00:17:58.279 sound is an interesting one because I really 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:01.119 did start out just as a bedroom singer -songwriter 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:04.640 producing my own music. as it's growing into 00:18:04.640 --> 00:18:07.259 this band thing, some of those songs haven't 00:18:07.259 --> 00:18:10.579 translated as well to that band arrangement. 00:18:11.240 --> 00:18:13.259 But it's funny you bring that one up because 00:18:13.259 --> 00:18:16.039 I always felt like that song was almost the dark 00:18:16.039 --> 00:18:19.460 horse of that group. I did the production myself 00:18:19.460 --> 00:18:21.779 on that one and I actually felt like if that 00:18:21.779 --> 00:18:24.660 song had been put in a more experienced producer's 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:29.059 hands, something could have done a lot more with 00:18:29.059 --> 00:18:31.799 that track. And I'm always interested because 00:18:32.289 --> 00:18:34.549 There's the stories of songs that sort of sit 00:18:34.549 --> 00:18:37.150 there and haven't necessarily done a ton and 00:18:37.150 --> 00:18:39.430 then they connect with somebody in a particular 00:18:39.430 --> 00:18:41.990 way and maybe a bigger artist connects with it 00:18:41.990 --> 00:18:45.670 and they record it and all of a sudden, it can 00:18:45.670 --> 00:18:49.509 really go places. But I love that song and I 00:18:49.509 --> 00:18:52.930 sort of wish I had paid and got a producer who 00:18:52.930 --> 00:18:55.529 knew what they were doing. Yeah. But I appreciate 00:18:55.529 --> 00:18:58.869 your kind words. Oh yeah. I mean, folks, I like 00:18:58.869 --> 00:19:02.599 to say this early in the episode. Feel free everybody 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:06.339 listening to hit pause on the podcast and go 00:19:06.339 --> 00:19:09.880 to your favorite platform Spotify iTunes Apple 00:19:09.880 --> 00:19:14.519 music wherever you download music and add a man 00:19:14.519 --> 00:19:19.480 don't cry EP late -night poetry and and all this 00:19:19.480 --> 00:19:21.900 material and start, you know take it into these 00:19:21.900 --> 00:19:25.740 songs because What I love on this podcast and 00:19:25.740 --> 00:19:29.049 I said it last week is that? You can get recommendations 00:19:29.049 --> 00:19:31.690 based on what you're already listening to. Spotify 00:19:31.690 --> 00:19:35.369 is pretty good at doing that. It's great. It's 00:19:35.369 --> 00:19:37.589 a great way to build your catalog. But somebody 00:19:37.589 --> 00:19:40.890 like Dan Sharp, you might not realize how much 00:19:40.890 --> 00:19:44.730 you're going to fall in love with his songs and 00:19:44.730 --> 00:19:48.430 he may not come across the algorithm. It's just 00:19:48.430 --> 00:19:51.130 the biggest thrill of this podcast is to introduce 00:19:51.130 --> 00:19:54.250 some of this music where Interstellar Runaway 00:19:54.250 --> 00:19:57.039 hits me like a ton of bricks. All of a sudden, 00:19:57.079 --> 00:19:59.200 Louisiana, I'm here in Louisiana, I'm thinking, 00:19:59.380 --> 00:20:02.880 why in the world is this thing not a chart -topping 00:20:02.880 --> 00:20:08.940 mammoth of a song? Or yeah, like you said, it's 00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:12.299 got such crossover appeal that an established 00:20:12.299 --> 00:20:14.960 artist could have picked that up and maybe they 00:20:14.960 --> 00:20:19.099 still would. and record it. Possibly. Possibly. 00:20:19.700 --> 00:20:23.839 I had, when the Water When Away EP was coming 00:20:23.839 --> 00:20:26.539 out, I had just signed to a small record label, 00:20:26.980 --> 00:20:30.539 an independent one, that a promoter here had 00:20:30.539 --> 00:20:34.579 set up basically to try to get undiscovered Kiwi 00:20:34.579 --> 00:20:38.440 artists just a little more recognition and maybe 00:20:38.440 --> 00:20:40.880 some opportunity that wouldn't be there without 00:20:40.880 --> 00:20:43.890 that. that extra layer of support. But I did 00:20:43.890 --> 00:20:47.170 send that around to a number of industry people 00:20:47.170 --> 00:20:51.970 in New Zealand and the consensus was, particularly 00:20:51.970 --> 00:20:55.170 with the way that you used to, if Lois Capaldi 00:20:55.170 --> 00:20:58.109 was singing this song or, you know, a big country 00:20:58.109 --> 00:21:00.990 act, this song could be, you know, anywhere and 00:21:00.990 --> 00:21:04.130 everywhere in the world. The songs primed for 00:21:04.130 --> 00:21:06.450 that. And unfortunately, your platform isn't 00:21:06.450 --> 00:21:09.220 like... at the place where it's going to carry 00:21:09.220 --> 00:21:12.440 that song, but maybe things will change. And 00:21:12.440 --> 00:21:15.039 I still feel like at some point, one of these 00:21:15.039 --> 00:21:18.539 songs, so long as the songwriting is good enough, 00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:21.059 at some point someone might be like, oh yeah, 00:21:21.059 --> 00:21:24.740 cool, I'll give that a go. And who knows? Who 00:21:24.740 --> 00:21:29.960 knows? Now, wrapping up on this, on the Water 00:21:29.960 --> 00:21:34.759 Went Away EP, New Zealand musician website compared 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:39.660 you to Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi Mitch James 00:21:39.660 --> 00:21:42.900 Ryan Adams People listening if you haven't started 00:21:42.900 --> 00:21:45.140 listening to the catalog yet just to give you 00:21:45.140 --> 00:21:48.359 some idea They said within ease of lyric and 00:21:48.359 --> 00:21:52.359 warmth of vocal delivery Effortlessly good enough 00:21:52.359 --> 00:21:54.920 to remind you of your own favorite male acoustic 00:21:54.920 --> 00:21:58.819 guitar wielding singer -songwriter At least on 00:21:58.819 --> 00:22:01.619 these last couple EPs. You've gotten some recognition 00:22:01.619 --> 00:22:04.279 here. You're getting across to the live audiences. 00:22:04.619 --> 00:22:08.079 How do you see? Your sound progressing, you know, 00:22:08.160 --> 00:22:11.680 are you do you have a new single new release 00:22:11.680 --> 00:22:15.420 scheduled for later this this fall or in 2024? 00:22:17.019 --> 00:22:20.160 Yeah, I obviously got an album coming out and 00:22:20.160 --> 00:22:25.259 that's gonna be out in April and We've just been 00:22:25.259 --> 00:22:27.200 going through the motions as to like the best 00:22:27.200 --> 00:22:30.599 ways to when I say we me and this this label 00:22:30.599 --> 00:22:34.130 that I spoke of Trying to figure out the best 00:22:34.130 --> 00:22:36.529 ways to get that out and make as much noise as 00:22:36.529 --> 00:22:42.509 possible, but I a Challenge that I've had is 00:22:42.509 --> 00:22:46.410 that it's really difficult to tour Successfully 00:22:46.410 --> 00:22:48.970 in New Zealand and make it financially viable 00:22:48.970 --> 00:22:51.990 So the decisions that we're kind of weighing 00:22:51.990 --> 00:22:55.609 up is where to put the the limited kind of resources 00:22:55.609 --> 00:22:59.009 that we've got and is it go out on the road and 00:22:59.009 --> 00:23:02.430 Spend the money that way is it to have some amazing 00:23:02.430 --> 00:23:06.049 digital strategy video all of these things and 00:23:06.049 --> 00:23:08.609 try to really reach an audience outside of New 00:23:08.609 --> 00:23:12.490 Zealand and I do think that that is probably 00:23:12.490 --> 00:23:16.490 the more sensible thing and I'm excited about 00:23:16.490 --> 00:23:22.529 creating and yeah going on the road can be awesome 00:23:22.529 --> 00:23:26.410 and it can also be really you need to be in the 00:23:26.410 --> 00:23:29.069 right place to really make it work for you and 00:23:29.069 --> 00:23:35.019 not be just a huge and yeah, it'll be interesting 00:23:35.019 --> 00:23:37.940 to see what we end up going with, but yeah, lots 00:23:37.940 --> 00:23:42.279 of new music. I feel like as an artist, present 00:23:42.279 --> 00:23:46.480 day, as opposed to 2024, as opposed to 1994, 00:23:47.519 --> 00:23:52.519 or how musicians and songwriters went about their 00:23:52.519 --> 00:23:55.640 day -to -day business in the 70s and 80s, man, 00:23:55.640 --> 00:23:58.519 there's a lot sitting on your shoulders. You 00:23:58.519 --> 00:24:01.140 got to wake up every day and realize, Well, shoot, 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:03.660 I better generate some new content on my social 00:24:03.660 --> 00:24:07.460 media channels. I got people I got a reply to. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:12.140 And there's just so much kind of frontline engagement 00:24:12.140 --> 00:24:15.220 with your audience that just didn't exist before. 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:19.240 How challenging is that where you're not just 00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:22.500 writing, you're not just performing and recording, 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:27.660 but it's just almost this this never ending list 00:24:27.660 --> 00:24:31.210 of you know, processes that you have to run through. 00:24:32.049 --> 00:24:35.369 I think I've got a few thoughts here. I think 00:24:35.369 --> 00:24:38.890 every person trying to operate in a modern business 00:24:38.890 --> 00:24:42.369 environment has that same struggle, but where 00:24:42.369 --> 00:24:45.819 they've got a... basically be active to be seen 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:49.259 and you lose relevancy really quickly and platforms 00:24:49.259 --> 00:24:52.220 change, new methods come along. The thing that 00:24:52.220 --> 00:24:55.119 was working before isn't the thing that works 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:58.539 tomorrow. And so there's a constant change, which 00:24:58.539 --> 00:25:03.279 I think that can be a hard thing to come to peace 00:25:03.279 --> 00:25:05.819 with is that you can't just kind of sit and forget 00:25:05.819 --> 00:25:08.779 and just do one thing. So there's a constant, 00:25:08.940 --> 00:25:11.019 your strategy has to be a strategy of constantly 00:25:11.019 --> 00:25:17.160 evolving. I have seen and I've felt, I've felt 00:25:17.160 --> 00:25:19.440 small versions of it myself where I just start, 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:22.859 I guess, pulling away from being active because 00:25:22.859 --> 00:25:24.960 it does just feel like there's too much to do. 00:25:25.299 --> 00:25:28.099 And in the past, the label, a big major label 00:25:28.099 --> 00:25:32.039 and maybe for the biggest, you know, the biggest 00:25:32.039 --> 00:25:34.920 artists in the world. They would still do this 00:25:34.920 --> 00:25:37.079 where there's enough resource around them to 00:25:37.079 --> 00:25:39.299 outsource that job and this job and that job 00:25:39.299 --> 00:25:41.740 and like I don't expect Ed Sheeran's written 00:25:41.740 --> 00:25:45.539 a Facebook post for the last 12 years and Since 00:25:45.539 --> 00:25:47.519 since he really got picked up and even then who 00:25:47.519 --> 00:25:51.240 knows I don't but Yeah, that's it's just another 00:25:51.240 --> 00:25:55.180 thing that you have to be across The pros and 00:25:55.180 --> 00:25:58.759 cons of it is that now? With the platforms we 00:25:58.759 --> 00:26:02.160 have if you can manage to cut through you can 00:26:02.160 --> 00:26:07.630 reach billions of people at really no cost to 00:26:07.630 --> 00:26:09.849 yourself, whereas to go down that major label 00:26:09.849 --> 00:26:14.430 path now, it really still is spend a ton of money, 00:26:14.750 --> 00:26:18.509 gather enough, I guess, momentum and groundswell 00:26:18.509 --> 00:26:21.930 and hope that it picks up and it doesn't always 00:26:21.930 --> 00:26:26.230 do that. Yeah, I guess there's never been a better 00:26:26.230 --> 00:26:29.529 time than now to be an artist like yourself. 00:26:30.079 --> 00:26:32.640 I feel that. Yeah, I do. I think that that's 00:26:32.640 --> 00:26:37.720 true. I think that to lament the old days and 00:26:37.720 --> 00:26:40.839 that people used to buy CDs and used to listen 00:26:40.839 --> 00:26:43.019 to vinyl and have great sound systems and not 00:26:43.019 --> 00:26:46.740 just be listening on the earbuds. It's not really 00:26:46.740 --> 00:26:48.640 looking at the big picture. You couldn't really 00:26:48.640 --> 00:26:52.880 record a CD 30 years ago and have anyone know 00:26:52.880 --> 00:26:56.079 about it unless you had all of these other things 00:26:56.079 --> 00:26:59.700 in play. And those were... They weren't easy 00:26:59.700 --> 00:27:02.960 to come by. I think anyone can create anything 00:27:02.960 --> 00:27:05.720 now and that's amazing. It just means you've 00:27:05.720 --> 00:27:08.299 got a different challenge. It's not just the 00:27:08.299 --> 00:27:10.819 creative thing. It's how do I create some noise 00:27:10.819 --> 00:27:15.559 around it? Right. I also want to say that speaking 00:27:15.559 --> 00:27:18.660 of never been a better time than now for reaching 00:27:18.660 --> 00:27:22.359 an audience. When I was a teenager, everyone 00:27:22.359 --> 00:27:24.680 had a tendency to kind of put themselves in little 00:27:24.680 --> 00:27:28.119 boxes. There was the punk rock guys. There was 00:27:28.119 --> 00:27:31.680 the hip -hop and R &B crowd. There was the country 00:27:31.680 --> 00:27:36.000 crowd. There was the metal crowd. And a little 00:27:36.000 --> 00:27:39.819 cross -pollination, but really not a lot. But 00:27:39.819 --> 00:27:43.500 I feel like today, kids are interested in listening 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:45.920 to all different types of music. They're not 00:27:45.920 --> 00:27:49.380 satisfied to just stay in one department there. 00:27:49.880 --> 00:27:53.019 Do you meet people who are like their bread and 00:27:53.019 --> 00:27:55.819 butter is hip -hop, but they connect with your 00:27:55.819 --> 00:28:02.190 sound? Yes, definitely. I would say that New 00:28:02.190 --> 00:28:06.549 Zealand does a couple of things as its core basis 00:28:06.549 --> 00:28:11.309 of what works here. And that includes reggae, 00:28:11.470 --> 00:28:14.950 dub. There's a little bit of a hip hop overlay 00:28:14.950 --> 00:28:18.569 there as well. But the singer -songwriter rock 00:28:18.569 --> 00:28:22.509 thing has a lot less of an obvious home here 00:28:22.509 --> 00:28:25.150 than in other places. But I would generally say 00:28:25.150 --> 00:28:29.480 that people... people's variety of tastes is 00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:32.400 probably higher than it's ever been. And most 00:28:32.400 --> 00:28:34.920 people I know, most people that like music and 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:37.420 most musicians just have a ton of things, you 00:28:37.420 --> 00:28:39.619 know, it's almost like it's mood based listening 00:28:39.619 --> 00:28:42.619 now. And I think I read something around that 00:28:42.619 --> 00:28:45.160 genre playlist. It's not genre playlisting anymore. 00:28:45.339 --> 00:28:48.079 It's mood playlisting. So people want to... they'll 00:28:48.079 --> 00:28:50.900 go to how they want to feel or how they want 00:28:50.900 --> 00:28:54.460 music to amplify their current situation. So 00:28:54.460 --> 00:28:57.220 a classic one here would be like a Kiwi barbecue 00:28:57.220 --> 00:28:59.880 playlist. It's not actually about music that, 00:28:59.880 --> 00:29:02.440 I don't know, barbecue just describes the mood 00:29:02.440 --> 00:29:05.200 of sitting around having a beer and in the sun, 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:08.160 maybe going to the beach. And so if your song 00:29:08.160 --> 00:29:12.119 touches into that space, it's a lot easier. This 00:29:12.119 --> 00:29:14.700 is what I read how Spotify is kind of operating 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:18.559 now. Yeah. If you can make your song match a 00:29:18.559 --> 00:29:21.920 mood, you can have a lot easier time of being 00:29:21.920 --> 00:29:24.740 discovered on these platforms. Now you're my 00:29:24.740 --> 00:29:27.500 first guest from New Zealand. Um, I've had Dan 00:29:27.500 --> 00:29:30.500 Brody from Melbourne, Australia a couple of months 00:29:30.500 --> 00:29:33.420 ago. Maybe it's been that long. So you're from, 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:35.740 is it Taupo, if I pronounced that correctly? 00:29:36.259 --> 00:29:38.920 Close, that was pretty good. I live there, it's 00:29:38.920 --> 00:29:43.559 Taupo, and I lived there for about four years. 00:29:43.579 --> 00:29:45.180 I actually live a couple of hours north of there 00:29:45.180 --> 00:29:48.779 now in a place called Mount Maunganui, and it's 00:29:48.779 --> 00:29:51.099 right on the beach, and it's in what's called 00:29:51.099 --> 00:29:55.299 the Bay of Plenty. We're about an hour from Hobbiton, 00:29:55.700 --> 00:29:57.900 where Lord of the Rings, where Hobbiton was filmed. 00:29:59.000 --> 00:30:01.299 But yeah, I grew up not too far from here and 00:30:01.299 --> 00:30:04.819 it's definitely one of the beachier, sunnier, 00:30:05.019 --> 00:30:08.920 warmer parts of the country. It's good. And I 00:30:08.920 --> 00:30:12.380 understand you recently got engaged. Yes, I did. 00:30:12.700 --> 00:30:16.539 Congratulations. Thank you. Yeah, no, that was 00:30:16.539 --> 00:30:18.980 an awesome way to end. We had a trip overseas 00:30:18.980 --> 00:30:22.119 and that was the perfect way to end it. Where 00:30:22.119 --> 00:30:25.299 do you like to travel when you get some time 00:30:25.299 --> 00:30:28.809 and opportunity to go? different places. Do you 00:30:28.809 --> 00:30:32.750 have a favorite vacation spot or place that you've 00:30:32.750 --> 00:30:36.170 been? Not really not a favorite sort of place 00:30:36.170 --> 00:30:39.369 that we've gone read like more than once but 00:30:39.369 --> 00:30:44.089 I will say Kiwis have quite a strong connection 00:30:44.089 --> 00:30:47.509 to the UK and we've got like a easy kind of work 00:30:47.509 --> 00:30:50.670 visa thing there so a really classic thing to 00:30:50.670 --> 00:30:54.589 do as Kiwis kind of mid to late 20s, they'll 00:30:54.589 --> 00:30:57.769 go and live over in the UK for two to three years. 00:30:58.710 --> 00:31:01.569 We got the visa and we went over there thinking 00:31:01.569 --> 00:31:03.430 we were going to set up and maybe live there. 00:31:03.789 --> 00:31:07.049 And in the end, we bought a camper van and we 00:31:07.049 --> 00:31:10.130 lived in that. We just did the summer, came back 00:31:10.130 --> 00:31:12.730 here for summer, went back over there and lived 00:31:12.730 --> 00:31:16.950 in this camper van in Scotland. We had five amazing 00:31:16.950 --> 00:31:21.140 weeks there back down into Europe. Island has 00:31:21.140 --> 00:31:23.279 been awesome. I've been there a few times, but 00:31:23.279 --> 00:31:26.599 Portugal was the place that we probably loved 00:31:26.599 --> 00:31:30.059 the most and yeah, lived in our van down there 00:31:30.059 --> 00:31:33.420 for probably five or six weeks. And it was amazing. 00:31:34.220 --> 00:31:37.339 Do you feel, obviously people who have listened 00:31:37.339 --> 00:31:39.240 to this podcast are like, okay, here he goes. 00:31:39.319 --> 00:31:43.740 He's just going down the rabbit hole. Do you 00:31:43.740 --> 00:31:48.779 feel like, the minimalistic lifestyle, or if 00:31:48.779 --> 00:31:52.000 you go on a journey like that and traveling, 00:31:52.359 --> 00:31:56.420 does it allow for more creativity when you're 00:31:56.420 --> 00:31:57.980 just, like I said, traveling and sleeping in 00:31:57.980 --> 00:32:04.400 a van? It could. I'd say it's personality dependent. 00:32:05.539 --> 00:32:08.160 And the time thing, I think everything's like 00:32:08.160 --> 00:32:10.339 kind of seasonal if you've been in this kind 00:32:10.339 --> 00:32:15.000 of... digital, urban, intense environment. Like 00:32:15.000 --> 00:32:18.980 it's only natural that offsetting that with not 00:32:18.980 --> 00:32:21.859 having all of the things and lower stimulation. 00:32:22.519 --> 00:32:25.140 It's just like... It's kind of like a breath 00:32:25.140 --> 00:32:27.000 of fresh air or something and you're like, oh 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:31.039 man. And then by the end of about four or five 00:32:31.039 --> 00:32:34.759 months of it, we were craving being back. Like 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:39.339 that was almost too long. So yeah, I'd say it's 00:32:39.339 --> 00:32:43.539 not the environment in which I get creative and 00:32:43.539 --> 00:32:45.420 especially that traveling thing, but it's the 00:32:45.420 --> 00:32:48.220 environment that I get inspired. And so like 00:32:48.220 --> 00:32:50.819 going and seeing new things every day, reading, 00:32:51.099 --> 00:32:54.309 incredible history, scenery. Just being in places 00:32:54.309 --> 00:32:56.630 with stories that you haven't heard and like 00:32:56.630 --> 00:33:00.890 perspective changing histories, that sort of 00:33:00.890 --> 00:33:04.150 stuff informs a lot. And then I come home and 00:33:04.150 --> 00:33:06.829 I'm here and I've built this studio that I love 00:33:06.829 --> 00:33:12.069 and I'm really excited to just get to unpacking 00:33:12.069 --> 00:33:15.390 all of this new sort of information and finding 00:33:15.390 --> 00:33:18.789 ways to make it, yeah, I guess to tell a story 00:33:18.789 --> 00:33:22.329 or to put my spin on it. Coming right back to 00:33:22.329 --> 00:33:26.150 your current sound that you've achieved on late 00:33:26.150 --> 00:33:30.009 night poetry and listening to the prior releases, 00:33:30.289 --> 00:33:33.849 the prior singles. I just feel like you're very 00:33:33.849 --> 00:33:37.049 comfortable in your sound now. Not that you weren't 00:33:37.049 --> 00:33:40.369 on like, you know, chaos eyes, the water went 00:33:40.369 --> 00:33:43.170 away EP, but I feel like you're really doing 00:33:43.170 --> 00:33:45.589 exactly what you want to put out there. Like 00:33:45.589 --> 00:33:48.250 you've settled into this straight ahead. I love 00:33:48.250 --> 00:33:50.470 sometimes just hearing straight ahead, rock and 00:33:50.470 --> 00:33:53.849 roll. And Man Don't Cry, like I said, it just 00:33:53.849 --> 00:33:58.150 sounds like a live song. It's built for a festival 00:33:58.150 --> 00:34:02.450 atmosphere. And Late Night Poetry, that's kind 00:34:02.450 --> 00:34:07.750 of a repeat song for me as well. I like the percussion. 00:34:08.210 --> 00:34:11.150 You seem to pay attention to the percussion element 00:34:11.150 --> 00:34:15.449 of your songs. I don't want to bounce around 00:34:15.449 --> 00:34:17.510 too much here, but there's what I would consider 00:34:17.510 --> 00:34:20.199 an epic song, probably... Yeah, if I had to pick 00:34:20.199 --> 00:34:23.840 one out by your hand, the final song on Water 00:34:23.840 --> 00:34:27.019 Went Away EP, that's like the real experimental, 00:34:27.639 --> 00:34:30.719 it gets a little chaotic at times and it really 00:34:30.719 --> 00:34:34.579 builds beautifully. Yeah. Yeah, I loved that 00:34:34.579 --> 00:34:38.480 song and I recorded that myself and I had a friend 00:34:38.480 --> 00:34:41.119 in the States, actually in Austin, he recorded 00:34:41.119 --> 00:34:43.820 the drums and sent them over and when all the 00:34:43.820 --> 00:34:46.400 pieces fell in to play, I'd sort of mapped out 00:34:46.400 --> 00:34:49.630 a part for him to play and gave him that. And 00:34:49.630 --> 00:34:52.010 it was meant to be sort of just a closing track 00:34:52.010 --> 00:34:56.670 and live. That was a huge song, but the recording 00:34:56.670 --> 00:34:59.449 really just didn't connect at all in any way 00:34:59.449 --> 00:35:02.210 at all. It's my lowest played song on all platforms 00:35:02.210 --> 00:35:05.070 and it gets next to no plays, but it's kind of 00:35:05.070 --> 00:35:07.849 like this little secret. well -kept secret I 00:35:07.849 --> 00:35:10.809 suppose and I hear that particularly the ending 00:35:10.809 --> 00:35:13.670 and it's it's exactly what I wanted to do and 00:35:13.670 --> 00:35:15.670 the mood I wanted to create and the feeling I 00:35:15.670 --> 00:35:18.050 wanted to create so yeah I'm really proud of 00:35:18.050 --> 00:35:20.809 it and it's not impossible that I'll rerecord 00:35:20.809 --> 00:35:22.889 that with some better production values at some 00:35:22.889 --> 00:35:25.750 stage we'll yeah we'll see I think it may be 00:35:25.750 --> 00:35:28.469 the longest song clocking in a little over four 00:35:28.469 --> 00:35:31.610 minutes for coming up on five minutes and maybe 00:35:31.610 --> 00:35:35.170 that's yeah I do like how most of your songs 00:35:35.170 --> 00:35:38.050 are kind of You're in and out in and out but 00:35:38.050 --> 00:35:42.909 it gets it gets the punch in Yeah, I I do feel 00:35:42.909 --> 00:35:45.929 on my podcast sometimes it it gets a little long 00:35:45.929 --> 00:35:48.050 in the tooth and I'm trying to work on that. 00:35:48.050 --> 00:35:52.829 It's a personal flaw of mine Sometimes people, 00:35:52.829 --> 00:35:55.869 you know, if you like a baseball here in the 00:35:55.869 --> 00:35:58.690 states and you don't if you like a 15 inning 00:35:58.690 --> 00:36:01.630 ball game maybe I have some listeners that enjoy 00:36:01.630 --> 00:36:06.070 the carrying on on here, but Yeah, I do like 00:36:06.070 --> 00:36:10.329 that your songs are really to the point and it's, 00:36:10.369 --> 00:36:14.650 you either want to hear it back to back or they 00:36:14.650 --> 00:36:18.110 just kind of, it gets you fired up. Dan, I guess 00:36:18.110 --> 00:36:20.030 one other question or a couple other questions. 00:36:20.489 --> 00:36:24.130 Do you have influences that are maybe that you've 00:36:24.130 --> 00:36:25.989 carried with you for a long time? Is there an 00:36:25.989 --> 00:36:28.929 artist that's just a top of the list favorite 00:36:28.929 --> 00:36:34.929 for you or top three? Yeah, I've had a variety 00:36:34.929 --> 00:36:37.650 of influences, man. Like I've gone through such 00:36:37.650 --> 00:36:41.449 different phases musically from like really like 00:36:41.449 --> 00:36:45.409 hard rock and metal to acoustic singer songwriter 00:36:45.409 --> 00:36:48.849 folk stuff from the 60s and 70s. And it's always, 00:36:48.889 --> 00:36:52.570 I think it's always been about the song and why 00:36:52.570 --> 00:36:55.409 the song exists. It's not, I don't just create 00:36:55.409 --> 00:36:57.730 music just so I can have music out in the world. 00:36:57.849 --> 00:37:00.130 It's like, I feel like this thing needs to exist 00:37:00.130 --> 00:37:02.559 and, or this... needs to be said or whatever 00:37:02.559 --> 00:37:05.639 it is. And for that reason, Springsteen has always 00:37:05.639 --> 00:37:08.980 been there or thereabouts. He's such an easy 00:37:08.980 --> 00:37:13.619 person to point to because the songs, a lot of 00:37:13.619 --> 00:37:16.400 his, the source material and the things he talks 00:37:16.400 --> 00:37:18.980 about is there's an overlap with, I guess, the 00:37:18.980 --> 00:37:21.079 tone in the music and the sound of the music. 00:37:21.659 --> 00:37:25.340 So, but yeah, there's also a lot of like more 00:37:25.340 --> 00:37:28.239 modern soul and hip hop artists as well that 00:37:28.239 --> 00:37:32.639 I take a lot away from of just listening to this 00:37:32.639 --> 00:37:36.940 album Malibu by Anderson Park on I've got the 00:37:36.940 --> 00:37:39.820 vinyl and I just listen to it and man the ability 00:37:39.820 --> 00:37:43.659 to communicate in that art form I'm really jealous 00:37:43.659 --> 00:37:46.900 of that art form because he doesn't necessarily 00:37:46.900 --> 00:37:49.699 have to abide by like a melodic structure in 00:37:49.699 --> 00:37:53.079 the way that he raps and so you can just It's 00:37:53.079 --> 00:37:55.940 just such a different way to communicate and 00:37:55.940 --> 00:37:59.360 there's almost a lot less boundaries in it. So 00:37:59.360 --> 00:38:01.039 yeah, I've been listening to that and it's just 00:38:01.039 --> 00:38:03.940 really liberating. There's a couple of Kiwi similar 00:38:03.940 --> 00:38:07.000 style acts. Avondale Bowling Club is one that 00:38:07.000 --> 00:38:10.119 he's put out an album recently and it's just 00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:13.239 a phenomenal art form. And these many, and I 00:38:13.239 --> 00:38:16.000 love that there's such a variety of ways to communicate 00:38:16.000 --> 00:38:19.900 stories and feelings. I want to kind of pluck 00:38:19.900 --> 00:38:23.599 one song here from the slack tide EP going way 00:38:23.599 --> 00:38:31.460 back to 2019 lifeline The song on here For me, 00:38:31.460 --> 00:38:35.619 it reminds me of Johnny Lang did this this record 00:38:35.619 --> 00:38:40.619 about 25 years ago wander this world and I Okay, 00:38:40.840 --> 00:38:43.579 that's got some of that Johnny Lang flair for 00:38:43.579 --> 00:38:45.420 me personally. I think everybody connects with 00:38:45.420 --> 00:38:49.030 songs differently But I love it. It's real soulful. 00:38:49.650 --> 00:38:52.449 Oh, cool. Yeah. I think that that was the first 00:38:52.449 --> 00:38:56.650 proper single I put out. And to that point, I 00:38:56.650 --> 00:39:00.550 was really connecting with Gary Clark Jr. And 00:39:00.550 --> 00:39:06.289 I love Keb Mo. He'd be in that. Yeah, certainly 00:39:06.289 --> 00:39:09.909 his first couple albums are more folky singer 00:39:09.909 --> 00:39:13.389 -songwriter blues. And so, yeah, a wide variety 00:39:13.389 --> 00:39:16.900 of stuff. I thought that that's where I was kind 00:39:16.900 --> 00:39:20.460 of going, but as my songwriting has just evolved 00:39:20.460 --> 00:39:22.800 and the textures and the sounds that I really 00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:25.380 love, it's pulled me back towards more of a, 00:39:25.380 --> 00:39:28.880 I guess, a rock songwriter sound as opposed to 00:39:28.880 --> 00:39:33.320 that bluesy kind of swampy, gritty thing. Still 00:39:33.320 --> 00:39:38.300 love it though. Well, Dan, where can folks, where 00:39:38.300 --> 00:39:41.219 can they see you performing in the next few weeks? 00:39:41.219 --> 00:39:43.320 Because I do have a few listeners in New Zealand. 00:39:44.469 --> 00:39:46.150 Hopefully they listen to the show and hopefully 00:39:46.150 --> 00:39:50.210 they're close to where you're performing. Yeah, 00:39:50.210 --> 00:39:52.730 the only show that I've got locked in is this 00:39:52.730 --> 00:39:55.869 band show. It's called Tōtara Street in Mt. Maunganui. 00:39:56.210 --> 00:40:00.409 And that's on Friday, the 8th of March. And yeah, 00:40:00.809 --> 00:40:03.530 the plans for the rest of the year, there's been 00:40:03.530 --> 00:40:05.409 talk of maybe doing some shows in the States. 00:40:05.550 --> 00:40:08.429 There's been talk of maybe some in the UK. And 00:40:08.429 --> 00:40:11.670 so, yeah, I guess the best thing to do is probably 00:40:11.670 --> 00:40:15.409 jump on my website and there'll be like a mailing 00:40:15.409 --> 00:40:18.170 list sign up kind of thing that as soon as these 00:40:18.170 --> 00:40:20.510 dates are sorted out and what it looks like, 00:40:20.750 --> 00:40:23.409 then yeah, people can stay in the loop, which 00:40:23.409 --> 00:40:26.730 is cool. Well, you know, on Facebook or even 00:40:26.730 --> 00:40:30.769 on Instagram, when an artist announces dates, 00:40:31.590 --> 00:40:34.210 there's always those people that say, come to 00:40:34.210 --> 00:40:37.610 my town, come to my town. Yeah. So I'll put in 00:40:37.610 --> 00:40:40.769 a plug for Pensacola, Florida, if you ever make 00:40:40.769 --> 00:40:44.480 it. To the northern Gulf coast of Florida and 00:40:44.480 --> 00:40:48.480 the states. Yeah, but obviously love to see you 00:40:48.480 --> 00:40:51.059 Amazing man. Yeah, I've not actually been to 00:40:51.059 --> 00:40:55.340 Florida. I have been to Louisiana and Didn't 00:40:55.340 --> 00:40:58.179 quite get over to Florida, but I'd love to kind 00:40:58.179 --> 00:41:00.019 of travel that whole East Coast. Actually, that'd 00:41:00.019 --> 00:41:03.320 be awesome All right. Well Dan, this has been 00:41:03.320 --> 00:41:05.380 spectacular. I hope you've enjoyed as much as 00:41:05.380 --> 00:41:08.239 I have Yeah, man. Thank you so much everybody 00:41:08.239 --> 00:41:11.449 listening. I think this is your same They can 00:41:11.449 --> 00:41:14.409 find you at Dan Sharp music across most the channels. 00:41:14.409 --> 00:41:17.469 Is that right? Yeah, that's right. I'll include 00:41:17.469 --> 00:41:21.530 that in the show notes I guess one last question 00:41:21.530 --> 00:41:25.590 anything that you'd like to plug that you're 00:41:25.590 --> 00:41:31.980 listening to watching the the piece of film Content 00:41:31.980 --> 00:41:34.719 that I've found the most beautiful and I've gone 00:41:34.719 --> 00:41:37.659 back to is actually a Disney show and or which 00:41:37.659 --> 00:41:40.860 is a Star Wars based thing now I'm not I like 00:41:40.860 --> 00:41:43.739 fantasy. I like sci -fi stuff I like all sorts 00:41:43.739 --> 00:41:46.119 of things, but there's something in there and 00:41:46.119 --> 00:41:49.019 the Filming of that and the scripting of that 00:41:49.019 --> 00:41:52.099 and the storyboarding everything that it's it's 00:41:52.099 --> 00:41:55.960 just such a beautiful It's just it captures such 00:41:55.960 --> 00:41:58.099 a beautiful struggle and yeah, I can't quite 00:41:58.099 --> 00:42:00.820 define it because I don't have the terms and 00:42:00.820 --> 00:42:04.460 I'm not like a huge film buff, but that has been 00:42:04.460 --> 00:42:07.239 a really beautiful, when I see things like that 00:42:07.239 --> 00:42:09.340 being created, I'm excited to go see the new 00:42:09.340 --> 00:42:12.940 Dune movie because it's, I don't know, I just 00:42:12.940 --> 00:42:15.639 love seeing people's creative output. It's such 00:42:15.639 --> 00:42:18.699 a beautiful epic scale. It just makes you think 00:42:18.699 --> 00:42:22.079 like, oh man, we... We can create and people 00:42:22.079 --> 00:42:25.300 do create and we all should to some extent be 00:42:25.300 --> 00:42:27.760 creating something off our offering Do you know 00:42:27.760 --> 00:42:30.880 what I mean? Yeah, absolutely Tapping everyone 00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:33.860 who's listening everybody's got a special skill 00:42:33.860 --> 00:42:37.739 and For some of you that may be you're great 00:42:37.739 --> 00:42:40.059 with your hands. You can work on vehicles you 00:42:40.059 --> 00:42:45.380 can repair pipes or electrical components or 00:42:45.380 --> 00:42:47.800 you like to write songs or you used to like to 00:42:47.800 --> 00:42:50.360 write songs if you've got a guitar that's been 00:42:50.360 --> 00:42:55.099 sitting in the corner in the closet and You don't 00:42:55.099 --> 00:42:57.320 think your stuff's any good. Give it another 00:42:57.320 --> 00:43:00.340 shot Give it another shot. Even if it doesn't 00:43:00.340 --> 00:43:03.219 matter if anybody else likes it if you like if 00:43:03.219 --> 00:43:06.119 you used to like to write Whether it's lyrics 00:43:06.119 --> 00:43:08.739 or music or used to like to play drums. Give 00:43:08.739 --> 00:43:11.219 it another shot If you've got the time, you'll 00:43:11.219 --> 00:43:16.039 be you'll be happy that you did Yeah, then I 00:43:16.039 --> 00:43:18.699 we talked about this beforehand and I don't want 00:43:18.699 --> 00:43:21.840 to to put you on the spot, but do you have a 00:43:21.840 --> 00:43:24.840 song that you'd like to perform or do you have 00:43:24.840 --> 00:43:27.559 the guitar handy? I can definitely perform a 00:43:27.559 --> 00:43:31.340 song. And I do have a guitar handy. This is a 00:43:31.340 --> 00:43:37.179 new feature on the podcast and any of the musicians 00:43:37.179 --> 00:43:39.300 who have appeared previously and I didn't invite 00:43:39.300 --> 00:43:41.400 you to play, that's one of the reasons I asked 00:43:41.400 --> 00:43:45.159 everybody to come back. Because I always figure 00:43:45.159 --> 00:43:46.980 I'm gonna forget something. I'm not gonna ask 00:43:46.980 --> 00:43:48.460 you something that I should have asked you So 00:43:48.460 --> 00:43:50.260 I always like to have people back on a second 00:43:50.260 --> 00:43:54.440 time so we could Spruce it up. But yeah, Dan, 00:43:54.539 --> 00:43:58.719 what are you? What do you feel like playing tonight 00:43:58.719 --> 00:44:01.619 I think tonight for me. I think it's still afternoon 00:44:01.619 --> 00:44:06.360 the next day for you It's yeah mid afternoon 00:44:06.360 --> 00:44:09.599 I'll play a little a little bit of man. Don't 00:44:09.599 --> 00:44:13.099 cry. Maybe just a verse in a chorus And this 00:44:13.099 --> 00:44:16.820 song was, yeah, as we talked about, it touches 00:44:16.820 --> 00:44:20.400 on some heavier themes. It really did come about 00:44:20.400 --> 00:44:23.840 from just observing a guy that I knew reasonably 00:44:23.840 --> 00:44:27.719 well, just not have the ability to kind of communicate. 00:44:28.360 --> 00:44:33.239 And I just watched him struggle and he, yeah, 00:44:33.360 --> 00:44:37.260 just needed some guidance as a younger human, 00:44:37.400 --> 00:44:40.000 I think, and it just left him a little incapable 00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:43.539 later. This is a song called Man Don't Cry and 00:44:43.539 --> 00:45:12.880 it goes like this. Walking down like his father 00:45:12.880 --> 00:45:18.340 Walking out on his mother Broken arm when he's 00:45:18.340 --> 00:45:25.219 still his eyes Inside his eyes Is a place he 00:45:25.219 --> 00:45:35.079 tries to hide But there's no quarter By day he's 00:45:35.079 --> 00:45:45.980 building an empire Betrayed Again by night He's 00:45:45.980 --> 00:45:50.619 breaking, he's faded A double -standing laugh 00:45:50.619 --> 00:46:18.940 and he wonders why The man don't Good stuff. 00:46:19.059 --> 00:46:21.360 Good stuff, Dan. Folks, if you haven't already, 00:46:21.420 --> 00:46:26.199 download the EP. Try it out. Man, don't cry. 00:46:26.940 --> 00:46:29.559 Late night poetry. We're going to preview a song 00:46:29.559 --> 00:46:32.880 at the top of this episode when I go back to 00:46:32.880 --> 00:46:35.880 publish the audio version. So another surprise 00:46:35.880 --> 00:46:39.239 there. This has been fantastic, Dan. Great to 00:46:39.239 --> 00:46:41.820 connect with you from about, I think, 19 hours 00:46:41.820 --> 00:46:46.480 time difference. Yeah. I'd love to come visit. 00:46:46.719 --> 00:46:49.960 Your beautiful country in the next few years. 00:46:50.139 --> 00:46:52.179 Oh, absolutely. You'd love it. You'd love it. 00:46:52.960 --> 00:46:56.380 Anything else? Anything about New Zealand? And 00:46:56.380 --> 00:47:00.739 I tried to pronounce the indigenous name. I don't 00:47:00.739 --> 00:47:02.380 know if I really want to try it again. I'll mess 00:47:02.380 --> 00:47:06.079 it up. But anything that you'd like to promote 00:47:06.079 --> 00:47:10.679 about your side of the world? I think we're very, 00:47:10.679 --> 00:47:14.219 very lucky here. We've got we're a little island 00:47:14.219 --> 00:47:17.599 tucked away from a lot of the big you know, the 00:47:17.599 --> 00:47:20.099 challenges of the world. We've got our own sets 00:47:20.099 --> 00:47:22.760 of challenges, but Kiwis are generally pretty 00:47:22.760 --> 00:47:26.280 resilient and pretty, pretty friendly people, 00:47:26.360 --> 00:47:29.760 generally speaking. And yeah, traveling the world 00:47:29.760 --> 00:47:32.719 definitely makes me appreciate New Zealand. And 00:47:32.719 --> 00:47:35.820 yeah, I think things are a little bit simpler 00:47:35.820 --> 00:47:40.099 here at times, but it's yeah, it's a great place. 00:47:40.280 --> 00:47:43.699 And on the other hand, I've loved being in bigger 00:47:43.699 --> 00:47:46.340 parts of the world where there's just Massive 00:47:46.340 --> 00:47:50.000 vibrancy and music scenes and stuff like we are 00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:52.460 quite small here But it's it's a nice place to 00:47:52.460 --> 00:47:55.019 be in a nice place to create and yeah, I'm very 00:47:55.019 --> 00:47:58.780 grateful Well the last thing I I wrote this quote 00:47:58.780 --> 00:48:01.039 down I'm not sure where I pulled it from but 00:48:01.039 --> 00:48:04.260 this is from you I always aspire to be authentic 00:48:04.260 --> 00:48:08.599 in the pursuit of something beautiful No, yeah, 00:48:08.599 --> 00:48:13.500 I must have said that I Love it, Dan. Well, thanks 00:48:13.500 --> 00:48:17.420 for being here Best of luck to you in 2024 and 00:48:17.420 --> 00:48:19.699 can't wait to hear new music. Folks, check him 00:48:19.699 --> 00:48:23.440 out. Follow him on the socials and add his music 00:48:23.440 --> 00:48:26.440 to your catalog. Create a Dan Sharp playlist. 00:48:27.079 --> 00:48:29.039 Trust me, I would not steer you down the wrong 00:48:29.039 --> 00:48:31.400 road. You're going to love it. Have a great rest 00:48:31.400 --> 00:48:35.179 of day for you. It's winding down the evening 00:48:35.179 --> 00:48:38.420 for me. Hope to talk to you again soon, my friend. 00:48:39.300 --> 00:48:40.840 Awesome, man. Enjoy your night and thank you 00:48:40.840 --> 00:48:42.219 so much for having me on. It's a real pleasure. 00:48:42.579 --> 00:48:44.880 So yeah, appreciate it. Thanks. Okay, Dan. That's 00:48:44.880 --> 00:48:47.159 it for this week for the Dan Time Podcast. You 00:48:47.159 --> 00:48:50.880 guys have a wonderful week and be good to your 00:48:50.880 --> 00:48:54.400 people and be good to the folks outside of your 00:48:54.400 --> 00:48:56.860 bubble. Share a smile with somebody as you pass 00:48:56.860 --> 00:48:59.920 them by. You never know how you can impact somebody 00:48:59.920 --> 00:49:03.280 in a small way. Alright, we'll see you next Sunday 00:49:03.280 --> 00:49:04.739 on the Dan Time Podcast.