Tuesday, February 28, 2017

Interview: Danny Cal

By: Liz Coffey

Please introduce yourself and give us a strange fact about yourself.

DC: My name is Danny Cal, I’m a singer/songwriter from New York. I grew up in the suburbs with my wonderful family; I still visit once a week. I went to a Catholic, all-boys high school in the Upper East Side called Regis and then I studied for four years at Dartmouth College. I actually just graduated last year. Although I was studying, I spent the majority of my free time for the last eight years singing, making music, trying to find creative outlets. I love cooking, like following a recipe and just being so proud of something I made, and it’s very relaxing for me. In the last few years I’ve also gotten really into running…like now I’ll just go for a casual nine mile run and I won’t bring my phone or music or anything. I’ll just listen to the sound of my breathing and my feet hitting the ground, it’s very humbling. A strange thing about me.

When did you first get into music and when did you decide that this is what you wanted to do? Did you have a specific event that made you realize that music was what you wanted to do?

DC: My dad played guitar and piano, and although over the years he had lost a bit of his finesse, he wanted his kids to learn as much as they could about music. He thought it was important to know how to play an instrument. I’m so glad he put me in piano lessons at five and theory/composition classes as soon as I was old enough, because it gave me the foundation in music that I needed for my future endeavors. I always loved singing most, because it came more naturally to me, and I liked being in the spotlight. I felt like I could transcend my true self and all people would see would be a star on stage. That’s why I got involved with musical theater—I loved playing a character, performing as someone other than myself. When I got to college, I realized that people actually wanted to see the real me on stage, and so I joined an a cappella group and formed a band with the best musicians I could find and I sang as many shows as I could. Performing totally helped pay for my social life in college and I started to wonder what was stopping me from doing this once I graduated. I had scored a full-time job offer in an office, but I knew I wasn’t going to be totally fulfilled without music and performing. So I partnered up with EGM (producer) and we both put in a lot of work outside of our day jobs to make this dream a reality.

What artists influence you the most, and how do you incorporate that into your own style?

DC: Sia is my all-time favorite artist. I believe her talent is underrated—she has written some of the most popular pop songs of the last few years for other artists, and has emerged as a successful performer in her own right. I’ll listen to her albums on repeat for days and I think that what I take from her style is an understanding of the immense relationship between the meaning of the lyrics and the words themselves. Her style is like poetry, very intentional and the consonants and vowels have lives of their own. I like to play with the way I sing my lyrics too; sometimes I’ll sing a phrase a certain way and EGM will stop me and say “Do that again! I have to record that,” and a lot of times I’m not even certain what I’ve done. I also look up to artists that bridge the gap between rock and dance pop, singers with incredible, strong voices that send energy through your body and exaggerate their upper registers. Freddie Mercury is an icon in my music world.
Finally, I grew up listening to pop punk and emo on my 2nd gen iPod, bands like Green Day, Blink-182, All Time Low, My Chemical Romance—I think some of that angst-driven forward tone helps define the sound of my voice now.

Describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before.

DC: I’d say it’s like an ice cold sip of water, that moment when it’s immediately refreshing but then you feel the coolness sliding down through your body, chills starting at the core and making their way out to your fingers and toes. It’s that song with your favorite four-chord refrain that you can’t help but smile at when you hear it. It’s the perfect music to sing along to in the shower, to put on a playlist for a party, to pop in your ears while on the treadmill, or to belt at the top of your lungs while stuck in traffic. I’m trying to bring some newer songs towards a more rock vibe, but so far, I’ve really been digging the high-energy pop because I see how happy it makes people.

If you could change anything about today’s music industry, what would it be?

DC: I think every generation would have their gripes about the music industry—at least we’ve settled into the digital age now and new artists have a better sense of how to navigate that. One thing that I definitely would change is how so much of the industry is cut and dry, white or black, yes or no. For such a creative process as an artist, it’s appalling how cookie-cutter the existing channels of success are. It’s become way too much about making that one “hit” song because nobody buys full records anymore. What I do love, is that for independent artists, it’s much easier to build a fanbase and a niche following. You may not sell out arenas, but if you’re looking for people to keep consuming your music, as long as you work hard and reach out and keep performing—and you’re good—you still have a chance at getting fans.

When you write music and book shows, do you have a target group in mind, or do you just go with the flow and let your music speak for itself?

DC: I think my music is accessible to all audiences—it’s so fun and catchy and the lyrics are so relatable I think. I definitely would love to reach a younger audience, I have a teenage brother and I think his age group would really enjoy my music, considering the other artists they listen to, but it’s very hard to book shows in New York that teens are going to attend. Many venues I perform at are actually 18+ or 21+. So for now I’m focusing on my digital footprint as well.

What has been the biggest breakthrough you’ve had since beginning in music? The biggest challenge?

DC: I’d say my biggest breakthrough was packing the house at my first show as a solo artist. I actually performed on a Wednesday at Rockwood Music Hall in New York, with my band backing me up, and we packed the house. You never know what to expect at a show, but the first is especially enigmatic. Are your friends going to come? Are strangers going to come? Is anyone going to come? It was surreal to get on stage and see the room filled with people. It had been a long time since I performed a live show so it was a great return to the stage.

The biggest challenge for me is finding the time and finances to make this all happen. It’s very expensive to rent studio time, rehearsal space, equipment, and like I mentioned, I’m working a full-time job on top of trying to make this dream come true. I don’t really sleep as much as I should and I rarely get to see my friends. I hope they understand!

You just released new music on iTunes… what has the response been like so far? How do you plan to move forward in promoting this music?

DC: The response has been incredible. It’s really exciting to keep getting solicited for performances and placements. The feeling is something like your fourth grade art teacher asking if it’s okay to put your clay sculpture of a dog in the front display case...other people actually like something I’ve made. It feels good to put so much into something and care about it so much and actually have others like it too. Moving forward, I’d like to keep pushing the music out there, try and get as many people listening as possible. Right now, we’re on a campaign with Feature.fm, they asked me to be one of their “Spotlight” artists, which is awesome. And we’re also trying to keep making more content. Not only do we have a video or two coming out, but we’re also working on a lot of new music.

What is your motto or advice to live by?

DC: I grew up listening my dad’s two adages: “Everything in moderation,” and “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” I think the former is so important to remember, that even the things that are most fun need to be kept in check. I try and keep my life balanced with work, play, and rest. Sometimes the lines get blurred but as long as I keep my life diverse it stays exciting. I take the latter to mean that there’s a right time and place for everything. Just because an opportunity presents itself does not mean it’s the right one for me, so that saying reminds me to always make decisions with a clear mind, remember where I came from, and focus on where I’m going.

What method have you found to be the most effective in marketing yourself and your music? Why do you think it’s so effective?

DC: It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of rejection. We’ve been cold-calling, emailing, meeting people, using social media—anything we can do to get people to listen. I think the most effective strategy is to be consistent. We make good music and I want people to know who I am as a person and an artist. I want my fans to trust me, know that the decisions I make and the features I do are honest and real.

Any final words?  

DC: I’m really happy to have had this opportunity to divulge a bit more into who I am and what I’m about. I can’t wait to keep working my tail off so I can contribute in my own way to your music world.


Catch up with Danny Cal on social media: 




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