Artist Spotlight: Dan Cousart - Lie
Artist Spotlight: Dan Cousart - Lie
Lie by Dan Cousart live in Nashville, TN #SunsetSessions
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Recorded, Edited, Produced by Chaz Mazzota + Nashville Pop Check out her interview below!
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An Interview With Dan Cousart
Tells us about the song you are performing for the Nashville Pop Artist Spotlight. What is it about?
“I'm performing my new song called "Lie" that was just released. It's a slower, Neil Young - esque folk song that's been recorded with a modern twist. It's one of my favorite tracks that I've ever written and recorded, so I'm excited to play it for this session. It's about heartbreak at the core of it.”
What first got you into music? How did the journey begin?
“I've been playing music since I was about 12, so it's hard to remember every reason. The ones that seem to stick out in my memory were falling in love with Green Day's "American Idiot" album, being disinterested in school and sucking at sports.”
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
“I came up with the term "Cool Pop" to describe my album and my current style. It's like the artist Dayglow, but if he had a drinking problem. If you're unfamiliar with his music, I guess my go to is to call it "Alternative Rock" or just "Rock Music". I'm heavily inspired by the music of the 60's and 70's, so I'd like to think that also comes across in what I do.”
What does your music represent?
“I think a lot of things. I really like to write in a wide variety of styles. I have this song "Lie" which is very personal and emotional and is about overcoming personal struggles and/or a struggles in a relationship. Then there's my song "Dancing In The Kitchen", which is about MILFs, and both of those songs are on the same album. Go figure.”
What is your creative process like?
“It really varies. I wrote and tracked this whole album in my parent's basement while learning how to record myself. God bless my co-producer Kyle Pulley and my parents because that was a very, very long process. I really appreciate the patience they all had with it. When I was recording these songs, I would typically come up with an interesting guitar or bass riff and build up from there in a Logic session. That's all pretty different compared to my process when writing for my old band, RFA. When we were still a band, I would write a full song on guitar with lyrics and a vocal melody and jam it out with them from there, so I really don't have a set process.”
If you were to open for any 3 artists, who would they be?
“Probably the Strokes or the 1975 because that'd be pretty epic. My third answer would be Taylor Swift, because if she paid her truck drivers 100k each, I can only imagine what she'd give her opener.”
What is the best advice you’ve been given so far in the music industry?
“This industry is an industry based on knowing people, so treat them well. People remember things. Eddy Echo told me that one, and I think that's held up pretty well.”
What would you be doing right now, if it wasn’t for your music career?
“Dude, I don't know. Music really is my life, so it's hard to try to divorce it from the rest of what I do. Probably try to do something else that is financially suicidal like pursuing a writing career?”
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
“I think the older I get, the more I realize it's about putting in work to something that fulfills you and brings you joy. The most important things you can spend your time on typically take a lot of work and don't necessarily have any sort of instant gratification. I'm really fortunate to have music in my life because most people don't have anything that can give them long term, sustainable fulfillment. It's really a blessing if you can find something like that in life.”
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives such as yourself?
“I think normalizing having a better social media and news diet would help cure a lot of issues today, not just improving music consumption. I feel like if you're not being bombarded with toxic crap and whatever BS other people are peddling you, you can actually start enjoying whatever space is in front of you and feeling a little more fulfilled in your own life. To me, that's the space where hearing and feeling good music and art really comes in... Not just hearing a sped up, 10 second clip of a chorus of a song in the background of a video with a spray-tanned tween encouraging you to be mean to someone you're trying to date. Through that, I think people can help build an appreciation for more of the good stuff and start feeling a little more alive.”
Social Media
Nashville Pop: @nashvillepop.us
Dan Cousart: @dancousart
Chaz Mazzota: @itschazmazzota
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