052: Daniel Wright
Good morning! This is Play It Like It’s Music. I’m Trevor, thanks for listening.
[photo by Josh Soskin]
On Wednesday, August 19th of 2020 Music is not content, it’s connection.
And some of you will remember when I picked that tag line out. It was a few months ago, soon after I had restarted this podcast up in January. It came to me in a flash, but I’ve been meditating on it every week with you and saying it out loud as often as the subject comes up in conversation, which is often.
The meaning of it will be obvious to most of you, and you may be able to detect a thread of longing underneath it as well. A lot of us, myself definitely included, will pursue a life in music without really understanding what it is we’re after. After many years of trying to play by some set of “rules”, then giving that up in order to heal my heart, then deciding to just try and be transactional and make a simple living at it, then giving that up and taking on this narrowcasting project which you’re listening to now - I’m utterly convinced that we don’t just need music, we need to find each other inside of the music.
It’s not about your personal taste, although your taste matters.
I had an invigorating email and text marathon as I reached out to all of our previous 50 guests on the show so we could celebrate that milestone together. I got to catch back up with those dozens of accomplished musicians and I got so inspired that I had to make a playlist.
Because I get it, we don’t always have the nose to listen to a podcast. Sometimes we want to feel the connection without following a conversation. The audience for this show is small but dedicated, and I keep getting very heartfelt feedback from you listeners that the show is helping you in some way. So I hear that something might be working for you, and I now present to you:
“Playlist It Like It’s Music”:
a music community you can carry with you wherever you go.
Find it on Apple Music | Spotify
Put this thing on shuffle! I grabbed a song (give or take) from each artist we’ve had on the show, so you can dig deeper and also skip around to find your groove. Pass it to your friends, help the people find each other inside the music. If you decide you like somebody, go listen to their episode and buy their album. It’s up to us, and I’m here to try and connect the dots with you. I’ll keep adding to it each week.
Everybody is on there, either as an artist or as a producer or contributing player. We’ve got Dope Sagittarius, Daniel Sadownick, Krystle Warren, Angela Parrish, Mother Feather, Kevin Chown, Artyom, Cremaine, Shana Tucker… call it Evening Becomes Eclectic or some such. It’s quite a mix. Enjoy!
Today on the show we’re lucky to have with us a wonderful Songwriter and Producer, living in Ojai, CA.
[photo by Josh Soskin]
Daniel Wright is a former member of Song Preservation Society, currently fronts Radio Skies and is the owner and manager at Echo Magic.
Echo Magic is a group of producers, songwriters, musicians, and sound designers who love making records and bringing visual storytelling to life through sound. They are a collective, a studio, a house band, a creative think tank, and most importantly they are friends obsessed with creating music and sound.
[Cover Design by Aaron Taylor-Waldman, Portrait by Brendan Willing James]
Daniel has just put out a gorgeous, simmering collection of new songs on an album called Wild House. It features performances and contributions from close friends and collaborators including Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco, Scott Hirsch of Hiss Golden Messenger, Karl Hunter of Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Eric Sullivan of Lissie.
He’s wonderful to work with (I can attest) and he’s also a great interview. I love hanging out with folks who get it, and who also can back it all up with great work. So let’s get to it:
Press PLAY above to hear my convo with Daniel Wright.
Artist’s tracks all come from Daniel’s new album, “Wild House” which you can buy on Bandcamp
Thanks for listening to Play It Like It’s Music. Thanks so much to Daniel Wright for spending some very generous time with us. You can find him at Echo Dash Magic dot com and follow him on IG @dannyboywright.
I can’t believe we’ve gotten to 52 shows! If you believe this show deserves a wider audience, please tell a friend:
Follow me on twitter @trevorexter and talk to me on there if you have thoughts about the show.
We're all contending with a mutating professional landscape, jacked revenue streams, a catastrophic global pandemic and plenty of other noise out in the culture.
But you gotta keep playing.
We don't draw any lines here between scenes or styles.
As always, thank you for listening and remember to play it like its music.
You can check out my music on bandcamp and other places. It’s all at my website, trevorexter.com. Sign the mailing list on substack to get this show sent right to you the very moment it comes out. Consider hiring me to score your piece, do some cello, teach you lessons, produce your show or back you up onstage.
Music is a beautiful thing and it makes the world go round.
Big love to your ears.
Trevor
(Did you press play yet?)
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If you like this stuff, help it spread by sharing it!
Hear all of our guests in rotation on “Playlist It Like It’s Music” (Apple/Spotify)
Hire me remotely for cello overdubs or to score your piece.
Or to produce your podcast.
More @trevorexter.com
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