Tag: entertainment

I write many kinds of songs. Among my favorites to write are story songs about interesting or legendary figures. Recently I wrote one about Colt Cabana because I think his story is amazing and I respect the hell out of him. I recorded a quick, live acoustic demo and tweeted it out about 2 months later. Two months later was today. 30 minutes after I tweeted it I 10255283_10205286258862821_246512988054895621_nwas surprised with a response from Colt, himself. His tweet looked like this. If you would like to listen to the song that Colt Cabana calls a Masterpiece it’s right here and its totally FREE. And remember to follow, like & subscribe to keep up with everything Dean Project.

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The universe has a funny way of aligning us with the people that we are supposed to have in our lives.  Shooting the “All Day” music video was an example of this cosmic occurrence.  If you recall from a story posted a couple weeks ago, I was reluctant to enter the Warped Tour Battle Of The Bands in 2011. However, it was through that contest that we met up with Braden Barrie (SayWeCanFly) and his group of talented and passionate friends. They were high school kids with big dreams and wild ideas. Something I could  easily relate to. But there was something else. These were the only dudes, from my perspective, who were enjoying The Dean Project the way it was meant to be enjoyed. In a group, laughing and shouting the lyrics. Saying things like “Who the fuck are these assholes?” and “Are they the dean project early 01fucking serious?”

When we entered the contest, for some reason, we dominated in pure votes. Their online voting system was very simple at the time. If you voted for a band, they would vote for you in return. So if you were the band that did the most networking, by default you’d rank highly regardless of the quality of your music. For two straight years we were #1 in Toronto and were never chosen to play. The second year we entered, there was an Acoustic Tent option. And you guessed it, we won and were not chosen to play. In fact, they removed the Acoustic Tent from all Canadian dates that year.

I must reiterate that I did not wish to be chosen. This was a big joke to me. To be chosen is a ridiculous concept to me. This was merely a new crowd of morons to fuck with. That’s all. Then this kid shows up on the charts. He starts to climb with a bullet.  Dean hated him instantly and openly. He sounded lovely. So much more lovely than The Dean Project. We set out to squash him but ended up really liking and respecting him. His name was Braden and his act SayWeCanFly was already starting to melt hearts all over the internet.

From the outside looking in, you’d never expect that two polarizing acts would find so much in common. One is making accessible music and targeting a specific group of people while the other is satirizing all the concepts that the first act is built upon. It seems to me like it’s a recipe for a feud, not a friendship. However, The Dean Project and SayWeCanFly hit it off instantly. A shared sense of humor and a common love for music and comedy can really close a generation gap and open the lines for a wicked connection. Our drive to create content and connect with an audience is what bonded us. We loved the lifestyle that came along with being an indie musician. We loved the road and all the challenges that came along with it. So, it was only natural that I would end up meeting the people that recorded his first demo and shot his first video. They were buddies of his and shared a similar creative passion. Dean and I didn’t grow up in Ontario, so our resources and budget were limited and these guys were willing to work for free. It kinda just…happened. Organically.

Our first music video was for our song  “All Day”. A gritty little number I crudely recorded for our 2012 Big Clouds EP. It was shot on location in Oshawa with our friend Kriztee Bryan starring as Munchie’s love interest.  Braden’s friend Micah directed the video.  I was very happy with his work. The color pallet was sharp. The cuts were clean and my story was told. It felt good that I found someone passionate and eager to help direct this. I would rather work with smart students of the game over industry pros any day of the week. It’s a very stimulating and enjoyable experience when all the fire is still there. When the realities of business haven’t set it yet. Before politics enter into the decision making process. For me, I try to stay in that area. For most people, it’s a stepping stone to get chosen for a job. You don’t need to think like that. You can DO. You can STAND. You’re allowed to do your thing. Isn’t that exciting?!

WATCH ALL DAY HERE –

Thanks again everyone,

Have the best weekend,

Dan

 

 

Dean had no patience. He enjoyed rushing every idea that came to his head. This personality trait of his, in hindsight, is the ingredient that pushed us out the door and into the bars and halls where we’d start to make our name. I liked the idea of writing songs, however, Dean leaned towards our improvisational roots. This difference between us was the catalyst that set the wheels in motion. For example, Dean signed us up for the 2011 Online Warped Tour Battle of the Bands without consulting me.dan and dean 001 I emerged from my bedroom one morning to the news that we were officially signed up for this ridiculous contest. At the time, I was a little annoyed because we had no songs or image. This left me with one option. Create them.

For the first time ever, we now found ourselves writing songs together. This proved to be a difficult undertaking because poor Deano couldn’t understand simple song structure. “Come in on 4” I’d say before starting the song. When 4 came, Dean didn’t. So, it hit me. This music theory stuff isn’t important to The Dean Project. Rhythm, tone quality and time signatures are all just suggestions. We were never out to compete with other bands. We weren’t interested in pissing contests. They get you nowhere and take all the fun from performing. Our focus was to just be The Dean Project. Little did I know, this Warped Tour thing would help solidify our web presence as an official act. However, In my mind, it was all satire. A commentary on how indie and commercial music are all built around false virtues. Performance art. But to those unhip, close-minded consumers of our work, we were barely talented kids just struggling to put songs together. It was a fine line to walk, especially for an unestablished act. We simply tried to Blur the lines between art, music, comedy and life.

We knew people wouldn’t understand what they were seeing or hearing. We knew some people would think of us as “wannabes”,  “outcasts” or just plain bad. It would be up to us to give whoever was at that particular bar, on that particular night, a show and make them feel something. I was always a believer that people don’t buy songs. They buy feelings. Even if the songs were regarded as garbage. If we managed to make you feel something or react in any way, we would call it a success. If we inspired dialog, commentary, jokes or banter it meant more to me than selling T shirts or growing my social profile. We were the growling folk dudes with a nutcracker. Who wasn’t talking?