10 Questions with ... Devin Dawson

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

Facebook: www.Facebook.com/DevinDawsonMusic
Twitter: www.Twitter.com/ZDevin

Atlantic/Warner Music Nashville artist Devin Dawson is an atypical Country artist with a dark, bold look and a sleek, raw sound. He's a songwriter with a varied and edgy background, having gotten his first break in a Metal band during his teen years. After the band went its separate ways, Dawson tried on many hats before realizing that music was his true calling. As a native of Orangevale, California, and having been raised on Country music, he turned to writing to share his own truths. After moving to Nashville to attend Belmont, Dawson met his current bandmates on the first day of school at their dorm, and they began to work on telling their stories through their craft. He signed a publishing deal with Jay Joyce, who has produced his project, and his debut single, "All On Me," is making its way up the chart at Country radio. Dawson visited the All Access Nashville offices recently to play some of his music and talk about the journey he has taken thus far and how his unique background has played in to the music he makes.

1. Devin! Thank you so much for taking time to visit with us today at All Access! While most know you as a new artist, this isn't your first trip around the block, correct? You had a previous life in music in a band. Can you tell us about your time in the band and how that experience differed from your solo venture?

There were a lot of bands! I want to start from the beginning. Our first band was called Edged. It was in middle school. I've killed everything and made sure you can't find any of that old stuff! You think you've seen good PR? Wait until you see me do a Google search of my old bands! So, we started there, and we were just a garage band. It was me, and then I have a twin brother, and we had my two best friends. Both of my friends have moved here now. One of them is a really successful writer; he wrote "Small Town Boy," and he writes for Dallas Davidson and has a bunch of awesome songs. The other was in the Army and is now living here going to school. So, I guess we've all kind of congregated on Nashville. We just started in the garage, and we all learned together. I actually played bass. My brother played drums, and they both played guitar. We started playing Classic Rock like CCR and AC/DC, but then through high school, we just started getting angsty and heavier. We always wanted to play more difficult and technical stuff to push our own boundaries and test our limits. So, we just kept going farther and farther, and by the end of high school, we were in a band called Shadow Of The Colossus. That was our final form. We had a decent following on the West Coast thanks to some West Coast little tours up and down during high school over Easter break and stuff like that. Then, we got signed to a label called Metal Blade Records, which in that world and that realm is a pretty big deal. But, we were all 17, and we didn't know what we were doing, really. It was like, "Oh, you want to manage us? Cool! You want to book us? Great! Bring it on!" So, we put out a couple records and toured for a few years, and we just learned. I always say that I'm so lucky to have messed up. Because now, going through it this time, I took the time to find the right team who are like my family. And, it's so night and day, and it's paying off.

2. So, from metal band to Country solo artist! Have you always loved Country music? Where did that influence come from, and how did you make the transition from one genre to another?

So, I grew up in a town called Orangevale, California. It's outside of Sacramento and right next to Folsom Prison, which I think is kind of cool. But, I didn't know how cool that was until I moved away. I don't think you know how cool things are when you grow up, because that's all you ever know. I think it somewhat influenced my nature, though, I guess. I grew up listening to Country because of my mom. She still, to this day, has one of the biggest record collections I've ever seen. I realized recently that, by growing up that way, that's kind of how I learned to write songs. At least, lyrics. I learned to set up a hook a certain way, the way we do it in Country music. I did listen to [CBS Country] KNCI [Sacramento] growing up! That was my station. Which is crazy, because now there are three stations there. I think there were only two when I was growing up, but now there's three. I love The Bull, love The Wolf, and love KNCI. The other two are kind of new for me, but KNCI is kind of the heritage station there. I always love going back there, because their programming is different. They'll play hits from the past seven years. So, you'll hear "These Days" or "Mine Would Be You," or certain songs you don't hear in Nashville because we are so dripping wet with all of the new music. And, it's funny that you have that Garth poster up there, because that record ["In Pieces"] is the one I grew up with. "Ain't Going Down Til The Sun Comes Up" is the jam. I just love that song.

3. So, you've got this Rock and Metal performance background, and you have a passion for Country music and lyrics. But, if I remember correctly, you didn't head straight to Nashville after that previous band gig ended, correct? Did we hear correctly that you went to culinary school? Where did that come from, and what did you learn through that experience?

I grew up cooking with my grandmother, and that's where that love came from. So, after the metal band, I started not being or feeling fulfilled by that music anymore. I was just following a path, and of course, I don't regret anything. I had always written my own songs on the side, so it's not like I had to go back to writing Country songs - I was always writing them on the side and writing my own truths. That's what Country music is to me. Then, that took over a little bit more of my heart every single day, and that's what I wanted to do, so I just wasn't happy. I stepped back and took a year off from playing music professionally, and I lived in Sacramento. I rented a house with a friend and got jobs like driving a forklift at a warehouse, working bailing hay, worked at a dog food place, worked at Home Depot. I did all of these random things, and I went to culinary school just to try to figure out what my "thing" was. Is music my thing? I wanted to take a second and really make sure this is what I was meant to do. I loved culinary school, but it was just more of a hobby to me than a career. I would see people in the class that were so good at what they do, and I remember thinking, "That's me when I'm on stage or when I'm writing. That's not me when I'm in this room." So, I had to have that conversation with myself. Then, I just dove in and moved to Nashville.

4. And, when you moved to Nashville, you ended up at Belmont University. That seems to be the go-to place for those wanting to pursue a career in music. Is that why you selected it?

Well, my father is this rags-to-riches guy - you'd never know he was rich, because he still wears rags - and he grew up in Northern California at the very tip, and he was raised in a wheat farm. He had a pretty bad upbringing, but he was the valedictorian at his high school and got a full ride to college, then was the top of his class there and went to law school. He owns his own law firm, and all of that, so he raised us to get everything for ourselves. He didn't help financially, at all. He really wanted me to go to college, but I didn't and started touring in a metal band. I kind of ran away when I was 16, and we butted heads for a while. I understood what he was doing, but at the same time, it was really harsh. There was no foundation. I didn't have a car until I was 19 and could afford it and the insurance and gas. I didn't have a phone until I was 20. I had to buy my own food, and he started having me pay rent at 16, so I was like, "I'm out!" I love it, and I'm appreciative of it now, though. But, anyway, he has always been this really academic-minded guy, and he wanted me to go to college. So, after I was done with culinary school, and I took him out to breakfast. I told him, "I'm not not happy...I'm just not stoked on life." I wasn't depressed, I just had more ambition and drive that to just drive a forklift forever. And, he was like, "Maybe you should go to college." But, that was always his thing, so I was like, "I don't know." I said, "I want to go to Nashville, and I want to write songs." And, my dad said, "Well, what if you do both? I will help you pay for it." So, it was like, "Oh! Okay! I've never heard that before!" So, he found Belmont, and I found out they had a songwriting degree - which, like I said earlier, doesn't even sound like a degree. How can you teach someone how to write a song? But, it was pleasing one of his dreams for me, and it actually worked out really well for me, as well! It's more about the community and the people for me. I met my band, and I had so many opportunities to get plugged in to Music Row. It was really good for me.

5. So, you made your way to Nashville. Did your twin brother join you and stay in the music business? Is he living in Nashville now, as well?

He is. He's a producer and a writer. He produced Brooke Eden's record. He writes for Magic Mustang. He's a really, really talented dude. I got the awesome opportunity to be on the soundtrack for the movie "The Shack," and it was a song I wrote by myself - which doesn't happen a lot - and my brother got to produce it. He's living in Nashville. We are fraternal twins - I am 13 minutes older! That's actually a long time for twins. The cool thing is, though, how rare is it to be in music in general, right? Just to have a career in music and be able to have a roof over your head. Then, to have a brother that is doing it is even more rare. And, we each have our own kind of successes and our own circles that intersect every once in a while. We write a lot together, but there's no weird comparison. There's none of the, "Man, you're doing this, and I wish I was." It's a luxury to be able to live like that. But, my brother actually came to Nashville a couple years later than me. After I quit the band, he joined another band. He's a very talented drummer, especially for that niche kind of genre. So, he got gigs all over the place and did that for a couple more years before he was like, "Eh. Alright. I want to move to Nashville." And, I had a house and a room, so I said, "Well, you can come live with me." I always joke, because I was the first one out, I did all the work, then he just kinda came sliding in right behind me. But, it was cool, because when he moved here, he was a drummer, but he was also a producer, and he had to choose one. I remember the day he got this huge desk, and he was standing outside of his room, and he goes, "What do I do? I can't fit them both in." So, he chose to be a producer, and he honestly helped me a lot. He would do free demos for me, and he's very talented. That ended up being a huge part of me getting a publishing deal, and that snowballed to all of this stuff now. I returned the favor many times.

6. And, once you were here, you met your band mates and started pursuing the business, correct? You landed a publishing deal, and then a record deal. Who did you sign with initially?

I'm with Warner/Chappell, and Jay Joyce has a publishing company called Neon Cross. So, he kind of passively did that for me. He produced my album, and that was probably the best experience of my life. Hard! It was grueling and angry, but it was good. He wants to do everything live, and he wants everything his way. Usually, that's right. But, sometimes you have to fight him on it, and you end up getting to the right place. But, that's just his way of doing it. He's a mad scientist. So, we did everything live, with my live band that I had met at Belmont in my dorm. So, it's this entire story, and a progression, when you look back and start connecting the dots. It's pretty crazy!

You held an industry showcase at Jay's studio a few months back, and that was the first time many people saw you perform. Was that another full-circle, connect the dot moment with Jay?

Yeah, and my mom was there! I almost cried seeing her cry. She has seen me perform in metal bands before, and I had sent her songs, but she had never actually seen me perform as a solo artist. So, I flew her out. She's not the most financially stable, so I got to fly her out, and she loved it. It was so cool. That night was great. It was a marathon, because we actually ended up having more RSVPs than we'd ever really hoped, so we ended up having to do two shows. And, then I did a show the day before for Atlantic people who were in. So, I ended up singing like three one-hour long sets, plus rehearsals and video shoots, and all of that. So, I was kind of drained, but we got through it. I honestly remember being at Red Door afterwards, and I just thought, "Yes! I got through that! Now I know I can do it!" It might not have been the most pristine performance in the world, but there was emotion there for me. And, I had seen other bands do that. I'm friends with the guys in LANCO, and they went through the same publishing company, and they are killing it. We couldn't be more different as artists, which speaks to Jay's versatility. And, I remember watching them go through that showcase. I signed just a couple weeks after they did their showcase there, and I remember thinking, "God, I can't wait until I get to do that!"

7. You've signed your label deal as a joint venture between Atlantic and Warner Bros., and you are working with Team WEA over at Warner. Does it feel like you're in the right spot and have found the right team?

I know I am. I know it. They have put a lot in to me, and it has been amazing. I was lucky enough to have a lot of fans across town during that time, and I know I wouldn't have the same energy and passion at other places that I have here with this team and [Warner Music Nashville Chairman/CEO John Esposito] "Espo." And, actually, Atlantic has been really involved with their team, as well. Whether it's just ideas or word of mouth, or whether it's making that red phone call or whatever it is. Obviously, they can't do promo, because it's Country radio, but they've just been really involved. It's cool to see it be a divide and conquer effort! We are doing the damn thing!

8. You've released your debut single, "All On Me," to radio. Can you tell us about the song? What was the writing process like for the track, and how did it come together?

I wrote ["All On Me"] with my guitar player, [Austin Taylor] and it's probably been about a year and a half at this point. We knew it was something special, and we thought, "Okay, now we've gotta beat that." And, it's cool, because I feel like your first single is kind of a nerve-wracking decision sometimes. This isn't my fourth album; this is my first offering to the world. But, I really feel like everyone was on the same page when we picked that one, and it feels great. It took about two hours, probably. I try to write every day, if I can, or at least riff on something. I have so many notes in my phone - like, 2,700 notes - that I haven't written yet. That day, I literally just did a Russian Roulette and swiped up on my iPhone and stopped on one. "All On Me" was the title that came up, and that's all it was. I was like, "Let's just write something about putting it all on me - the weight, the world, everything." So, we literally wrote down all of the "all on me" parts - the fall on me, and the call on me. We wrote it out almost as a poem and kind of metered it out. After that, we got the groove together, and the melody just came out. There are people that you work well with, and with them you don't think twice. That song was one of those times on one of those days that we wish we could have every day. Honestly, when I write with Austin, a lot of days are like that.

9. Since then, you've embarked on a radio tour with the song. What has the experience been like for you? Do you find that most people are open to your particular style, or have you had any less than favorable experiences?

It's a rite of passage. That's just how Country music is, and you don't really get that in any other genre. I forgot who we were talking to - maybe someone from Atlantic - but, I always come back to this story about Taylor Swift. She is the queen at meeting people, knowing them, being in the moment, and being intentional. And, when she made the jump to Pop side, she did the same thing. She went in to the radio stations and made sure she talked to them. She talked about their families and all these things. And, the thing about that is, from what I know, the stations loved it, but all of these other Pop artists were like, "You're ruining it for us! Now we've gotta do that!" But, honestly, I loved radio tour. I love to travel and have been on the road touring since I was about 16. I'm sane when I'm out there. I learned a lot, and it honestly helped me, vocally. It's hard to be up that early, then go out at night, and sing four or five times a day. But, it helped me learn more about my voice and about my playing. I learned a lot about playing stripped down like that. I feel like if you were to watch a video from before my radio tour and then watch a video from now, I'd like to think you'd be able to see a progression from me as an artist. I just want to be myself, as cheesy as that sounds. You don't know what you're walking in to, as far as what kind of day [a programmer] had. You never know what other people are struggling with, and vice versa, so I always try to feel out the energy. As far as people being in to it or not, I think like with anything else, there's a little bit of everything. I hate to kind of dodge the question, but really there's both. I feel like there's more on the younger side of PDs that are saying, "Well, can I hear some unreleased stuff?" And, maybe we'd go in the office and hang and do that. Other times - and you know this - their job is just to get asked stuff all the time. Every single day, somebody wants something from them. That's got to be hard to just mentally deal with. It was good, though. I'm not going to lie, sometimes just the setup for radio tour can be weird, but I think I can count on one hand the amount of times where I wasn't sure how it went. I had positive vibes. Sometimes, I feel like people come in to radio tour and just press songs on people. I wanted to, more importantly, hang and get to know people. The songs will come. We can go hang, and I'll play you a song at some point, but I want to know them. But, yeah, I think some of the younger guys were more interested in discovery. A lot of people like to talk about what you want to do next and what you are planning to come out with next. There's a lot of people who want to ask, "Well, what do you think the next single will be?" And, there are certain songs that kind of raised their hands along the way. Still to this day, "All On Me" has no burn on it. Whenever I play it, or whenever I hear the cut, I discover something new, or I feel something new. I love that about it, and I hope other people like it, too.

So, did you play the same songs at each radio visit?

Mostly. In the beginning, we started with a different set. We would kind of change it a little. And, I remember going to [Beasley Media Group Country WSOC/Charlotte OM/PD] DJ [Stout]'s house in Charlotte, and we had a house hang and played a little guitar pull at his house. We weren't playing "Asking For A Friend" at that time - they're all my babies, so I don't know which ones to play and which not to play - but, for some reason, I felt like we should play that song that night. He was like, "Play it again." I've never had anybody say to do it again, so I thought, "Well, maybe we should be playing this." I will say, though, once we got our rhythm down as far as what the set was - we were playing four times a day, and I had been playing with these guys forever - what we would change up would be the arrangements. We could call an audible and say, "Take a solo" or "Go to a different chord," and for us, it helped keep the monotony low. That was the hard part for me on radio tour. It wasn't the late nights or the not-so-inviting people every once in a while, it was more of the redundancy. I can't intro a song the same every time! It might be the same direction, and it might have the same king of gist, but I have to do my own thing every time. So, it was cool to be able to have a band where we could call audibles on the spot. It kept it fresh for us, but it also made sure someone got a cool, unique, one-of-a-kind experience, because it's never going to be the same.

10. Another track you played us is called "Dark Horse." The lyric seems fairly autobiographical in nature. Is that accurate? How long have you had that song in your catalog, and how did it make it on to your record?

That song ["Dark Horse"] came after the record was done. I feel like that happens a good amount of the time to artists or writers. Just towards the end, maybe you need something, so you're trying to force it, but that never comes out just right. And, I really wanted a song like this that explains who I was in three minutes. Especially as a new artist, I think that's important piece of the puzzle to have. I had written a lot of love songs - I love writing about love, and a lot of people love hearing about love - and that's okay, but I just wanted something else. It didn't feel like it was completely done. So, I continued to write a lot - I still regardless of whether my record is done or not - and this song came along. I guess I had to wait for it to come to me instead of forcing it.

1. As someone who has written a lot of material on your own, or in collaboration with close friends or band mates, do you have a certain circle of people you stick with as co-writers, or do you write with people you have never met? Do you enjoy writing with new people that aren't in your inner circle?

I always like changing it up and writing with new people, because it's not the same perspective over and over. It's not the same melodies. Someone new might throw a wrench at you that will make you re-think something. Today was my first time writing with a new group of people. And, that can be hard. Especially when I'm on a schedule, and I have to be done at 3p to be somewhere or to come here to visit with you guys. So, I have that in the back of my mind sometimes - even though I try not to. And, you can get in and just pour it out, but for me, you really have to get to know someone you're writing with. You have to be like, "So, how was your weekend? How are you feeling today? Are we feeling sunny or depressing?" And, it takes a while to get in to that mojo with someone new. But, Austin and I will write - we used to write together every Sunday. That's a different vibe in and of itself, writing on Sundays. There's just something different about that day for all of us - just like a Monday is different.

2. What is on the agenda for the remainder of 2017 and heading in to 2018?

A lot of radio! Radio is our focus, and to do it right, it takes a lot of time. You want to be intentional and spend the right amount of time to get to know people. Regardless of if they love your song or not, it's just so much more than that. Especially because right now, it is just so crowded. Not that it ever isn't, but somebody told me that with Texas artists and everything else, there were 19 new male artists in the first half of the year. So, I want to make sure I'm doing it right. Why would you not? So, after the fact, it was something like 20 weeks of radio tour. And, it never ends. We are still on it, but we are moving to radio show season now, and we are actually getting to play for fans and hear people sing the songs back, which is so cool. And, I'm going out with Tim [McGraw] and Faith [Hill] in a couple of weeks, which will be sick! I get to play my hometown of Sacramento, which is awesome. And, we've got some things cooking for the Fall that aren't quite confirmed yet, but we'll be stoked to announce stuff soon. Just keeping it moving and rolling out the record in a unique way and making sure we are serving the songs.