By Rich Horton
So today local singer/songwriter Dan Israel is turning 44. He is still at it and has been playing over 25 years. This year he is still playing many shows and putting the finishing touches on his 13th album.
I interviewed Israel two years ago, back when he was 42 and was finishing up his 12th album. He had some great insight on the local music scene and being a musician, in general.
Here are some upcoming show dates for him –
Thursday, March 19 – Dan plays solo at Insight Brewery, 8-11 pm,
Minneapolis http://www.insightbrewing.com/
Thursday, April 2 – Dan plays at the Dubliner on University in St. Paul,
happy hour show, 5 pm, along with Mikkel Beckmen (Charlie Parr)
Thursday, April 9 – Dan plays at the 331 Club in Northeast Minneapolis,
9:30 pm, along with Alicia Corbett of Tea and Sympathy
http://www.331club.com/home.php
The Interview:
Dan Israel, I met though Rift Magazine and maybe partially through the Minnesota Music Academy back when it was still chugging along.
We have had some good conversations, via email and also in person about the music business and I have always admired his work ethic and ability to voice his opinion on certain things.
Israel is a good example of the musician who works a day job, but plays many shows and puts out lots of music. He also is able to get some high profile opening spots at places like the Guthrie, and is very respected in the local music community.
It gets touched in the article, but while I think you can still make a living being an artist, that divide is getting bigger. We have to rethink the model of creating and selling art.
Israel has put much time into his music, and it shows. He is a great resource because of everything he has done as a musician over the years.
Rift Magazine: So you have put out 11 albums and your 12th is on the way. What keeps the creative juices flowing, to write that many songs and to keep releasing albums?
Dan Israel: I try to keep writing songs, even when sometimes they’re not “freely flowing.” It seems like, at this point, it’s just something I’m compelled to do. If I try too hard, that doesn’t really work, but I continue to get song ideas and “collect” them on a tape recorder and/or in a notebook.
The writing for this last record was approached a little differently. I had a bunch of disjointed song ideas on cassette (yes, I still use a cassette recorder!), and just started listening back to them a lot. The ones that stuck in my head, I kept working on, and a couple of the songs on the new record are actually sort of “patchworks” of a couple different song ideas. Sometimes you can hear that when you listen to them, sometimes you can’t, but that hasn’t really been my approach previously – I just decided to try it as an experiment and I ended up liking the results, so I’ll maybe I’ll do it again sometime.
Basically, though, I feel like I still have something to say, after all of these albums, so I keep writing songs. There’s always something new – sad or joyous or enraging – that sparks me to want to write a new song. Well, usually. I also definitely go through times when I’m not writing (like now, actually), but I feel I need that time to recharge, and don’t fret as much as I used to about the “dry” times because I’ve come to feel that that kind of down time is necessary for me to be creative in the first place.
Rift Magazine: You have a full time day job as well, was there ever a time you thought you could do music full time?
Dan Israel: Well, I’d still love to, someday! But frankly, it’s not very realistic right now for a person like me who’s done reasonably well (by some standards but perhaps not by others) but doesn’t make a whole heck of a lot of money from music to think I could pay a mortgage, pay my share of the household bills (including day care – a frightful cost), and so on, only from music.
Music is supplemental, income-wise, for me at this point – much-needed, but if it were all I had to rely on, I’d probably be screwed. The music business is in a bad way right now. Even artists who I would consider to have “made it” sound like they are struggling to pull in income. Sales of physical albums are down SO much and downloads haven’t replaced that, and then with pitiful payments from services like Spotify and Pandora….it’s pretty bleak.
Rift Magazine: From the outside looking in, and it seems to be with this way with many musicians. You seem to have your high points, putting out an album, playing out more and getting some recognition. Have you figured out a way to keep up the momentum and does get it harder to stay relevant in the down times?
Dan Israel: Thanks. It’s ALWAYS hard to stay relevant, down times or not. I have taken the path of basically writing and recording and releasing a lot of music. That model doesn’t work for everyone, and I’m not even sure sometimes how much it’s worked for me, but it’s the model that makes the most sense for me because I do write a lot. I have a pretty efficient method (although it changes from album to album, of course) in the studio – I don’t mess around, I use my studio time pretty wisely and have everything pretty much ready to record before I ever set foot in the studio, I have great friends who are absolute pros in the studio and make it so I can make albums that sound great and are also affordable to create, etc. etc.
All that said, it’s still tough to keep releasing albums so frequently. The costs add up, the sales generally aren’t great enough to quickly recoup all the costs, and so on. But I really feel like I want to get my music out there, no matter what. And of course, every album release means a bit of a publicity boost, however temporary. Which usually leads to some more good bookings, and then perhaps the means to go and record again. An endless circle, but one I’m grateful to be able to do.
Rift Magazine: We had a conversation awhile back about giving away music, and also about playing out for money. Do you think there ever should be a reason for a band or musician to give away music or play for free?
Dan Israel: There are always exceptions, but generally, I’m mostly opposed to giving away music. Yes, I did give away a solo acoustic album I made a few years back, but that was largely because it cost me almost nothing to make (I recorded it all by myself, at home) and thus didn’t really have any costs to recoup. Occasionally, I will give away a song as a free download, but I don’t “give away the store.” I have never just put all of my music out there for free and said “have at it.” That said, it’s probably not that hard to find a lot of it for free and listen to it. I think it’s OK to give away a little free music from time to time to gain some exposure or if you just want to do a little publicity stunt with it (like I did that time) to get some notice, but I do believe in being careful about giving everything away.
The problem, of course, is that many people nowadays don’t believe in paying for music, ever. And therein lies the conundrum – you want people to hear your music, many people now don’t want to pay for music, so do you give in and just give it away? I would say, generally, no, but there are times when the business model is so flawed and one’s desire to just be “heard” rather than make money off of the music (money that often just isn’t there) is so great, maybe you do a little giveaway. But not everything – don’t give away everything!
Rift Magazine: You seem to be a pretty active at posting on Facebook, do you think social media has helped getting your music out there?
Dan Israel: Sure, it helps. It’s just another means of reaching people. The problem is – do people even see it? I no longer understand why certain things show up in peoples’ Facebook “news feed.” I guess if a lot of people “like” it or comment on it? Otherwise, it seems to disappear into the ether pretty quickly. That said, the immediacy is cool – you can just put something out there right away to people. The problem is, are they even going to see it? That seems to be an increasing problem, especially with Facebook, even more so than Twitter. But both Facebook and Twitter clearly are helpful tools for independent musicians, despite their flaws. Which leads me to your next question….
Rift Magazine: Your Kickstarter campaign really killed it, I never seen one reach the goal that fast. What are your thoughts on Kickstarter and how you think you did so well.
Dan Israel: Thanks! I credit Facebook and Twitter (see question #5)! No, really, social media really helped me get the word out (and people helped to spread the word, bless their hearts) about my Kickstarter campaign quickly. I also maintain a regular email list and that helped too. I tried to craft a campaign that basically said: I’ve worked very hard over the years, tried to be as self-sufficient as possible in the past, but this time, I need your help. People responded more quickly and more generously than I even imagined. It was an incredible feeling to get that kind of support. I’ll always be grateful for it.
I was kind of anti-Kickstarter at one point, I’ll admit it, but I just saw some people (who shall remain nameless) kind of abuse the process and that bugged me. I think it’s an effective tool in an industry whose sales figures are basically in shambles. I think people do want to support artists who work hard, and if you do it right, it can work, but I’m not sure I would do it again. For me, it feels like (probably) a one-time thing, but I’ll never say never. Mostly, I’m still just blown away by the incredible response and sheer kindness and generosity of so many people. It was really heartening.
Rift Magazine: If you could give one tip to a musician or band just starting out, what would that be?
Dan Israel: Sounds so clichéd, but just believe in yourself and your vision. Don’t imitate, create. I mean, imitate if that’s what you’re going for, but don’t jump on trends and try to emulate what you “think you should do” – do what you feel you must do, creatively. Follow your own vision – nothing else is interesting. Nothing. Prepare to be rejected and disappointed, endlessly, but savor every little victory and every new fan you get and all the good things and try to focus on them and not dwell on all the disappointments. And if you must dwell on disappointments, write songs about it, don’t just bitch about it publicly (believe me, though, I’ve done both). And if you have to bitch about it in public, do that too, I guess. Be yourself. Don’t be afraid to be honest and vulnerable and take risks and stumble. Otherwise, you’re boring. Don’t be boring!!! And be nice to people – someday, you might need to start a Kickstarter campaign to release your 12th album, and it will probably help if you were mostly nice to people over the years, except when you were occasionally a jerk. Maintain contacts with people – stay in touch, show appreciation for those who helped you, feel free to (tactfully) address people who you feel have wronged you or ignored you despite your repeated attempts to get their attention – doesn’t always work, but sometimes, it does.
Rift Magazine: Any failure stories that you want to share that might help people not make the same mistake?
Dan Israel: Where to start? Maybe don’t go into as much credit card debt as I have trying to put out so many albums? Debt sucks, and you’ll pay interest on it forever. Don’t burn bridges – you might need the help of someone later that, right now, you feel like never having anything to do with again. I think I really have, at times, bitched too much, publicly, about my frustration and bitterness with the music business/music scene, and it’s probably (understandably) turned some people off. Remember that you have supporters and backers even when it feels lonely out there. Focus on your friends, not your supposed enemies.
Rift Magazine: If you could give any advice about anything life, love, being creative etc… What would it be?
Dan Israel: Be real. Try to keep your head up in a down business in down times. Express your frustration through writing, not through antagonism or, worse yet, violence. Look for the people who will have your back and treat them like your best friends, because they are. Be loyal, don’t betray those who would stand by you in times of crisis. Love your family and your friends and cherish them. Make music for the joy of making music. Rock stardom of the “Almost Famous,” ‘70s variety, is increasingly becoming a rare thing, but you don’t have to give up your own notion of rock stardom. You may not sell a million albums, because hardly anybody does anymore, but if you sell a few hundred or maybe even a few thousand to some people who REALLY like your music, that’s like going platinum in its own way.
Rift Magazine: Was there ever a time you thought you might give up music because of the challenges?
Dan Israel: Have felt many times that I was at the end of my rope with music, because I’ve worked so hard and often felt like I was getting nowhere. Have poured so much money and effort and time and energy into it and dealt with copious amounts of frustration and rejection along the way. I’ve felt my spirit crushed by all of that many, many times. But did I ever REALLY consider giving up? No, not really. I’d say no.
Website
http://www.danisraelmusic.com/
Twitter
https://twitter.com/DanIsraelMusic
Dan Israel on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL734ACD1EFD5DBBC0
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