Named ‘Vocalist of the Year’ at the Vancouver Island Music Awards and nominated for ‘Best Live Act’ for 2 years consecutively, Brodie Dawson is a force to be reckoned with.
It’s her voice that jumps out at you, as soon as she sings the first note you’re hooked. It’s rich and riveting, pure and powerful, and full of soul. You’ll find yourself in whether or not you wanted to be – and you might as well not look back, and just hold on for the ride.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Brodie Dawson about the latest music, challenges, adapting during a pandemic and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I’m from Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. I describe my music as ‘soulful bluesy folk, with a gospel funk, a twist of pop, and twang of old-school country’.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
Well, I don’t think I had a choice actually, haha! I come from a very musical family, my Dad was in bands my whole life, and they used to rehearse in my basement regularly. Both he and my mom had music going all the time! My Mom loves good ole country music, and my dad played rock and roll, blues, soul with his band, and had a record collection of hundreds of records. Every type of music you could imagine. And they were all in alphabetical order – he is all about systems. So he would play them from A to Z – like I mean literally. He would start from the beginning and play one record after the other until the end of his collection. And of course you had to play a record start finish. It was simply unfathomable to stop a song in mid-play! I think it was ridiculous, but now I appreciate the respect he had for music. And I’m so grateful that he taught and ingrained that respect and reverence into me.
Music was always something that I wanted to have in life. I had no other fierce passion that compared to my love for singing and playing and performing. Quite honestly, I’ve tried to run from it several times in my life and I understand that it is part of me, it will always find me, and I would never be able to live my life fully and wholeheartedly without it. Every time I think about quitting, the Universe keeps redirecting back to the music… So I’ve started simply listening and stepping towards it! No questions asked!
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
Great question! This project is unlike anything I have ever done! My very first album The Lost Tapes, was recorded in 2001 believe it or not, and it was done analog reel to reel in Montreal in a huge old warehouse studio right next to the railroad tracks. (We’d have to stop recording when the trains went by) 😊 I recorded it on a major budget with my partner at the time. We split up before it was released, and I went on a road trip and ended up in Yellowknife, NT for a couple of years, and basically lost the main copy of the record. I ended up putting it on the back burner for a decade. I played music here and there throughout that time but was mostly on a bit of an adventure in life.
I started to get serious again about music in 2012 and wanted to do some more recording, but decided to honor that project because I felt those songs still deserved to be birthed out into the world. So I found an old MP3 version of the record, brought it to Corwin Fox (a local singer-songwriter/producer in the Comox Valley), and he helped me to recreate that warm sound analog sound as best as he could. It felt good to release those songs even though they were older and I’d had a whole bunch of new stuff sitting in the wings! A few years later I recorded a single called All This Time and I put it out there which was a little more of a country feel. (I re-recorded that song on this next record) In 2016 I put out a full length live album with She Could Be Trouble, my female trio at the time. We called that album ‘Nineteen Hours’ because that’s how long it took for us to record it and mix it. One day in the studio recording everything live off the floor the three of us, and the next half day to mix. It was a whirlwind! But it turned out so amazing!
This time, I was blessed to have a group of incredible session players on this album. A dream team. Like seriously, a TOTAL dream team! It was recorded at the infamous OmniSound Studios in Nashville. It was produced by musician and singer-songwriter Patrick Davis who has written songs for Jimmy Buffett, Lady Antebellum, toured with Hootie & the Blowfish, Vince Gill, and collaborated with Jewel, Guy Clark and many others. The heavy hitting players I got so lucky to have were – Tim Lauer as band leader and on keys (Executive Music Producer for the TV show ‘Nashville’), Bryan Sutton on guitar and mandolin (toured with Dixie Chicks, Jerry Douglas, Bela Fleck), Fred Eltringham (ACM drummer of the year and Sheryl Crow’s drummer!), Tony Lucido (ACM bass player of the year, played with Ingrid Michaelson, Blake Shelton), Justin Schipper on pedal steel (played with Chris Stapleton, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Gibbons), Kris Donegan on electric guitar (played with Mary Gauthier, Kim Richey, Shania Twain), and Kristen Rogers on background vocals (toured with Hozier, bgv’s for Rival Sons, Lori McKenna, Kid Rock and now with The Killers!).
I definitely wanted to have that warm Nashville sound on this record, and I have to say it embodies that sound! It was SUCH a phenomenal experience to have these players playing MY songs! These are some songs that I have written during that span of time since the very first record that I put out. They range from a few months old – at the time of the recording (Skip a Beat), to 20 years old (Funny).
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented times? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
I’m not gonna lie – there were some very dark times for me. I had literally just come back from most exalting experience in December 2019, visiting Nashville for the first time, recording this amazing record, and preparing it’s release. It felt like next level for me!
I remember completely losing hope, and this was one of the times that I did seriously consider quitting music as a path. I know so many other creatives went through the same thing during COVID and the initial first year of all of this. One of the things that kept me going was co-writes – thank God for Zoom! And discovering a wonderful community of songwriters through the Blair Hit Songwriting Series out of Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Thankfully, they went virtual and I was able to attend. I can’t recommend it enough! It’s taught by Deanna Walker a very talented songwriter who is SUCH a sweetheart, and such a supportive and simply lovely human being. I’ve met such a wonderful community of people through that class, written songs with many of them, and stayed inspired and forward-moving even when I felt like I was stuck in quicksand. And another incredible help and inspiration has been the weekly WHO KNEW series with Tom Truitt who hosts the ‘The Smartest People in the Room’ zoominars every week, with many of the top music executives and creatives in the industry. It’s just such an encouraging stimulating group of people, and I really just felt like I’d found ‘my people’.. My community…
And podcasts! Podcasts podcasts podcasts!! I love Singer-Songwriter Maggie Rose’s podcast called ‘Salute the Songbird’, Amy Purdy’s ‘Bouncing Forward’ podcast (talk about inspiration!!) and I ate up the Blair Hit Songwriting Series podcasts from previous classes. I tried to stay as active as possible, and went down to the ocean as much as I could. The oceanside is my medicine for sure.
What was the last song you listened to?
Shania Twain – Home Ain’t Where His Heart is Anymore – That whole album was on repeat actually on my last road trip home from my final gig of the season last weekend. Sang it at the top of my lungs the whole 2.5 hr drive home!
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Ha! Well, I’m still a CD girl – as I only have a CD player in my van.. But of course I’m always on the streaming platforms on my phone when walking etc. I do miss cassettes you know… I almost considered putting that weird beep thing at the end of the last song my album just for fun! 😊 Nothing beats the sound of vinyl on a record player though, hands down… (but I don’t own one!)
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
I think the best place these days is likely Instagram or Facebook (personal profile – just friend request me). I have my Linktree site connected to both of those so it’s a good way to see all that’s going on.
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
I just want to thank you for asking me to chat today and for supporting creatives. I so appreciate you!!
