Music Over Coffee - Opening Night

Opening night of my new "Music Over Coffee" show was fantastic...I love Mozart's so much anyway, and it's even more special when the audience is composed of people I love. Ralph tagged along last night, and of course my sister Kitty brought her friends Kathy, Teresa and Gina along with their families. Also present was my friend Kathy...and she's always good about bringing along several friends with her to my shows...thank you very much Kathy! And my special guest last night was my long time friend and first colleague in music Cheri Chilcote. She was on the audience side of the stage last night, but still part of the show none-the-less!

It occurred to me recently that I'm quite fortunate in my rich creative life because I use many different mediums through which I express the different facets of myself. This blog is one thing, while My YouTube Show is something else entirely. Even in my music there is a sense of diversity because what I do in the studio is very different from what I do onstage. Performing and recording are different art forms anyway...but I bring different tones to each. In the studio I'm more like a painter where I can apply rich textures to the charcoal sketches of my songs. Anything is possible in the studio, and I take full advantage of that. And I don't apologize for that either. To me, that's the beauty of studio work. A musician friend of mine said to me after hearing Color of Rain, "You'll never be able to duplicate that onstage." Well, I know that...uhm...that's kinda the point. Because with my live performances, especially my solo shows, I provide intimacy and connection...not just with me but to the music...plus in my live performances my voice gets to be the lead instrument...the focal point. It's all the same songs, they're just presented in their natural form. So, my recordings render complexity, while my live performances provide depth. Besides that, I really think people like to hear something different when they come to live shows...it's much more interesting to hear something familiar in a new way.

And with this new show, I've realized my vision. I hope those of you reading this can make it to one of my upcoming performances! Personally, I believe it's the best show I've ever put together.

Set List:
NATURE OF LOVE
BRAVE THE OUTSIDE
ANGEL FALLS
EVERGREEN
BELIEVE
STORM IN MY HEART
SAVING GRACE
I STILL NEED YOU TONIGHT
-BREAK-
COLOR OF RAIN
BE KIND
SWEET BABY
ALTAR BOY
CHRISTINE
GOOD LIFE
WORSHIP ME
SO, GOODBYE

Until next time,
Daniel

Out of the Silence, 10 Year Anniversary Edition

Get it on iTunes Now!

It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years since Out of the Silence came out. But to be honest, we were working on Out of the Silence 12 years ago with “Believe” and “Constant Faithfulness” already recorded by 1997 and in heavy circulation around Austin as demo tapes to land gigs, enter song competitions and to show off to family and friends.

I was on fire in those days. Recently struck sober in ’97 and clean in ’98 I was desperate to make up for lost time…I had wasted away my 20’s working in the food and beverage industry, drinking and drugging myself into a hollow outline of who I truly was and greatly damaging my aspirations, talent and dedication for my music. The first order of business once I got sober was to rescue my dream for a career in music. Hindsight, as “they” say is 20/20, and at 32 I felt I didn’t have time to develop my skills for piano and singing…I didn’t have time…I had so much to catch up on, and I needed to craft a career and establish myself quickly. My skills would just have to catch up once I was on tour with ColdPlay. Always a songwriter first, my faith rested in that part of my talent and I would have to trust it could carry me along my way.

The first thing I needed was a band, so I called the only person in Austin that I knew at the time who could play guitar, my friend Cheri. We didn’t know any other musicians then…so, we were now a band. And soon we were actually playing really cool venues including Borders Book and Music in Austin, Flipnotics, and we even did a benefit at the old Top of the Marc which is now Momo’s. I had this old funky Yamaha keyboard that was made in the mid 80’s, and Cheri had this acoustic guitar that I think road around under the back seat of a van since the early 70’s…and there we were…singing our only 8 songs over and over to fill the 2 hour gig spots. Somewhere between the green and the horrid instruments we managed to pull off something kinda magical. We actually began building a local following with people telling us things like “I love yer’alls song 'I Still Need You Tonight’ ; you sing so pretty together…”

We did spend a lot of time rehearsing and developing our songs, and I was spending even more time studying the industry side of music. I read every book out there on promotion, making demos, pitching songs and self managing bands. I realized that without a product I couldn’t really compete in the marketplace…so I began polling my audiences to find out which songs they liked the best. I only had enough money to record three more songs to produce a 5 song “EP”. The top picks included one of my older songs at the time, “I Still Need You Tonight” and two new songs: “Nature of Love” and “Altar Boy”. So Cheri and I went back to our friend David Breaux’s demo studio to finish out our first project.

It was a special time for me. I hadn’t listened to Silence in a long time. But in putting together this digital version and listening to the work after all these years I had to smile. The production is pretty bland and barely met the standards for demo work at the time. But still, there is, for me anyway, something special about Out of the Silence. The title is an affirmation…it represents not only a personal resurfacing from the depths of drug and alcohol abuse, but an enunciation for my art…I was literally bringing my music out of the silence…giving the songs I’ve written a change to be heard outside the four walls of my bedroom. It was a very powerful way to empower myself and introduce myself to the music industry. And despite the relatively low quality of the recording, the songs did speak for themselves…my very first review was issued in Billboard…a clear signal that I was on my way.

I should also note here that "Dance With Me" is a bonus track that I've added to the 10 Year Anniversary Edition of Out of the Silence. I wrote it for my niece Sarah...it was her first dance song at her wedding a few years ago. This song was recorded with my current studio dogs Bryan Anderton and Johnny Big.

~ Original tracks for Out of the Silence ~
Daniel Link: Lead vocals, piano and keys
Cheri Chilcote: Harmony vocals and acoustic guitar
David Breaux: Lead guitar, bass, percussion and organ
Produced by Daniel Link and David Breaux
Engineered, mixed and mastered by David Breaux at Cutting Edge Music, Austin, TX

~ Bonus track Dance With Me ~
Daniel Link: Lead vocals and keys
Johnny Big: harmony vocals and bass
Bryan Anderton: Guitars and drum programming
Produced by Johnny Big
Engineered, mixed and mastered by Bryan Anderton at Lava Studios, Austin, TX.

All songs written by Daniel Link ©1998, 1999, 2007, 2008
by Recovering Catholic Music BMI.
Photography by Gina Evins
Art direction layout and design by Daniel Link

for John

Vision Trek - Day One

Over the summer I've been going through immense yet quiet change. The kind of change that requires great action. The ever pressing mutation of Austin into a slick urban shell of it's former self has led me and Ralph to seek a homestead that matches our frequency. Too much favorable press has attracted too many people and development that, in my opinion, has over powered the town's higher vibrations. We've had our sites set on New Mexico for many years now. When Ralph's business partner Cindy Piccard decided to buy land outside of Taos and build completely off the grid, (her home is powered by solar, water comes from a well) we were given yet another nudge to relocate ourselves.

Two weeks ago we drove to New Mexico to bring the last of Cindy's stuff from Texas, along with her jeep. As I was driving into her property I asked for a clear sign that we were doing the right thing in moving to New Mexico. Suddenly, a hawk appeared and flew down in a path directly in front of my car. His flight path aligned within my field of vision...following the road perfectly...I was awestruck. I grabbed my camcorder and began filming him. This visitation lasted nearly 3 to 5 minutes. As I made the last curve to Cindy's gate, the hawk veered to the right and came to rest on a tree stub. He looked straight into my eyes as I passed. This was clearly a strong message. I was so excited to watch the footage once we got to Cindy's place, but when I pushed the play back, the footage was not there...only my comment about seeing him. Cindy said to me, "he probably didn't want to be photographed."

Drought

Austin, my home town, is now considered the worst drought territory in the United States. Our summers have always been equated with above average triple digit temperatures...however this year, the triple digit highs came the first week of June...and have not let up since. That paired with virtually no rainfall since early spring has tipped us into sever drought. The physical effects are predictable; lakes and river beds dry up, vegetation suffocates and withers into brittle kindling, wildlife moves into the inner city for water and protection from exposure, and so on. The spiritual and physiological effects on people, though, is a little more elusive to the untrained, casual eye.

In my part time job at my neighborhood corner store, I see it everyday. People are agitated, edgy and flat out exhausted. Everyone who comes in has a light mist of sweat from head to toe...red faces, and a slightly furrowed brow. Time and time again I hear: "by the time 3-4 o'clock comes around, I just have to give up...go home and collapse." Which I was glad to hear, because I started a ritual of an afternoon nap and or mediation between 3 and 4 myself...and knowing others were doing the same made me feel a little less wimpish.

Creatively speaking...I know that creative droughts are often followed by intense rainfalls of art flow. The dry heat draws us to attention...we notice the pain, the suffering...that in turn delivers us in the moment, and finally the sheer condition of drought forces us to rest! I forget, so easily, how important rest is in a creative life. Droughts, creative or otherwise, are just another one of nature's mysterious ways of achieving long term health. The important thing to remember during any drought is how to take care of what needs to be taking care of. Yes, creative channels dry up...yes trees that bare fruit of inspiration are parched, and yes, like a creature of the wild we flee our natural habitat in search of the comforts our old lives have betrayed us.

For me, I am doing some much needed creative maintenance...looking into myself to see what needs to be tended to. I'm also reflecting on ways to enhance my live performances...and trying my hand at calligraphy. But the most important thing I'm doing right now is resting. And in resting comes dreaming...and in dreaming comes new directions and unexplored possibilities. In resting I have given myself the opportunity to ask new questions of myself. To look at things I have not looked at before. And to explore...

Until next time...
Daniel

Drawing Myself to Scale

As a creative person who enjoys a career in my art form, it's easy to get caught up in "how am I doing?" That's a very tricky question at first blush because like so many of us I tend to compare myself to standards set by others in my field who at the very top. That's very dangerous, because it's easy to draw the conclusion that I'm not measuring up. I forget what it is I really want. I lose sight of my own achievements in the bright light of super stars. Before long I find myself not knowing what to do and ultimately do nothing at all because, after all, what's the use? I'll never be Elton John, Eric Clapton or Fleetwood Mac. The longer I fret, the more darkness settles in...and a kind of sickening depression shortly follows.

And I've been there...very recently. Last fall I decided to shut down my live performances for a few months. I needed to rest. I thought I would write songs in the long winter months, but very little came. I started thinking about the boxes of unsold CD's sitting in my closet, and began to reason away how ill-logical it would be to write more songs because recording a new CD would be bad business. And of course I wasn't going to sell CD's by "resting" from live performances. It all just started caving in on me. I was left with a cynical "what's the use?"

But every darkness has it's dawn. As the clouds began to break, I began seeing myself in a new light...a true light. My rest period was needed. The time leading up to my break had been dominated by un-met goals. My goal to form a band did not yield committed members...treks to Nashville, New York and the West Coast were all unsuccessful. But really, none of that matters anymore...and in a way, it never did. Because I have a very clear vision of the kind of artist I want to be, and in fact the kind of artist I am. This is where "drawing myself to scale" comes in. Success is measured by our personal level of happiness and contentment. Knowing myself as I do, I know that I would not be happy touring the world 300 days out of the year. I love my home, my community and my partner. So I have crafted my career to fit into those parts of my life that I'm not willing to surrender.

I have a day job at a little neighborhood corner store. I work part time three days a week. Not only does it allow me to keep up with my bills plus sell my CD's over the counter, but I actually love working there! It's a little mom and pop store that has a mini farmers market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. I often describe it as a cross between the Andy Griffith Show and Northern Exposure because all of us who work there know all of our customers by name; and we're a very eclectic mix of people...from cartoon animators to tattooed covered comic book experts, retired military and even a full time mom of 5 who has been known to bless the store with sage and olive oil. You feel it as soon as you walk into the place..it's special and it's loved. It is a perfect fit for my life. It allows me to play 3 or 4 local shows a month, which is really perfect for me...its what I want.

As I draw myself to scale I see that I have a very rewarding creative life. Through my music I can express my mystical insights...this blog satisfies my writing urges...my new YouTube show allows me to vent my sense of humor....and my day job connects me with community. I don't mean this in a conceded way, but I really do like who I am and the level of balance I have achieved.

Mozart's Return

I'm well rested after my first show of '09 last night at Mozart's. While I didn't see any of my usual crowd last night, Mozart's was packed with lots of new ears for me to sing to. And it was really a magical night. Since it was a chilly, windy evening, I sat up inside rather than playing on the lakeside deck. It was pretty snug as well; the staff at Mozart's had reserved a small corner of the main room for me to set up at...hanging on the walls in that corner were signs that read "this space reserved for band". Well, all I can say is it's a good thing I didn't have a band because there would have been more room for my piano and PA system in my bathtub. But I made the best of it and was careful not to swing my mic boom around too far and hit the guy working on his Mac book next to me in the head.

When I began my set, the crowd was busy chatting and Mac booking and updating their Facebook status'. When I ending my first song, the void of no applause was deafening. Ok, that's cool, I thought to myself. These people don't know me or my music, so it's to be expected, however that's not going to stop me from getting into my music and playing my heart out. By the time I was into my third and fourth songs I noticed that people were beginning to gaze over their laptops and chairs were beginning to turn to face me. What I thought was a long line at the coffee bar actually turned out to be a crowd of people listening to the music, coffee in hand. When I finished "Evergreen" the eruption of applause signaled that I was on the right track. People were emerging from the crowd to buy CD's and sweeten my tip jar.

This all sounds like ego tripping at first blush. However, I am learning more and more that is it indeed the letting go of ego that really enhances my performance. By getting out of my own way...by not worrying about the audience liking me...I am able to connect with my music, and therefor connect to the people. It has been a difficult lesson for me, and quite frankly one I am continuously learning...but it is so true.

My mission in life is not to be a rock star...it is to connect with the mystical through lyric and music. To use my gifts for the world. The Hopi People say that our gifts our not our own...our gifts belong to the people. When we use our gifts in that way we are using our gifts correctly. There can never be disappointment when we do what we do for the good of everyone.

Calling...

It never ceases to amaze me just how strong my calling to music really is. I chose to take a break from my life in music last October...thinking that some time off from playing live would do me some good. Last year was primarily a year of solo shows for me, and to be quite honest it gets pretty lonely on stage night after night. Not to mention monotonous. It wasn't long before I found myself complaining about playing the same songs over and over, doubting my ability to perform effectively, and questioning if I should even continue to pursue a career in music at all.

I took all of this into consideration and concluded that a nice long winter break could help me sort through all of this and decide what, if anything, I would do next. I needed to work, so I agreed to come on board with a friend's promotional products company and offer my marketing expertise to her organization. Me. In an office. 9 to 5. Every week day. Oh my God. At any rate, while I do enjoy the workings of marketing and graphic design, the idea of investing my life long term in that scenario just spooks me. And the long winter break I wanted to take away from my music and creative life was subconsciously and abruptly interrupted.

Within a month's time I found myself mysteriously compelled to produce a one man YouTube show. Seriously. The idea came over me and literally took control of my body. Before I knew what hit me I had purchased a semi expensive camcorder, new audio cords and some sound effects. Next thing I knew I was designing my "set" where I would shoot my episode introductions and promo pieces for a, shall we say, very loose concept YouTube show. My scripts, if you wanna call them that, are written in my morning pages (journal) on the spot, minutes before I shoot. My special guests don't know they're gonna be special guests until I turn the camera on them. I have no idea what an episode will be until it's done. It all depends on the footage I have acquired, and how I am guided to twist it! I must admit, the first two episodes have been fun to put together. And while the show hasn't exactly enjoyed massive YouTube popularity, there is a great satisfaction of just being creative. And yes, of course, I have been including segments of me playing my songs alone in my music room.

So, in short. I guess that's why it's called "a calling..." because if you choose to not to answer, a dream will call again......and again...in

Peace,Daniel