INTERVIEW: Daniel Isaiah — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Daniel Isaiah

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MY final interview of the day…

is with Daniel Isaiah who has been discussing his latest track, Javelin Fade, and what we can expect from his upcoming album, Only One Left. He discusses the personal highs and lows that influenced the songs and whether there are plans for gigs going forward.

I ask Isaiah what sort of music he is influenced by and which albums are important to him; whether there is an upcoming artist to watch and if he gets time to unwind outside of music – he selects a cool track to end the interview with.

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Hi, Daniel. How are you? How has your week been?

My week has been good so far. I have a couple of shows coming up and I’ve been trying to figure out how to play the new songs live.

For those new to your music; can you introduce yourself, please?

I’m a songwriter and filmmaker and occasional English teacher - and I spend most of my time in a little room in my apartment in Montreal playing guitar and piano, composing songs and writing screenplays. I’m about to release my third record as a ‘solo artist’.

Javelin Fade is your latest track. What is the story behind the track?

I found the chords in one sitting and recorded a demo right away. I didn’t have any lyrics though, so I just ad-libbed the vocal; words like “Rising in the fallout” rolled off the tongue. And so I imagined that I was traveling over the Earth and ‘the fallout’ was nuclear fallout - and I was witnessing the aftermath of total collapse - but it was over and there was nothing to worry about anymore.

I believe the album, Only One Left, was book-ended by the saddest and happiest days of your life. Was it a difficult period of your life to get through? How did they influence the music on the album?!

Well. My mother was sick when I started writing the new batch of songs. I wrote Till the Pictures Stop when she was in palliative care and it’s a depressing song, but it’s probably my favourite one on the album. About a month after my mom passed away, I started dating the woman who just recently became my wife. So, there was some light at the end of the tunnel. But there will be more tunnels! Maybe I’m better prepared for the next one.

You travelled extensively between those book-ended times. How important was it to get out into the world and away from home?

Travel is important to me. You travel and you see more. And the things you see become a part of you. I always have the impression when I’m traveling that time slows down. Whereas in Montreal, when I’m just doing my routine, the weeks pass by in a flash.

Did you grow up around a lot of music? Which artists did you follow at a young age?

When I was seven or eight, I would go to my dad’s house on the weekends and copy his C.D.s onto blank cassettes. One album that I liked a lot was The Beatles’ Please Please Me. My sister and I would put that one on and spin around in circles - which were as close to getting high as we could get in those days. There was another cassette I copied with ‘Fil Collins’ written on one side and Jennifer Warnes’ Famous Blue Raincoat written on the other. That was my introduction to the songs of Leonard Cohen. I loved them.

What do you hope to achieve by the end of 2018?

I want to finish a screenplay that I’m writing called Pink Lake.

Do you already have plans for 2019?

I’m hoping to shoot Pink Lake in March with a group of friends.

Have you got a favourite memory from your time in music so far – the one that sticks in the mind?

When I was twenty-years-old and living in Edinburgh, Scotland; a stranger in a park taught me how to Travis pick (fingerpicking technique). That was the best guitar lesson I ever had, on a sunny day, in the grass and I remember it fondly.

Which three albums mean the most to you would you say (and why)?

Something Else by The Kinks

It’s a beautiful album. There’s nothing else in the world like it.

Decade by Neil Young

It’s a long sprawling record with lots of great songs. It has kept me company for years.

Tupelo Honey by Van Morrison

I don’t know who the musicians are on that album but they’re the best.

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Learn how to record your own stuff. Try not to depend too much on other people.

Do you have tour dates coming up? Where can we catch you play?

Nov 21 at The Burdock (Toronto, ON) with Blunt Chunks

Nov 28 at Casa del Popolo (Montreal, QC) with Parker Shper

Feb 15 (2019) at Chasse Galerie (Lavaltrie, QC) with Thus Owls

That’s it for now!

PHOTO CREDIT: Year of Glad

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Year of Glad from Montreal is quite good.

Do you get much time to chill away from music? How do you unwind?

I read a lot. I like reading novels and history. Right now, I’m reading The Jewish War by Josephus. It’s a bit of a slog but I’m gonna stick with it.

Finally, and for being a good sport; you can choose a song and I’ll play it here (not any of your music - I will do that).

Let’s hear Deseret by Cass McCombs