INTERVIEW: Dossey — Music Musings & Such

INTERVIEW:

Dossey

___________

MOVING us gracefully and seductively…

through the middle of this week is the incredible Dossey. She has been telling me about her latest cut, Heartbeats, and what more we might expect later in the year – she tells me why the music of the 1980s is so important and influential to her.

Dossey reveals albums that mean a lot to her and how her solo work differs to that she creates with Indian & the Jones; whether she’ll come to the U.K. this year and perform; musical memories that stand out in the mind – the Austin-based songwriter recommends some local new artists to check out.

____________

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

Hi! Thanks for having me!

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

My name is Sarah Dossey. I play Electro-Pop music in Austin under the name ‘Dossey’. I’ve played in a few different Folk/Americana/Bluegrass bands, but this is my first Pop project - and I’m having so much fun. I’ve always loved Electronic music and also am crazy about creating catchy hooks and ear-wormy songs…so Dossey has been a super-fun experiment for me!

Heartbeats is your new song. What is the story behind the track?

I co-wrote the song back in Nashville in January 2017 with a couple songwriter buddies of mine, Adam Palmer and Lainey Wright. Conceptually, we wanted to write a song about a real love - something that can withstand the test of time or trials and just feels natural and normal. It’s hard to find that!

Since then, the song has taken many forms. I began working on it in June with a producer friend in Austin, Taylor Webb. He and I worked on the song for several months - seeing several renditions, arrangements etc and finally landed on something that is this surprisingly nice (in my opinion, at least!) blend of '80s Pop and current E.D.M.

Is there going to be more material coming later in the year?

Yes! I’ve got another single coming out in August/September and, most likely, one or two more before the year ends!

Did you always know music was where your heart is?! I get a sense the music of the 1980s is important to you…

I think I’ve wrestled with it a lot. I grew up in a family where music was definitely important, but not exactly portrayed as a viable career option unless it was as a Classical musician. The first musical production that I know of was when I played a goat in a farm musical in first-grade - which I had always thought was my first taste of music but, according to my family, I’ve been making up songs about pretty much anything and everything for as long as they remember….

As far as the '80s is concerned; I think it’s honestly less of an obsession with the music of the decade than it is the cultural feeling (of the decade). People experimented so much with art in the '80s! It was, like, anything goes - in fashion, everything was loud and fun. Very extreme prints were always lined up next to one another. Music was so dramatic. Pop music, especially, had such fun melodies and concepts.

Austin, Texas is where you are based. What is the music scene like there at the moment?

Austin is, and has always been, a guitar town! As you might imagine, Country/Americana music will always be king here, so there’s a ton of that happening. The Rock/Psych scene is super-prevalent as well. Not much Pop going on here, admittedly, which can be a challenge but it only makes me hustle harder. The music community here is actually really tightly-knit - we all support one another at shows, we write together; we’re in each other’s music videos.

I’m actually working on several different projects with people from different bands right now…

How do you think your solo material differs to the work you do/did with Indian & the Jones?

It literally differs in every way, except in the songs. As I mentioned before, I’m a huge song nerd. I don’t naturally sit in a room and start making sounds first and add the lyrics and melody on top: I prefer to hash out every detail of the song itself before it gets to the computer (smiles). That’s definitely how Folk music has always been made.

With I&TJ, we do have several instrumentals but the other songwriter in that band, Jesse Schaefer, is also super-nerdy about writing meaningful, well-crafted songs…so we work well and hard together. I’ve loved being in both projects in tandem - it feels like I get to use both sides of my brain; I feel it stretches me and makes me more creative.

Can we see you tour this year? What gigs do you have coming along?

At the moment, I’m focusing mostly on local or Texas-based shows, but I do have some one-offs to some key American cities in my sights as well. I try to play in Austin about once every three-four weeks. I’ve got a release show for the Heartbeats music video (!) at a place called Swan Dive here in Austin on 6/30 with some really awesome artists (Jane Ellen Bryant, ALKI and Loud Bird) joining.

Will you come and play the U.K. this year?

I’m actually trying to! According to Spotify, you Londoners are listening! T.B.H., most of my influences are from your part of the world (ABBA, The Knife; Massive Attack and Fickle Friends), so I can see how that can funnel into the sound. Know anybody that can help me get over there?!

What do you hope to achieve in 2018?

At the moment, I’m just trying to work as hard as humanly possible. I don’t want to ever say ‘no’ creatively. I’m experimenting a lot with different sounds, working with a lot of new people; trying out any and every format of my band/solo live set I can think of and just hustling in general.

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

Honestly, the most amazing memories from making music have been when I have been given the amazing opportunity to help others through it. For example, I’ve traveled to China with a local organization called Austin Sound Exchange, where we spent over a week playing shows for a ton of college students every night and working with those in music and English classes during the day. It was, and continues to be, incredibly rewarding.

The other favorite moment was when myself and my buddy Tanner Evans (from Indian and the Jones) had the chance to play music for evacuees from Hurricane Harvey in September of last year. The city of Austin invited us to walk in to a shelter and play soft music during breakfast one day and it seemed to be so peace-giving to the people there who had, quite literally, lost everything the week before.

Which three albums mean the most to you, would you say?

EASY - but I have to say four:

Rumours (Fleetwood Mac); The Immaculate Collection (Madonna); Wildflowers (Tom Petty) and Graceland (Paul Simon).

What advice would you give to new artists coming through?

Hustle Hardest! At a certain point, who ‘makes it’ or who ‘doesn’t’ has little to do with talent, but mostly to do with some strange, secret blend of Working the Hardest and Luck. At least, I think that’s it?! Haha.

Are there any new artists you recommend we check out?

Yes! I’m all about Austin bands, of course - especially ones with ladies at the forefront. Check out Shy Beast, Jane Ellen Bryant; Sweet Spirit, Go Fever; Signy, The Wild Now; FINLAY and Jaimee Harris.

All these ladies are KILLING IT right now (and based here in Austin).

IN THIS PHOTO: Jane Ellen Bryant

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

I swim! (We have a natural spring, Edwards Aquifer, that comes up from underground and makes for some really amazing spots to swim around town (The Greenbelt). I also do Bikram Yoga almost every day, and lately, I’ve been taking some evening spins around my neighborhood on my bike. Otherwise, a delicious meal with a glass of Zinfandel can calm me down almost immediately.

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).

Oh, fun! Lately, I’ve been listening to How Will I Know by Whitney Houston on the daily.