The list of independent musicians is long. In the last few years many artists went over to produce and promote their music all alone. One of them is Dion Bayman from Down Under and to be honest nobody else impressed me that much in 2013. With his album "Smoke & Mirrors" Dion showed that a big budget is not necessary to produce a great album. On September 23rd his follow-up "Afterburn" will be released and this one is also an impressive album, which shows that passion is much more important than anything else. With that in mind I talked to Dion to learn how he makes his music sound that good, why he wants to be a solo artist and what it's all about being an independent musician. Find out more in this interview.
Hello Dion! Great to hear from you. How are you doing?
Dion: Hi Thomas, I'm
doing well. Thanks for the interview.
In
a few days your new album “Afterburn” will be released. How are
the reactions from the press so far?
Dion: So far so good. I've had lots
of positive feedback and the couple of reviews that have already
come out before the release have been great. Hopefully I'll get a
few more good reviews to help promote the album once it comes out.
You
know, your last album “Smoke & Mirrors” was the surprise of
the year in 2013 to me. What is the biggest difference between this
album and “Afterburn”?
Dion: I think there is an overall heavier sound
to 'Afterburn'. The guitars are heavier with a slightly darker tone.
I also played around with the drums a little to get a fuller,
rockier sound. With each new album I want to improve everything.
Better songs, better production is the goal. I think I achieved that
with 'Afterburn'.
Has
the title of the new album a special meaning?
Dion: Not really. I find it
difficult to decide on an album title. I just wanted a good sounding
rock title that would fit this album. I narrowed it down to a few
options and finally decided on 'Afterburn'. I like it.
Which
song is the most personal track on “Afterburn” and why?
Dion: A very
difficult question to answer as there are quite a few personal
tracks on this record. I do have a soft spot for 'I Remember' and
'Morning Light' though. I wrote them a few years ago and I've
re-recorded them several times in various ways. Maybe because
they've been with me for a while, but I love these two songs and
I've always wanted them to be heard at their best. I'm glad they've
found a home on the new album.
In general your lyrics always feel like they would come straight from the heart, so what inspires you while you are writing songs?
Dion: Sometimes it's past or current relationships, sometimes I just want
to tell a story. The opening track 'The Great Unknown' is about how
I see the world at the moment and how we need to stand together. For
most of my songs usually a melody or a cool chord progression or
maybe even a song title will come into my head. Then the process
begins. Generally, I usually write the music first with a rough
melody in mind and then sit with it for a few weeks. Over that time
the lyrics usually come to me to fit the music. Then it's time to
record.
What
makes a perfect song in your opinion?
Dion: I love a good hook and a good
chorus. I mix things up from time to time, but I'm a big fan of
songs having a beginning, middle and end. That may change over time,
but that's how the bands I grew up with wrote their songs so I guess
I've been influenced by that style of writing. As far as the perfect
song goes, I'm yet to hear it, but I've heard some awesome songs
that are pretty close.
We
all have records that were/are a big part of our life, so which
album and artist inspired you the most in your youth?
Dion: When I was
growing up music was everywhere in my house. Rock, country, jazz,
classical...it was great. In my late teens Bon Jovi released
'Slippery When Wet' and I was hooked, as was most of the world it
seemed. Richard Marx 'Repeat Offender', Bryan Adams 'Waking Up The
Neighbors' and Def Leppard 'Hysteria' were all over the radio and
were big influences on my song writing. Today there are plenty of
bands and artists I enjoy such as Matchbox Twenty, Keith Urban,
Vertical Horizon and the many fantastic melodic rock acts like Harem
Scarem and H.E.A.T.
Speaking
about the past: you were part of some local bands back then. When
and why did you decide to become a solo artist?
Dion: Yes I played in
bands most of my life. They were cover bands and I really enjoyed
it. Other band members though didn't really have any interest in
writing or playing original material. It basically just got to the
point where I didn't enjoy playing live as much as I used to. After
many years I decided to take a break and concentrate on my original
music and music production, so that's where I'm at right now. I'm
not saying I'll never play live again, but for now I'm happy doing
what I'm doing.
You
play all instruments on your albums and you do all the mixing and
the production alone. Where did you get this know-how? I mean I can
imagine it is quite difficult to make everything sound that good.
You must be a wizard.
Dion: Ha, no not a wizard. I've just been recording
music for as long as I can remember, and over this time I've
gathered a fair bit of knowledge and experience. As a kid I remember
placing two tape recorders in front of each other, playing the piano
and singing, and then doing the same thing over and over again
playing different parts. I remember writing my first song at 13 and
recording it on an old 4-track cassette recorder. At the time I
thought it was the greatest song ever, but it was awful. These days,
like many others, I have my own studio at home and thankfully I can
go there whenever I get inspired to record some music. I'm
constantly learning more about production and doing my best to make
the songs sound as good as I can.
Could
you imagine producing other artists? Dion: It's not something that I've seriously thought about, but if the opportunity came up I'd certainly consider it.
Are
there any famous producers or artists you’d like to work with?
Dion: As
unlikely as it would be, it would be an honour to work with John
Farnham, Richard Marx, Rob Thomas, Keith Urban, and about a hundred
other people. It's a long list...
What
are you doing when you take a break from recording albums? Any
activities in your free time or do you have a special day job?
Dion: Yes
like a lot of musicians I have a day job. I'm also a big football
(soccer) fan, I played it all my life and attend games when I can. I
like the normal everyday stuff like good company or a good movie.
I'm certainly no party animal that's for sure. I like to keep things
simple. Family and friends are my priority.
What about the musical landscape in Down Under?
Not many musicians, who play AOR come from Australia. Ok, you have
AC/DC and rock-chick Orianthi, but this isn’t really AOR. Is this
genre not so popular?
Dion: Well it certainly isn't mainstream. Like most
countries these days, you hear the same songs on the radio every day
without much variation. I don't think that's going to change any
time soon.
What is the most difficult thing for you as an independent artist?
Dion: The
hardest thing is promotion and just getting my music heard.
Obviously self releasing albums is very difficult without a record
label. I email websites and ask if I can send them my music. Most
are great and are enthusiastic about it, others don't reply which is
fine, it's totally their
prerogative.
I'll just keep doing my thing and promoting my music the best I can
and if people want to support it, then that's great.
Why
is it so hard for new independent musicians like you to get
recognized by the record labels? What do you think?
Dion: I'm not sure. As
you know many artists self release their own music these days, and a
lot of the time the quality is as good, if not better than the big
name label releases. Obviously releasing an album through a label
opens up more promotional opportunities, but labels certainly have
the right to sign whoever they want so good luck to them. At the end
of the day I'm not bothered by it all. I get to write, record and
release my music on my own terms and whenever I choose. Sounds good
to me.
Which
goals you’d like to reach in your musical career?
Dion: My goals are
pretty simple. Just try to write and record good songs. If other
people enjoy them, then that's a bonus.
Thank
you for taking the time, Dion. The final words are yours! Dion: Thanks very much for the interview Thomas. Your support and the support of those who have enjoyed my music is very much appreciated. Cheers.
www.dionbayman.com
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