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Nashville, Tennessee: I'm meeting today with a great new songwriter, Dana Marie Marie. We're at a restuarant here called, Buffalo Wings. She's wearing a bright yellow sun dress with a matching hat. Black stockings and black high heal shoes to match. She has a sweet Southern accent that rounds off everything.
Kelly Dunn: What were you early musical influences.
Dana Marie: My mom and dad were very musical. I studied theatre at the age of nine. I've sung opeara music also from the age of nine until the age of seventeen. It was around 16 or 17 that I started turning to pop music. My teacher was not too happy with that. She told me it was either opera or nothing. So we parted ways.
Kelly Dunn: She didn't like pop music?
Dana Marie: Oh no! She was like 70 years old!
Kelly Dunn: I worked with an opera singer when I started out and it helped alot, the breathing and such...
Dana Marie: Oh it was a great experience and I'll always have that knowledge. I find myself breathing from my stomach because people don't breathe like that normally. When I was younger I got yelled at because I'd move my shoulders while I breathed...
Kelly Dunn: This is interesting...
Dana Marie: My first time on stage was not until I was 11 years old. She was adamant that I didn't perform until I was
Kelly Dunn: So you moved into pop music from there...
Dana Marie: My mom didn't like Britney Spears! So I started going
Kelly Dunn: What's the first song that caught your attention...
Dana Marie: It was a Wynona Judd song, I remember some of the words, "no one else on earth..." I can't remember the rest of it but that was it for me. I keept singing that song over and over and my mom and dad would tell me to be quiet. They said we get it! You want to be a singer, ok! (laughter)
Kelly Dunn: My daughter does that, she sings the same song over and over...
Dana Marie: I still do that! I'll play a song over and over 50 times in my car...maybe there's something wrong with me!
Kelly Dunn: No no! Obviously my daughter is doing it so.. (laughter) Did you perform in some bands duing this time?
Dana Marie: Well, I was in these competitions and we were charged $150.00 each time. I felt like they screwed us really...
Kelly Dunn: So you bought the sponsor a new car!
Dana Marie: Pretty much...but I had a manager named, Tino. He got me a job singing for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Rockers, the women's basketball team. I began doing commercial modeling for Nashville City Bank, pamphlets, and I get paid $150.00 an hour! I asked my Tito where I should go from here. He said you could go to college, Nashville or New York. I didn't want to be that five year career and it's over. I want to have longevity in this business.
Kelly Dunn: Pop is a "15 minute of fame" kind of approach...
Dana Marie: I want to know every part of the business and to really know everything about it. I was born in Youngstown, Ohio. You don't want to go Youngstown. You'll get shot. $50.00 per month you can get an apartment.
Kelly Dunn: How did you know about the cheap rent...
Dana Marie: My boyfriend had an apartment down there. It was really scary. I played at a club where someone got killed and they close the place for a few weeks.
Kelly Dunn: I've been there. That's not a good thing... Let's get off this! How did your move to Nashville come about?
Dana Marie: Well, my manager said Nashville was probably the best place to move for music.
Kelly Dunn: Did you know you anybody in Nashville?
Dana Marie: No, my parents dropped me off.
Kelly Dunn: Right in the middle of Nashville!
Dana Marie: Well, I went online to Roommates.com and found this girl in Nashville. I called her up! She was married. She was going to Berkley Music and she said come on down. I found the place on Wenesday and on Saturday my mom drove me down.
Kelly Dunn: Right in Nashville?
Dana Marie: Well, actually it's in East Nashville. My mom and dad drove me down and dropped me off. But, I was really mad because they had these two giant dogs.
Kelly Dunn: Is that a problem?
Dana Marie: Well, they were big dogs and they slept in the bed with them and there were fleas everywhere. And they had a hamster that lived in the closet. I told them I had a cat that I was bringing with me but they never said that they had any animals!
Kelly Dunn: Did you get flea bites?
Dana Marie: No, but there was hair everywhere,on my clothes, on my bed and in my food! They didn't list in the ad that they had animals! So after 3 months I knew I had to move!
Kelly Dunn: So you went back to Roommates.com?
Dana Marie: No! After the first month I didn't have a plan. Before I came here to Nashville I recorded a demo tape.
Kelly Dunn: Is that the song I heard?
Dana Marie: Oh no! This guy in Youngstown decided I needed a synthasieser in my Country song. Can you believe that! He charged me an extra $100.00 for something I didn't want!
Kelly Dunn: Ok, first I want to know what happened with your rooming situation...
Dana Marie: I told the girl that I was moving out..then she told me that they had four other people in the past year that have moved in and out. The dogs would come in from outside with mud all over and shake it all over the place...
Kelly Dunn: So you moved?
Dana Marie: Yes, I found an apartment and moved in and got a job at a Buffalo Wild Wings as a waitress. That job sucked but that's how where I met my fiance.
Kelly Dunn: By yourself?
Dana Marie: Yep, on the first day a guy sat down in my section. Everyone was telling me that he was famous.
Kelly Dunn: WHat's his name?
Dana Marie: David Banner. He sits down and we started talking about music. I met his manager and he told me all these things he could do for my career. I never heard from him again.
Kelly Dunn: Yes, I've heard this story before...(laughter) So you got your music on track?
Dana Marie: I left Buffal Wings and got a job as a bank teller. I met this guy at the bank that won a million dollars in the lottery. You know, you never know who you are going to meet!
Kelly Dunn: Especially at a bank, they have put that money somewhere...
Dana Marie: Right! So eventually we got to talking about music, my music and so on. First thing he said, "If you write songs I'll put them with my publishing company if you sign the songs over to me..."
Kelly Dunn: Did you sign up?
Dana Marie: No! I asked him if he wanted to hear them. He said he didn't need to hear them. He told me he was in the music industry.
Kelly Dunn: What's his name..
Dana Marie: He goes by Gino Bush but his real name is Walter. He has this site, CountryCountryRecords.com. He said he wanted to hear my songs at his house. So I took my fiance with me to his house. He said I'll pay for your demo if you give me your songs.
Kelly Dunn: Huh.
Dana Marie: Anyhow, I sing the song and he loves it. Gino and Kurt said they'd like to record it. So I'm in the studio and recorded the demo. We did two takes in about 2 1/1 hours. Gino decided he wanted to be a singer.
Kelly Dunn: Gino, the 70 year old singer...
Dana Marie: Yeah! This guys records my demo and he was going to promote me and then he doesn't. He comes into the bank the next day and tells me that he's doing a cd and is going to promote himself.
Kelly Dunn: Perhaps this worked out better that he moved on...
Dana Marie: Oh yeah! At least I had the cd and I can use it as a calling card!
Kelly Dunn: I like your song alot, "Goodbye Little Girl"...
Dana Marie: You know, I moved here thinking I was a genius and I found out that I have alot to learn. I wrote that song very quickly and it just came out of me. Now, I'm working with Billy Herziv.
Kelly Dunn: So you hooked with him and it's going well?
Dana Marie: He's been trying to find me some songs that I can sing. GrayHouse Studios is the name of this studio. I'm trying to find a new sound. The Country sound seems to be so crazy right now. They said my song sounds like it's five years old.
Kelly Dunn: Stay true to yourself. I think in the end you have to stay true to yourself. Look how many so people you've met so far!
Dana Marie: I feel like I'm changing. It's kinda bluesy, country.
Kelly Dunn: What instruments do you play?
Dana Marie: Billy has been teaching me guitar.
Kelly Dunn: From my opinion I think you play an instrument you are going to have more insight into the song and the melody.
Dana Marie: I've had alot of that too. I do play basic chords. I also started playing drums.
Kelly Dunn: I have enjoyed talking with you today! I really hope to catch up with you soon to see what's going on with your career, ok?
Dana Marie: That would be great and thanks for talking to with me! See you later!
Dana Marie Spencer can be reached at: http://www.Dana MarieMarieMusic.com - Email: information@Dana Mariemariemusic.com
Article: © SongwriterPro.com Kelly Dunn - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Article: © SongwriterPro.com Kelly Dunn Dunn - All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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