Born and raised in Chicago Illinois, Nomadic traveler Drew Dolan has spent years chasing his dream. Drew Dolan's unique sound is an echoing of yesterday’s past through a foundation rooted in the Blues. With storytelling lyrics and soulful vocals, Drew's “true stories” take life in a genuine and contemporary form with instrumental influences creating a melting pot of Funk, R&B, Soul and Swampy Rock. Drew’s energetic and lively release “7 plus 3” showcases the funky R&B groove he feels is genuine to his artistry. I like the twang in his vocals with that intricate tempo that really categorizes funk music the most. You can tell he sticks to his blues roots with a lot of soul projection. “ 7 Plus 3” sticks to the cultural origins of soul music and I love that quality the most. An almost 5 minute jam packed groove that will have you head nodding and feeling the grit in the music. Drew Dolan has that special ability to deliver energetic and fast-paced performances while also subtly giving melodies and a tune we will become addicted too. “7 Plus 3” is an all around contagious hit!
Listen to Drew Dolan's new single "7 Plus 3" and be sure to check out our exclusive interview to find out more about himself, how he creates music and the exclusive run down on "7 Plus 3"
Hey Drew, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hello! My name is Drew Dolan. I am a musician originally from Chicago, been living in LA for the past four years. I write and play original music, mostly in the vane of funk/soul/r&b/blues...
How did you discover your love for blues music?
Coming from Chicago there is, even nowadays, an undercurrent of the Blues (sometimes you have to look for it, a lot of times its just there in the background). I was given a BB King cd when I was about ten or eleven years old. I used to ride my bike listening to it for hours. For some reason it just made sense to me, and I'd sing along when I cruised around. As I grew older, I spent my late teens and early twenties hanging out at the clubs (where you can hear real Chicago Blues until four in the morning) and took in all the music I could.
Did you grow up in a musically inclined household and environment?
My family loves music, but none of them are musicians except for my youngest brother. I'm the middle of five kids, and we all kind of have our own taste in music, but we all were influenced as children by what our parents had us listening to. We grew up on everything from Classical to Motown, from Classic Rock to the Blues.
Do you recall the first song you’ve ever made? What was the meaning behind it?
The first song I ever wrote is called "New Orleans." I was living in Oakland. California at the time. I sat down at a Hammond organ that I just got off this kid who was studying at Berkeley. He had to go back to Japan and couldn't bring the organ, so he gave me this old Hammond with a built-in Leslie. I sat down after I got it in my place and the organ had this song jump into my hands. I started singing lyrics and when the song ended I looked for a pen and paper to write down what I was singing when I played it again. I remembered all the lyrics. It took me almost ten years later to find out what the song was about, because it was a prophetic song, meaning it hadn't happened yet. New Orleans, in the song, symbolized everything you don't want 'her' going toward- a different city, a new man, even psychosis.
How can you effortlessly weave the lines between current and traditional when producing music?
There are definitely technological things you can do to make things more "organic" or old school when recording. My main focus is on the song-writing. I think I am naturally drawn to old school instrumentation- the "style" of my music, while my inspiration for lyrics has always come from a desire to write about what I know. The bridging of these two worlds, at least in a subconscious sense , is to bring people in through the resonance factor of the telling of true stories with the backdrop of groovin' instrumentation.
What’s your artist interpretation of “7 plus 3”?
This song came from my desire to write a funky, contemporary take on a Motown song. The melody and lyrics of the song came to me when I was sleeping in my van (I was a traveler for years, and lived in a '96 Ford Aerostar when I came to LA). I was struck by how catchy it was and it kept me awake. I started playing with the different ways I could describe the "perfect ten." It was of course written about a beautiful muse who continues to inspire me to this day...
What’s your favorite part about being an artist and why?
There is no feeling like being on a stage and connecting with an audience. The lines get blurred and there is everything and nothing in the same space. It can happen when you're playing solo in a room by yourself, or in a studio with your band, but there is nothing like when it's happening on a stage with a rocking audience. It is the drug that keeps musicians playing.
Connect with Drew Dolan on social media:
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/drewdolan_
Facebook: www.facebook.com/drewdolanmusic/
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