“I think I’d learn a lot from sitting and watching and being in the room while other musicians are doing their thing. In my early teens I really got into a lot of what Joni Mitchell was doing, and I feel like she’s so real.
“Musically her work went everywhere. Even within one song it was loose and she was driven by what she wanted to express, not just with the words, but with the music. I think it would have been great to be in the room while Joni was working on a lot of what she’s done.”
Daniel is an accomplished songwriter. He led his previous band The Fold to success on independent radio and onto memorable jaunts in Europe, gracing the stages of festivals including Haldern-Pop in Germany and Alive, Belgium. “I love being around people while they’re working and soaking it up. Other musicians really inspire me, and I think Paul Simon would definitely be up there [to learn from] in terms of real songwriting craft,” he says.
“His work is more structured, but I really respect what he does, and he has explored so many different corners as well. Sometimes he manages to get to this place of real emotional clarity with his writing, which is something I work towards. I feel like he doesn’t hide behind much and he really tries to say what’s there.”
The Night & Day EP is full of intimate moments, as Daniel offers the listener an insight into his reality via exceptionally constructed melodies. It was recorded and produced with Richard Andrews of Underground Lovers at Pharmacy Studios. “It was really exciting, and in particular I enjoyed how quickly everything came together this time. Richard’s process is to work really fast, and it actually pushes you past the point you’d normally go.
“I’m normally a perfectionist, I like taking my time, but on this one it was different,” Daniel says. “On three of the tracks it was myself, Richard and Andy [the bass player for the recording] crammed into a tiny room. It was great to see things become real so fast.”
At the Night & Day launch Daniel will be joined by some of Melbourne’s finest musicians: Nick Tumney (double bass), Gawain Davey (clarinet and saxophone), Warren Howden (flute), Nicola Bell (drums) and Alfred Daniel (backing vocals, harmonica).
Daniel has also handpicked two very special support acts – eclectic performer, Melissa Main and alt-folk group Kite, led by Micha Hosking.
“Melissa Main – she does this thing,” Daniel says. “She calls herself the musician’s accomplice, so she helps people with their creative and songwriting process. I’m in a songwriting circle with her. It’s a bunch of songwriters – we get together once a month and share what we’re working on.
“A couple of years ago when I was finding it hard to get some stuff finished she was really helpful to me, so I really wanted to pay my respects to her and give her an opportunity to play in front of a room of people,” Daniel says.
“And Micha Holding – I came across her work because she was a friend of my brother. She writes these incredibly crafted songs and beautiful arrangements, and is an incredible mandolinist. She’s a really great, sensitive songwriter.”
Interestingly, the decision to include an all-female support lineup was a deliberate move on Daniel’s part. “I actually chose them because I consciously wanted to get some female singer/songwriters up, or some female musicians up,” he says.
“There’s been a lot of talk out there about the lack of visibility or the disparity in the music industry, or in all industries really, between men and women, so I wanted to find some really talented females that I know, and give them an opportunity to play.”
