Daniel Wesley Mixes It Up

Youthink talks to Daniel Wesley about his latest album, Easy Livin'.

It wouldn’t be accurate to say that everything has come easy for Daniel Wesley. As the poster child for Vancouver’s reggae scene, it can be hard to forget that three out of his five albums were done independently before being picked up by 604 Records. His latest album, Easy Livin’, was released this summer and shows off a completely new side of the laid-back singer-songwriter. Wesley pushes boundaries and experiments with other genres, all the while maintaining the same sunny vibe that got him to where he is today. Youthink recently got to talk to Wesley about his latest album.
 

YT: Easy Livin’ is more eclectic than your previous work. Why was this the right time to experiment?
DW: I didn’t really go into the album thinking I wanted to broaden my horizons... but I think with every new album you’ve grown as a person over the last year or two and you’re into new things, right? So, there’s going to be a ton of the regular Daniel Wesley stuff… then there’s a handful of songs that are just kind of...  a little bit more upbeat, rocking a bit more.

YT: The first single Head Outta Water is one of those rock numbers you referred to. How have fans responded to it?
DW: I think it’s getting me new fans that might not have been a fan of the reggae-rock kind of thing. It’s pretty much a straight-up mainstream rock song. People seem to like it and the radio is playing it, which is really good.

YT: It’s a song that touches on the idea of being unsure of things. Have there been points in your career where you’ve felt this way?
DW: Yeah, I think it’s like anything. Over time, you learn a lot more about yourself and what your passion is. And in doing that, you make mistakes and you work with people or you don’t work with people, you write a song and then you don’t ever want to play that song again, right? So, yeah, the song definitely has this vibe of unsure-ness and that it’s OK to be unsure. I think that everybody goes through some part of their day where they’re unsure about what they should be doing. Are they doing the right thing? Is this decision going to come back and bite me in the butt later? To me, that’s exciting. I remember when I was growing up the Choose Your Own Adventure books were my favourite books to read and that’s what life’s all about. It’s accepting that if you just make the best decision you can at the time that’s all you can do.

YT: Ooo Ohh was a huge hit for you and people will often compare your other work to it. Do you view that kind of success as a blessing or a curse?
DW: It’s never a curse – it’s always good. It’s nice to hear people like songs and that is definitely a popular song ‘cause it’s been played on the radio a lot. I don’t ever think of a song’s success as something I have to measure up to. I hope I surpass it… I think I have a lot more songs that are better than that song but aren’t commercially as successful.

YT: What is the highest compliment a fan could give you?
DW: Just coming out to the show, really. The fact that they wanted to come out, they took time out of their day or they bought a CD, it doesn’t really get any better than that.

Daniel Wesley tour dates (opening for Matt Good) fall 2011:

November 10, 2011 -  Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary, AB
November 11, 2011 - Jack Singer Concert Hall, Calgary, AB
November 12, 2011 - Red Deer Memorial Centre, Red Deer, AB
November 13, 2011 - Dow Centennial Centre (Shell Theatre),
                                  Fort Saskatchewan, AB
November 15, 2011 - Northern AB Jubilee Auditorium, Edmonton, AB
November 16, 2011 - E.A. Rawlinson Centre for the Arts, Prince Albert, SK
November 17, 2011 - The Stone, Lethbridge, AB
November 19, 2011- Kelowna Community Theatre, Kelowna, BC
November 21, 2011 - Charles Bailey Theatre, Trail, BC
November 22, 2011- Garibaldi Lift Co., Whistler, BC
November 24, 2011- Chilliwack Cultural Centre, Chilliwack, BC
November 25, 2011- The Clarke Theatre, Mission, BC
November 26, 2011- Alberni District Secondary, Port Alberni, BC
November 28, 2011- Port Theatre, Nanaimo, BC
November 29, 2011 - Royal Theatre, Victoria, BC
November 30, 2011 - Cowichan Theatre, Duncan, BC
December 2, 2011 - Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC
December 3, 2011 - Vogue Theatre, Vancouver, BC