We were lucky to catch up with Daniel Watters recently and have shared our conversation below.
Daniel, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
Recording albums is always the most meaningful projects to me because they are a time stamp that lasts forever. Performing live is the most fun and exciting part of the art-form because it is the most immediate and in the moment, but recording usually takes a lot of time and sculpting to craft. However, when we make an album, my goal is to capture the magic of the moment so the process is kind of a paradox. Our upcoming release, the “Mellow EP” has certainly been a labor of love that we have been working on since we recorded in June of 2021. We tracked four songs live with our 5-piece band in Austin, TX and then spent the next year and a half recording the horn section and vocals in our home studio. We decided we should take our time with making this record since the mood of the album was all about taking it easy. We also decided to mix the record ourselves this time which has made it even more meaningful to us.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My wife Jenna and I have been performing together since 2005, when we first sang at our high school graduation. We moved to Denver in 2009 to start a band and began touring the country. In 2015, we moved to Austin, TX and changed the name of the band to The Watters. Since then, we have released three full length albums and are set to release our 4th on August 27th. We sing songs of love, hope, and healing and love to perform live with our 7 -piece band in and around Austin, TX.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the creative process itself. It’s both frustrating and exhilarating to navigate the process from writing the song, to getting it arranged, recording, mixing, mastering and finally releasing it. Each process is a different phase and it takes many modalities to transverse through them all successfully. Usually by the end of the process, I don’t want to hear the songs for about a year. Then about two years later I can usually look back and finally appreciate a job well done.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
Zen guitar is a fantastic book I recommend for any artist or any entrepreneur. Being fully committed to every moment no matter if you’re working or playing will give you a sense of peace.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wearethewatters.com
- Instagram: @wearethewatters
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/wearethewatters
- Twitter: twitter.com/wearethewatters
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/thewatters
Image Credits
The Yellow photos are by Theresa Cunningham The darker photo is by Barbara FG