Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Daniel Irving. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Daniel, appreciate you joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I’ve learned the most about songwriting and musicianship by (1) studying what other successful artists have done, and (2) working with other musicians. From the beginning of my creative journey, I had always done that first point of studying other successful artists – listening to records, trying to understand what makes them good or bad to my ears, and finding lessons in live performances.

The second point of working with others was something that I wish I had started earlier. I began my creative output by recording a couple of solo albums all by myself, and while I am overall proud of what I accomplished back then, I also realize that my craft was elevated once I started regularly performing and writing with others. Everyone has their patterns and there are always techniques left to learn. I think the best way to break out of your creative patterns and to learn something new, is to collaborate with others.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Dan Irving, I’m a musician and songwriter living in Raleigh, NC. My primary instrument is keyboards/synthesizers, and I also play guitar. I’m in a couple of bands that are drastically different from each other – my main project is called Pretty Crimes. I’m the frontman and primary songwriter for them, we mostly do indie rock or art-pop but we like to call ourselves “genre-fluid” since our influences are pretty eclectic. The other band I’m in is called Black Bouquet. I play synths and co-write with them, they’re much darker and heavier. We mostly do post-punk and goth rock.

Both of my bands have released full-length studio albums recently. “Every Moment All At Once” by Pretty Crimes is a kaleidoscopic meditation on finding connection with others. “Pray To The Knife” by Black Bouquet is a concept album about doomed lovers and the darkness that overshadows their love for each other.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Buy music instead of streaming, whenever possible. Your favorite artist is making less than $1 per year from you even if you stream them every day. They could make 7x that in one day if you buy their album digitally, and maybe 15x that if you buy their album physically. Yes, many of us do this as a calling or a passion-project, so it’s not just about the money. But money gives us the freedom to dedicate more time to music. If you like a particular artist and wish for them to make more music, buy their records and merch, and advise others to do the same.

Go to local shows. Chat with the performers that you liked. Art is a communal activity, and is best practiced in person.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

There’s a prevalent mindset among aspiring musicians that success will come your way as long as the music is good. This is a mindset that I am still unlearning, you can’t take anything for granted. There is work involved in finding an audience, marketing yourself, planning shows, etc. The popular narrative of old was if a label rep liked your music, they would take care of the rest for you. Maybe that still happens, but more often than not, each individual artist is in charge of their success from beginning to end. Making a good record is not the end of the process. It’s tempting to think that way and to lean back and wait for the fans to come rolling in, but you have to keep working and promoting yourself.

Contact Info:

Pretty Crimes:

• Website: https://www.prettycrimesband.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pretty.crimes
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prettycrimesband
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqntLGhsrH93oIvq-7jFjxg
• Bandcamp: https://prettycrimes.bandcamp.com/album/every-moment-all-at-once-2

Image Credits

“Pretty Crimes photoshoot 1” photo was taken by Rebekah Velazquez

“Cover Art – Every Moment All At Once by Pretty Crimes” cover art is by Lydia Jordache

“Cover Art – Pray To The Knife by Black Bouquet” cover art is by RF Pangborn

All “Pretty Crimes performance” photos were taken by Ryan Porter