We were lucky to catch up with Dreadlock Dave McDougald recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dreadlock Dave, thanks for joining us today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
It was very early in my life I realized I wanted to be on stage and entertain people. I was drawn to the lights! My family was a direct influence on me as they were very musical. My Dad has sung in barbershop quartets for over 60 years so I heard a lot of 4-part harmony and saw a lot of those stage performances growing up! My senior yearbook photo description said something like “I Will Rock The World Or Join The Circus…”
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
Being drawn to music and the stage early in life set the path. I started with quintessential piano lessons at age 5, and progressed through the school band music program excelling in both woodwind and brass instruments! Not too long after hearing “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Kiss I was inspired to get a guitar and later a bass guitar! I joined my first band as a sophomore in high school. I didn’t really play bass guitar yet, but a friend in high school said he had a band needing a bass guitar player. I just happened to have one in my closet!
I actually made money at my first performance with that band! I went onto, make my living for the last 35 years performing in bands, not too different from my first band!
I continue to be a songwriter, performer, and music, educator! I have discovered through my years of work that you must wear many hats and have many irons in many different fires to be a self-employed musician! You can follow all of my creative adventures at www.dreadlockdave.com
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
As I mentioned, before you must wear many hats! There were times in my career where I spent more time teaching music lessons than performing and vice versa! A big part of it is just being flexible and going with the flow!
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being a musician is the positive influence you can have on someone else’s life! It is an honour and privilege to have someone share that with me!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dreadlockdave.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dreadlockdavemcd
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/dreadlockdave
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/david-dreadlock-dave-mcdougald-b498b97
- Twitter: twitter.com/dreadlockdave
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UC1IscTb2T1CR3AD7KbPVscw
- Other: https://linktr.ee/dreadlockdave