We recently connected with Dan Guevara and have shared our conversation below.
Dan, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you’ve thought about whether to sign with an agent or manager?
I actually don’t have an agent I am my own agent. I also have close friends and fellow musicians who have put in a good word for me through out the years and it has brought many great opportunities. I started booking my own shows at the age of 17 did all my own promo art FB events Insta posts etc invited all my friends & fam I come from a huge family and We can pack a house! I hire all of my own musicians to back me up and we get to keep 100% of what we make from the show so it works out pretty nice.
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 Guevara, I am a Chef /Singer-songwriter based out of TX. Music is my passion but I also love to cook and I’m a total foodie. I started writing songs at the age of 17, but I really got my start in the industry playing drums for a Band called City Line Horizon. The band broke up back in 2012 and it was then that I decided to begin my solo career. I joined a songwriting group in 2014 lead by my good friend/ mentor, & producer/local rock star, Alex Winters. Alex’s group gave me Inspiration. Since beginning my work with her, I have recorded an EP titled Lost in Austin, released 2 singles, performed all around central TX, and have met so many kind & talented souls. I feel very lucky. I think I am most proud of all the work I have put into creating merch & content on social media to promote my music. Also, I book all of my own shows and create all of my own events. What sets me apart from others is the energy that I put into my performances. I want the audience to feel connected to the music & lyrics and my favorite thing is when I see folks let loose and get up to dance like no one is watching! I have always tried to push myself to learn new material to keep things fresh at every show. Playing shows is like going to church for me, its a spiritual experience, and music is my religion.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I think the secret to building an audience on social media is to put out good content and to be consistent. before a show I always try to take a short video or picture of where I’m playing and post it to all of my socials, people like to know where you are at and what you are up to these days, so if you keep things fresh and exciting I think people really appreciate that. it can be very engaging! another thing I like to do is to share pics or videos of products from local businesses, restaurants, food trucks, or other local singer-songwriters to my socials. in this industry it is important to have a community a tribe if you will of like minded people who support you and believe in your work. I believe if you put good things out into the world that good things will return to you.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Early in my career I made a bad business deal with a former friend of mine, I knew very little about the music industry and he told me he did and that he was well connected, He made me sign a contract promising that he would take care of all the recording, mixing, mastering, art work, & distribution of my first record Lost in Austin. all I had to do was transfer the money and he would take care of the rest, little did I know I was walking into a trap! He never followed through with his promises. All He did was book studio time and perform on my record. I was devastated! I wanted to give up music all together but my gut told me to keep trying! So I found another producer finished the record my sister did the artwork and CD Baby did the rest. moral of the story is don’t go into business with your friends and always read the fine print.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danguevaramusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danguevaramusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/danguevaramusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UTyd47Jm7Riy9Pfgl1TSR?si=oTNvQGw-RxqpwdVJeYfn_w&utm_source=copy-link
Image Credits
Photographer Chris W, or cdw21 on Instagram.