We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dane Giordano a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Dane, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?
I started out by playing music and touring in various bands. When Covid occurred, all my tours were cancelled. This sudden halt gave me the opportunity to start to teach myself about recording and production. I learned everything I could and didn’t leave my room for almost a year. I then did some traveling and by chance found myself in Memphis where I was lucky enough to help out recording at Sun Studio. From there I said yes to any session at any studio that wanted me. I loved every chance to learn and serve the music. Over time my clients just kept growing and I became a house engineer at Young Avenue Sound. I have been fortunate enough to have been making a full-time living from music for over four years now. To thrive in making a living with music it helps enormously to be able to do a multitude of things. Recording, Mixing, Mastering, Composing, Beat Making and Producing are all constants in my day to day.
Dane, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am an audio engineer and composer based out of Memphis, TN and the studio I work at almost every day is Young Avenue Sound. What makes me love Young Avenue Sound the most is that the studio truly doesn’t fit into any mold or restrictions. We do it all there, from recording Orchestras and jazz bands to Rap and Pop, Young Avenue Sound feels like an adult playground where the music is all the toys we play with. I work with an incredible team who is always inspiring me and making me laugh until I’m about to cry. What I’m so proud of when it comes to Young Avenue Sound and our team here is that anything here is possible, any dream can go beyond its expectations for the artist and we are always in a constant state of play.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I think the most important thing we can do as a society is allocate funds to all public schools for kids to have the opportunity to have an education in the arts and music. These things are beyond vital for someone growing up and instils humanity and understanding.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding things for me is serving the music and being selfless to it. Not asking what you want, but what does the song or artist need and how can I provide that to them. When this occurs, the music supersedes all expectations and actually informs you on what to do. To aid in this process and provide it for others is the most fulfilling experience I’ve ever had.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.youngavenuesound.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/youngavenuesound/
- Other: https://danegaudio.wixsite.com/dane-giordano-audio
Image Credits
All images by Matt Henry