We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Danny Abel. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Danny below.

Alright, Danny thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Somehow I’ve managed to make a full-time living from being a musician. It’s really been a huge mix of experiences to do this, and while it can have moments of uncertainty, I’ve been able to do it professionally for almost 20 years now. I can’t say there’s a single path to this. I think a big part of it is not boxing myself in. I love listening to and playing many styles, so that helps as a freelancer for getting gigs with tons of different musicians and bands. But aside from that, it’s realizing that being a professional musician doesn’t have to mean playing huge stages, or being famous. I’ve taught guitar lessons, I’ve toured, I’ve played local gigs, private gigs, etc. In 2020 I began focusing really heavily on music production and have a business I’ve developed with a fellow musician, called Brown Hound Sounds, that does music scoring for video, ads, TV, etc, and that has been a huge development in my career and mindset on what it takes to live off music. It also requires me to think as a business person in addition to being a creative. I love being a sideman in bands – I’ve toured and performed with Tank and The Bangas, Big Freedia, Soul Brass Band, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, and so many other people over the years – but there’s also something really rewarding about being in charge of your own path. And I love writing and producing, so Brown Hound Sounds has really given me an outlet that I enjoy. I guess the main thing I’d say for anyone trying to live off a creative field is to allow yourself to follow different paths along the process. Maybe you have one particular route you want to go with your art, and pursue that of course, but be open to opportunities and ways of making a living with your art that you may not have considered at one point.

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?

I’ve been playing music since I was a young child. I started with piano lessons but when I got my first guitar at 11 years old, it really clicked with me. I think it just seemed like a cooler instrument. I could start playing songs I heard on the radio, and play rock solos, etc. Eventually I started expanding my musical tastes and got into Jazz, Funk and other styles. I moved to New Orleans in 2001 and studied Jazz Performance at the University of New Orleans. Since I graduated, I’ve been playing professionally with countless groups. I received a Grammy nomination for my work with Tank and The Bangas, and have also toured and recorded with Big Freedia, Soul Brass Band, Gravity A, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and countless others. But in addition to that, I lead my own groups, sometimes I book shows under my own name and play my original music. I have a group I started called the GuitArmy which is exactly what it sounds like – about 7-10 guitarists playing together, which we somehow keep musical!
Over the past 5 years, my main focus has shifted towards music production and my business Brown Hound Sounds which specializes in music for TV, ads, film, video, etc. I started this just before the pandemic with my business partner Andrew Meehan (keyboardist and producer), and we’ve been really growing it over the last few years. It’s a great outlet, and different way to approach music from just performing live. I’ve always loved writing music and producing music, and to have a business that can make this a viable source of income is a dream come true.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I think that most people think that being a professional musician means being a rockstar. Of course this is what we see on TV, but the reality is most of the celebrities that we see singing at big concerts have a plethora of musicians/writers/producers behind them that are relatively unknown. Fame and success as a musician are two separate things. I think the main thing for non-creatives to understand is that for us artists, the real purpose is the art itself. I think for a lot of people, their job is a means to an end, that end being making a living. For us, the creative thing we’re doing is our whole life. Of course we all want to make a decent living wage, but the end goal isn’t about the money, it’s about the art and the growth within that. I always try to remind myself why I’m doing this in the first place. It’s not about any glamorous pursuit. It’s about following something that moves me in a deeper way than any superficiality, and it’s about connecting with that. I love music and doing it doesn’t usually feel like a job. Of course, there’s times I’m tired and don’t want to go to a gig, or don’t feel like learning songs for another show, etc. But then, once I’m actually doing it and working on the music, or learning a new song, or writing a new song, it brings me a lot of joy. I think for a lot of people, they find this kind of thing in their hobbies. But to be able to make that your entire life is really something special.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Buy music. Pay to go support musicians, particularly if you live somewhere with local performances. Hire musicians for events. This goes for other art forms as well. Support artists by buying their art, buying tickets, telling friends about them. Encourage others to support artists as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.dannyabel.com
• Instagram: @daguitar
• Facebook: @dannyabelguitar
• Youtube: @dannyabelguitar
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/danny-abel
• Other: https://www.brownhoundsounds.com

Image Credits

Eugene Bellau
Katie Sikora
Scott Myers