We recently connected with Darren Quam and have shared our conversation below.

Darren, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. 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 really enjoy the learning process with music. There is no end to it. There is no right or wrong way really to do anything. It’s all just experimenting and finding what works for you.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m mainly a guitarist, singer, and songwriter. I love performing live with my three piece band and also as a solo act. I formed my first band 16 years ago and we use to play anywhere we could get a gig. We slowly had success building a following and we were playing many gigs and improving our craft.
We had a style based in the sounds of the late 60’s and early 70’s. Mostly covering our favorite songs from groups like The Doors, Hendrix, Zeppelin, and many more. We put our own spin on the music and love to improvise and jam.
In the last few years we have had a few different members and the now the new band I play with goes under the name “Darren Quam and Friends”. We have kept the same old school vibe but have been adding in more original material. With a blues/funk/rock/jam band sound we are playing shows around the area and working on new original tunes.
In the last few years I have been working more on my solo show. I play original music and cover my favorite music from artist like Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Grateful Dead, lots of old blues and much more. I do a lot of live looping so I can play multiple parts at once while singing and playing harmonica.
I first started playing solo gigs about 10 years ago to fill the dates that the band wasn’t available to play. Slowly I started doing it more and more and getting a following. I think that more and more places like to book a solo act instead of a full band as it is cheaper. So there are many more places to play for me as a solo act.
When Covid hit and the years after, it seems that many places are more set up for a solo act. For this, it’s has become my main gig these days. I’m very lucky to be able to play shows with my band and do solo shows.
At the moment most of my work is in my home studio as I am working on a couple new albums. In the last few years I have put out 2 EPs and a few singles. I really love writing, arranging, and recording my music. I hope to have some more original music coming out soon.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

When people tell me how much the music means to them. When people tell me after a performance that they really enjoyed the music or really needed it. Music helps me through life and makes me feel good. So it’s very rewarding when I can spread that joy of music and give people a break from the crazy world we live in.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Making connections through the music. I love improvising within the music as it brings me into the present moment and almost a meditative state. I can feel when other people are joining me in that same state of mind and it is a healthy place to go. You leave all of your worrying, troubles, and over thinking behind and you can just be. It connects us all when we get into the music. Being able to find that energy and bring it out to anyone who wants to join in is a wonderful thing. When I go to a show and an artist is really tuning into the spirit of the music and sharing it with everyone it is magical. My main goal is to tap into the spirit of the music and bring it out to for everyone to enjoy and get lost in.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.darrenquam.com/
• Instagram: Instagram.com/darren_quam
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DarrenQuammusic
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCg6BsBMkIibJ7vmRo2P8WHw