We recently connected with Doug Schmude and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Doug, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

An independent musician these days has to wear a lot of hats. I’m a songwriter first and foremost but have learned to add on recording engineer, producer, graphic artist, booking agent, music video maker, roadie and promoter. It’s pretty interesting doing all these aspects but sometimes hard to lose sight of and find time to just work on the reason why I do it all, which is ultimately songwriting.

I do love the fact that I feel I am still learning and growing with all of it. I always get blown away but really young artists coming out and they seemed fully formed. It’s taken me years to get where I am and Im still learning and growing. But that makes it interesting, always knowing you can do more and improve aspects of what you do.

Doug, 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 independent singer songwriter who writes what I self describe as roots Americana music. Americana is such a bad yet great term because it can mean just about anything these days. My music combines elements of rock, folk, blues and a bit of country, typically featuring acoustic guitars & stringed instruments prominently. I really enjoy the storytelling aspect of music and my songs often tell a story or take the listener somewhere.

I started playing the guitar when I was 15 when my parents humored my request to take guitar lessons, understandably thinking it was another phase. But I immediately became obsessed with the guitar. I predominantly play acoustic guitar but also play electric guitar, slide guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo and dobro. I’ve released 6 albums of original music with a 7th coming out January 2024. I’ve been fortunate that my songs have been played on over 170 radio stations in the US and Europe.

In addition to writing and performing music, I enjoy producing and recording it all in my home studio. My newest record, Cavalry, is a 6 song EP. I’m very proud of this one as I feel my skills as a recording engineer and producer are really coming into their own and it shows in the music. I am also excited as this release features a track co-written and co-produced by a good friend of mine Jason Deift. The track is called Tumbleweed (Roll On) and really combines our styles perfectly.

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

Obviously I am not impartial on this, but I’d like to see folks support local music more. There is a great new movement afoot to support local farmers, local restaurants etc, but I haven’t really seen that translate to support of local music. There are so many amazing local musicians out there. I encourage everyone to seek them out, take a listen, I promise you will be amazed at the talents and passion of your local artists.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

The goal is always to convey something to the listener in the song. And the cool thing about music or any art is it can be anything from an escape into another persons life, commiseration for a hard time, perspective on life, love, loss or just a plain old excuse to forget your troubles and tap your foot. So that is the goal of the songwriting process and the goal of the production process is to paint that picture in the best light possible, with the best cast of characters (instruments) and really bring it to life. It’s really a thrilling feeling when you hear a simple song you wrote on the guitar come to life in the studio.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.dougschmude.net
• Instagram: @schmudedoug
• Facebook: @Doug Schmude Music
• Youtube: https://music.youtube.com/channel/UCPonQbZZtJDgaGV3Ik2yNdg