Daniel Gannaway
photos courtesy of Daniel Gannaway
source AllAboutSurf.com
by Veda Dante
posted 2004-05-15
What other sorts of issues - do you mean Political ones?
Certainly, as you'd know if you'd received any of the mail outs from my website for free mp3 MD recordings or 4 track demos of socio-political type songs. There's a ton of social/environmental/political links from the 'links' page also. Seeing as I've been away for 3 years this time around, I'm still trying to get a handle on what's going on here in New Zealand, although Helen Clark, the NZ Prime Minister, just said yes to GE which I think is extremely questionable when the EU and UK are rethinking the whole thing. Like most places where people have to live together it's not perfect and New Zealand has got it's own problems to sort out.
Lakey Pipe - Sumbawa - Pic: Richard Freeman
In the last few years I feel it's just been impossible to ignore George Bush, no matter where you've been living. The decisions he and his administration have made, and are making, are impacting not only America, but the whole world. I wrote a song called 'A flower down the barrel of a gun' back in March 2003 against the Iraq war. I just felt all the cards weren't on the table for everyone to view. Radical things have gone on since he's come to power, and this endless war is being used to justify all manner of things. As far as I've experienced, he is not doing Americans any favors in the eyes of the average European, or in the eyes of friends of mine that are American, and certainly I've not heard any positive comment since being back in New Zealand. It's a real shame as you'd hope a President would be a great example to his country domestically, and also a great ambassador internationally. It was this feeling of disappointment in the Bush Administration that inspired another song 'It's amazing Grace'. I just kind wondered if 'Grace' knew what was happening. I've spent a good deal of time in the US, I love the place, it's an incredible country in so many ways. It's given me some great American friends and a lot of amazing experiences.
Other inspirations?
Well I'm lucky to have a bunch of pretty inspirational friends and family. They've been through the roller coaster with me. I like to think I'm an encouragement to them as they are to me. Then there's life I guess, the twists and turns it takes. Like most people, I've been through some pretty crazy shit. I guess that's what I draw on. We're moving so quickly that it's real important to slow down enough to notice. This is something I have to work on. My surfing's slowed down [laughs], so I'm getting there.
In Amsterdam - Pic: CT
Your music's been described as "like walking alone on the beach at night and seeing Jim Morrison and Jeff Buckley strumming and singing at the water's edge" - true or false?
Ahhhh... well that was a pretty flattering quote, but accurate in some way I guess. Maybe the darker more melancholy side of my music is where that quote hints at, and certainly the tone of 'Bound and Suburban' was kind of quiet, introspective and ethereal perhaps, but I've got a pretty upbeat kind of kooky side too, as evidenced even on my first album in a song like 'Jetwash'. The range I sing in is probably somewhere in between Jim and Jeff too, so that would account for a quote like that also. Certainly my musical influences would include both of them amidst a pretty wide musical taste. I like pretty much everything and it's just something very cool, to be able to add to that wealth of music out there.
Piha Bar - Pic: Mike Spence
What's your plans for this new album?
Well I can give you a title [laughs]. It'll be called 'Darling One Year', which is also the title of a track on the album. I guess it kind of continues off in the direction that Bound and Suburban was heading in. It might not be so sprawling in that so far it looks like the average track time is less than on 'Bound and Suburban'. I've challenged myself musically again, but one similarity is that I'm writing another 'album', not a bunch of singles. I'm kind of old school in that I love 'albums'. I've never been a big fan of the "you have to have a radio hit song for it to be any good" kind of thing. I love it when an album takes me on a ride. I've also gotten my friend Mike Brennan from 'The Feds' to play bass on everything. I'm just kind assessing things as I go. I'm probably about 3 months off putting it out. I'm excited, I'm digging what I'm creating.
