Tell us about yourself and your music
I am an IT person from California. My father was in the air force and he was stationed in Tripoli Lybia. That’s where he met my mother and I was born. We came to California when I was three. My father played the guitar. When I was 17 I began learning guitar. I taught myself. I needed something to express my music. I would come up with lyrics and wanted to put an instrument to them. Songs would just come to me. Mostly out of feelings. One time I was traveling across the country, I was in the middle of nowhere and a song just poured out of me as I played the guitar. It almost felt as if someone was playing through me. I never really play anyone else’s music. I have tried and just never very good at playing someone else’s music.
I would play on and off for 30 years. Writing songs once in a while. Then in 2017, I decided to see if my music meant anything. I started looking at what was available online. I started posting my music on Sound cloud. I even used a publishing service called Landr to publish a few songs. Then I started looking for music collaboration. I found a few sites. One site that appealed to me was bandhub (now closed). I started singing cover songs while others played. It took me a while to show some of my music on the site. But once I did I got tips and help from many people. I started writing lyrics to other people’s original songs on bandhub. Then I started doing my new guitar riffs and writing lyrics. Bandhub collaboration made me addicted to playing music. Made me a better musician. When they closed it was very sad. Many of us bandhubbers searched for replacement sites. Nothing was the same. I wanted that same feeling I had on bandhub. So I started looking at trying to build a site that was just like bandhub. I came up with bandhuG. It’s still work in progress but works very much the same as bandhub did. I wanted to give the bandhub community a place to play and collaborate again Bandhub came back for a few months during the COVID lockdown but went offline again with no news on whether it will be back.
Talk to us more about your latest release
I will be releasing an album of my original works that mostly were created on Bandhub. It ranges from hard rock to soft rock. Love songs, Fun songs, and a patriotic American song “I’m American”
“I’m American” was released as a single. It’s a song I hope with inspire people to accept all Americans for who they are.
What inspired you to write this release?
I would start playing with different sounds on the guitar. New riffs. This one riff came to me one night. I recorded the riff to a drum track and would play it in the guitar to come up with lyrics. Then I would listen to the recording over and over till I got lyrics in my mind. My process to write lyrics usually starts with listening to music and writing what comes to mind. I was playing the song with my daughter in the car where I came up with the chorus ( think she was sick of hearing it over and over). Then the verses just seemed to flow after that. This song “I’m American” I hope inspires people.
Describe the writing and recording process
With me, the recording was usually online. I was playing around with sound settings on a pedal my son gave me. I came up with this riff that I liked and recorded it. Then I would listen to the recording over and over till I got lyrics in my mind. My process to write lyrics usually starts with listening to music and writing what comes to mind. I was playing the song with my daughter in the car where I came up with the chorus ( think she was sick of hearing it over and over). Then the verses just seemed to flow after that.
Any plans to release a video?
Any plans to hit the road?
If anyone asks me I might. but no plans for now.
As an indie artist, how do you brand yourself and your music to stand out from the rest of the artists out there?
I do not know. I just write my music and play what I write. If people like it was great. If not that’s great too. I hope to give something a person can identify with. A love song, Hurt song, fun song, whatever.
Who have you been listening to lately?
I listen to oldies, but I like Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift.
Who are your biggest influences?
Neil Diamond, Bad Company, The Knack, Led Zeppelin, The Eagles
Tell us about your passions
I love to help people.
What else is happening next in your world?
Just trying to hang in there with this whole COVID lockdown thing
Thanks for an awesome interview, Dennis Soloman King
Connect with Dennis Soloman King
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dennissolomankingTwitter: https://twitter.com/dennisskiYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnC21oEY768wUf3FMYu_aRASoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/dennis-king-333347530
