Dylan Gardner

If you haven’t heard his name yet, you are sure to remember it now. Dylan Gardner is a talented multi-instrumentalist, producer, singer, and songwriter. Not only does this guy do everything, but he also does it independently and does well in doing so. He's collaborated with huge influencers such as Shane Dawson and Gabbie Hanna(formerly known as The Gabbie Show),as well as releasing two full-length albums with a unique sound, including a sophisticated twist on Alternative Pop. Gardner is currently touring his sophomore album, Almost Real, but was kind enough to take a phone call with us to answer some of the questions we were dying to know the answers to.

Interview:

You’re currently on your Almost Real tour, correct?

Currently on it, we’re actually almost halfway through with it! August 31st is the last date.

How many shows have you played so far?

About thirteen shows so far!! Maybe twelve, I’m not entirely sure. There are twenty-three tour dates, so I’m going to say we’ve done at least twelve.

What would you say are some touring essentials?

Stage clothes, a couple shirts and a case for records to take on tour. You have to be minimalistic when you’re touring, or you’ll have to lug around a bunch of stuff. Maybe I should be less minimalistic, because I could actually use the workout, haha.

What has been your favorite tour date so far and why?

They’ve all been really fun!! It’s really hard to pick favorites when you’re literally touring the country and people are traveling and taking time to see you. I think my favorite thing or the coolest thing is when people come up to me and say, “ I drove four hours” or “I drove six hours from Texas”. When people care enough to travel long distances just to watch you perform, it means a whole lot. I also really love getting an encore. It’s really fun when that happens. Oh, and the meet and greets! The meet and greets are always a really fun time, and definitely one of my favorite parts of touring.

Why should fans come to your tour dates? What makes a Dylan Gardner show different from other concerts?

Definitely. Well, we’re first and foremost a live band! All of the instruments are being played live, so there's no need for tracks and we have so much fun! We jump around and interact with the audience. It’s really just a fun time to be had. It’s the passion and the interaction. There are no laws between me and the audience. I’m always getting everyone to jump around and clap with me. It’s just a fun time.

You’re a multi-instrumentalist. How many instruments do you play and what are they?

I mainly play guitar, bass, drums, and piano. I do some miscellaneous stuff too, like the Sax. I originally started on drums and was taking it really seriously. I wanted to pursue drumming and actually be a drummer. Then I switched to piano and just didn’t have the passion for it like I did for drums. After that, I did guitar for about two years. Then, I started listening to artists like Elton John, which made me switch back to the piano. But overall, I think production and songwriting are my favorite parts about being a musician. I love crafting records. I get the most out of it.

You reissued your single from 2016, titled Sign Language on this newest album. What was the reasoning for that?

Yeah, well, that’s actually an interesting question, because the record was completed when Sign Language was released. The record was done, but it just kept being pushed back because of things going on at my label. I was signed to Warner Brothers at the time but decided to leave and become independent. So, I got to release the record, get a band together and set up my own tours. I definitely like this a lot better. You’re more in touch with everything and the stakes are higher. Not to mention, Record Labels just aren’t as necessary for artists to grow as they used to be. Now, we have a built-in reach, with companies like SoundCloud and Spotify. You can build an audience because of the internet. Doing it yourself is now easier than ever.

You’ve worked with some pretty big influencers, some including Shane Dawson and Gabbie Hanna. Has that helped to boost your music career?

It’s REALLY helped it. They introduced me to a new audience. I remember meeting them both specifically and they both loved my first record, then when my second album came out, they loved it as well and shared it around. It gets the music heard. They’re really great, I made songs for both of them, which helped me to be able to collaborate with even more influencers. I actually just finished doing a five-song EP for another well-known influencer. It’ll be coming out soon, but that's all I can say for now. So, yeah. It got me into producing other people’s music, which is something that I’ve always wanted to get involved in.

Your father was really into music. Has he been supportive of your music career?

Super supportive! The first time that I ever wrote a song, I secretly recorded it, but my dad ended up finding it on my laptop, and he asked me, “Did you really write this?”, and when I told him that I had, he told me it was really good and pushed me in the right directions.

How did you find which sound was right for you?

It’s an ongoing thing. To be completely honest, I’ve never just sat down and tried to figure out my sound. I just write the songs with whatever is going through my head. I’m always changing and so is my sound.

Did you face any challenges in the studio when writing and choosing the songs for Almost Real?

Yeah, choosing songs for an album is what keeps me up at night. I want my songs to be like my children by the time I’m finished with them. I never ever want any filler songs on my albums. Every song should be essential. I love records and being able to take someone through an adventure in thirty or forty minutes. I’m always dreaming of sixty songs and then recording eleven. I was definitely really nervous about the songs, lyrically, because I talked about things that I wouldn’t talk about in the first album. I was really happy I talked about it later on, and I’m actually the proudest of talking about the things I was nervous about.

Do you have anything you’d like to say for the people reading?

YEAH! Well, I’m on the tour tonight. So, buy tickets to the other tour dates, you can get them at https://www.dylangardner.com/tour/ and follow me on everything. I just put out an acoustic of ‘I Want it Like That’, so check that out and as soon as I get off tour people should be expecting new music. Definitely some stuff out by the end of the year for sure!

We’d like to thank Dylan Gardner for taking time out of his busy schedule to have a conversation with us! We wish him the best of luck and cannot wait to see what he does next.

Where to find him:

Instagram

Facebook

Spotify

Website

Photography belongs to Dylan Gardner.