We had the good fortune of connecting with Danny Silvertone and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Danny, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
I’ve learned a lot of lessons, some the hard way and others the easy way – but one thing that has stuck out to me, is if you sit down, make a plan, and stick to it, you can get a lot more done than you’d imagine. The hard part isn’t making the plan though, the hard part is sticking to it every day, even when you’re tired or don’t want to.
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Just like the last time I spoke with you guys, I’m all about my album INSOMNIA right now. I’ve taken the last year and some odd months putting together this project, and I’ve been thankful for the feedback I’ve received. I’m really excited to share the visual aspects especially, I feel my music and visual art come together really well now, which is something that took a long time to accomplish.
Truthfully, I just tried to stay as consistent as possible. You wouldn’t know at first glance, but I can be really hard on myself especially when it comes to my art. I’ve had so many setbacks, from doomsday-level break ups, to feeling totally outcasted from my own family, and of course the pandemic. Through all of that, I had to learn how to create music I could be proud of, while defining who I am, and also connecting with people. It’s been really difficult and some days I wanted to give up – but I what got me through was remembering why I do this: music has always been an escape from the hurtful and sometimes very dark things that have happened in my life, and I want to give that feeling back to others. My friends have also been a huge help, partying with them always makes me feel better.
What I’ve learned is if you focus and are honest with yourself, you can overcome anything.
A lot of people may not know this about me, but when I was very young, my father suffered from bipolar disorder, as a result, he took his own life. This actually made my childhood difficult in a lot of different ways, and had a lot of negative consequences for myself and those in my family. A lot of people knew him and some even looked up to him – so for a long time, growing up it kinda felt like I was living in the shadow of his actions. He was also a musician and had a large part in forming some of the music community we see in Phoenix today, and we was very successful.
I was always compared to him, even when I didn’t want to be, and it made me really upset for a long time – in a lot of ways it still does. I never felt like I was able to just be myself without being compared to something, and I’ve had a lot of expectations placed on me. Because the pressure of those expectations – around the time I was in high school, I gave up almost entirely on the idea of fitting into any singular mold or ‘type’. I’ve always been creative, and had a different kind of style, this about the time this really started though – and the time I started making music.
Not everyone has been supportive and truthfully a lot of my earlier work wasn’t worth a single listen to me – but I’ve always been determined to get better and pursue my passions. So I did – I’ve had all types of different projects, and yes i’ve even gone by different stage names, but I felt the most affirmed as an artist when I adopted my alias ‘DANNY SILVERTONE’.
My drive to better myself, develop my own approach to art and music, and the ability to adapt is what helped me overcome a lot of the struggles and pitfalls I’ve experienced in my life. It also doesn’t hurt to crack a joke here and there and not take things so seriously all of the time!
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
UGH! I always try to keep my spots to myself – I’m really picky about the places I like to go! But if its a week long trip and I have to show someone around Phoenix, this is what we’d do: First, we’d have to take a trip to Kona Grill out at Fashion Square! I love spending time in old town Scottsdale, usually when its not too busy or crowded, which is very rare. The food is incredible and there’s a ton of cool stores. Then, we’d head out for a bike ride around Tempe Town Lake, I bike there almost every week. Its a must for me! The city lights look dope over the lake water. It seriously looks like a movie. Then later, we’d have to grab a drink at The Grand AZ in downtown Phoenix – its a Victorian/Rustic Style bar and restaurant – its one of my favorite spots in all of Phoenix. If you’re not from Phoenix, you have to check out Papago park, especially around the time the sun goes down, the view is incredible. There’s also a TON of night life and live music out here – Monarch Theatre is one of my all time favorites, along with Ultra Lounge. If you’re looking for something more tame, the Phoenix Museum of Art has a lot of new exhibits and pieces added every month and lot of them are interactive!
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh man – a lot of people. I’ve put in a ton of work, but there have been a lot people that have taken the time to mentor and guide me as an artist. Shout to Louie Cohen, who has been an immense help with bringing some of my visual ideas to life, shout out to Melissa Zieske, who for the longest time helped me piece together my visual brand and Ideas, and of course shout out to all of my closest friends who have supported me and listened to me when I go through some of the crazy things that happen in my life.
Website: https://dannysilvertone.com
Instagram: instagram.com/DannySilvertone
Twitter: Twitter.com/DannySilvertone
Youtube: https://YouTube.com/DannySilvertone
Image Credits
Rusty Smith, RandRProductions, Louie Cohen