Meet Dutch Holly | Indie Music Duo
We had the good fortune of connecting with Dutch Holly and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi, Jen and Tres. As self-produced musical artists who have been at it for a while, do you have some perspective or insight you can share with us on the question of when someone should give up versus when they should keep going?
For us, giving up has never been on the table. Making music is just what we do, and it will be what we do all our lives. There have been a lot of good indications to keep going. Everywhere we play, we encounter people who connect to our music. That exchange of energy and friendship is fuel and inspiration enough to keep going even when we meet obstacles or if things don’t quite go our way. Most of the time, things do go our way, though, and we take that as a signal from the universe to keep at it.
What do you want our community to know about Dutch Holly that makes you unique as artists?
Dutch Holly is a truly independent musical endeavor. We’ve discovered that our independence affords us the most creative freedom. That’s why we make it a point to produce all our music, videos, and artwork ourselves. That’s not to say that we don’t collaborate with other producers or incorporate the talents of like-minded musicians or visual artists who we have connected with, but our music is very personal to us and it’s paramount for us to see that it comes into the world in an authentic way that is true to the original inspiration. It’s maybe not the typical path of many musical artists, and it certainly hasn’t been easy. We’ve had to learn many skills along the way, and wear a lot of hats. Some people make an entire career of recording engineering or video production, and we have occasionally availed ourselves of their services. But we find there’s a deep wisdom in that old adage “if you want something done right, do it yourself” and we really live by that. Maybe it hasn’t always been done “right” by conventional standards, but it has always been done the way we intend, and that helps us evaluate how we’re doing, and refine where we need to because the creative buck stops with us. Now more people than ever are resonating with our work, and we’re excited by the possibilities we see coming our way!
Dutch Holly is a truly independent musical endeavor. We’ve discovered that our independence affords us the most creative freedom. That’s why we make it a point to produce all our music, videos, and artwork ourselves. That’s not to say that we don’t collaborate with other producers or incorporate the talents of like-minded musicians or visual artists who we have connected with, but our music is very personal to us and it’s paramount for us to see that it comes into the world in an authentic way that is true to the original inspiration. It’s maybe not the typical path of many musical artists, and it certainly hasn’t been easy. We’ve had to learn many skills along the way, and wear a lot of hats. Some people make an entire career of recording engineering or video production, and we have occasionally availed ourselves of their services. But we find there’s a deep wisdom in that old adage “if you want something done right, do it yourself” and we really live by that. Maybe it hasn’t always been done “right” by conventional standards, but it has always been done the way we intend, and that helps us evaluate how we’re doing, and refine where we need to because the creative buck stops with us. Now more people than ever are resonating with our work, and we’re excited by the possibilities we see coming our way!
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
That’s an easy one. We recently had the pleasure of playing at The Dark Side TFM (Tempe Farmer’s Market) on University in downtown Tempe. Such a creative space, shared with Silver Fox Gallery which showcases the expertly curated artwork and crafts of ingenious local artists and creators. On the night we played, there was a massive monsoon and dust storm that knocked the power out just before we were about to play. Even though there were no lights, sound, or AC (and it was hot!) everyone stayed and held up their phones while we performed a short acoustic set. It felt like we all connected in that moment through a kind of shared adversity. When the lights came back on, we played to a crowd who had already heard acoustic versions of the songs, and they started to sing along! It was magical. The Dark Side invited us to play again the next night and it was no less magical! They booked us to return on Friday, October 27th. There is a real sense of tribe and a palpable creative spirit at that place!
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?
Our son Max is the person we dedicate this Shoutout to. Becoming parents has been the number one event in both our lives to inspire us to do better and always give it our best effort because we want to be good examples for him. We want him to see us strive, deal with adversity in a capable manner, and follow our inspiration wherever it leads.
Website: https://dutchholly.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dutch_holly/
Facebook: https://facebook.com/dutchholly
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@DutchHolly
Other: https://linktr.ee/dutchholly
Image Credits
“Those Two” and credit Dutch Holly “DH at Rips” credit Tina Figueroa Dark Side photos credit Mark Fischer
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