Meet Dylan Rockwell | Artist, Songwriter, Producer, Recording Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dylan Rockwell and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dylan, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I value my time above all else. Every day is an opportunity to do more, create more, grow more. With that in mind, I obsessively spend my time trying to stay productive. Even when I’ve just completed a big project, or when I get back from a long day of work, there’s always the nagging thought in the back of my mind that if I just keep going I’ll be that much farther ahead in the long run. I think my ability to set productivity standards for myself with both creative non-creative work has payed huge dividends over time. When it comes to my music production career, there’s always something to be done. If I have a project in progress, I can work on it. If I have no projects at all, I can start writing something brand new. There’s no excuse not to make a productive step forward every day.

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.
Of all of my musical pursuits, songwriting is the thing I take most pride in. I currently write and produce all of the music for my band Moozy. I think what sets my work apart is that I don’t necessarily work in a single definable genre. If someone asks what type of music we play I’ll keep it simple and say “indie rock,” but I always feel like I’m being reductive when I say that. Our songs vary greatly in intensity, style, production because I try to follow the idea to the best version of itself. Any song can be produced in any number of ways, but in my mind there’s always a RIGHT way. A most effective version.

It’s hard to sum up my life in music so far, but a primary factor is that I’ve always done what’s necessary in order to keep chasing music. A singer quit my band once, so I learned to sing. I didn’t like the original songs my high school band was playing, so I learned to write. My producer moved away, so I learned to produce. I needed more experience recording, so I recorded bands for free. I couldn’t afford professional mixers, so I learned to mix. It’s taken years and I still have so much to learn, but I’ve finally reached a point where I’m making music I’m proud of. A huge lesson I’ve learned along the way is that if you can learn to do every part of the musical process yourself, then you have control of your own destiny. Nobody can stop you from creating something new every day.

If you had a friend visiting you in Washington, D.C., what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
The ideal evening in DC and a quintessential DC experience is going out to a show at the legendary 930 club. If I had a friend in town I would hope a good show was happening there. We’d probably grab some food and drinks beforehand, maybe at Boundary Stone, my home-base bar where I also host open mic nights and mix sound a couple nights a week. If it’s one of my musical friends visiting then there’s no doubt we’d also find some time to jam in my practice space. I’m a busy dude though so if they’re here for a whole week I honestly probably can’t hang out more than one or two evenings. The work never stops!

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?
Every artist who has ever trusted me to help bring their music to life deserves credit for any success I have. I’m grateful to everybody who has shared their songs with me over the years.

Website: https://www.rockwellrecording.co/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rockwell_recording_company/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MoozyTheBand/

Image Credits
Mike Kim, Alex Wroblewski