Dion Roy’s First Solo Acoustic Gig
Dion Roy
At 15, he learned to play bass and was soon performing gigs with a band in New Jersey.
Today, this fresh-faced singer/songwriter is finally coming into his own and working on releasing a first solo EP. His YouTube channel consists mainly of covers from artists he admires (Ryan Adams, Glen Hansard, among others) but Dion also writes his own music (check out his MySpace page), and his heartfelt lyrics tell the story of life’s ups and downs, and the people he’s encountered along the way.
Last Sunday, he performed his very first solo gig at the Parkside Lounge in New York.
TM: So what was it like doing your first solo gig in front of a live audience?
DR: A very different experience from the band scenario as bassist that I was used to. 100 gigs of playing bass were nothing like playing one gig of your own stuff.
TM: What was your favorite moment?
DR: When towards the end, people seemed to get the music. They were clapping along, and it was an extremely rewarding experience, even if just for a few moments, that someone else felt the energy that went into putting them together during many countless hours of preparation.
TM: Did you establish any pre-show rituals?
DR: Instead of playing through the set a few times as I would prepare for a show – I’d have to know every part inside and out, even those that weren’t being performed by me. The one ritual I did incorporate was drinking tea and honey all the time, but more importantly was not drinking the beer at rehearsal that I was used to. I had to be sharper, and the beer dried out my voice so I didn’t really have a choice.
TM: What song did you enjoy performing the most?
DR: For now – Blind World, that song came together, and I felt strongest performing it.
TM: What was it like having your parents at the gig?
DR: Very cool. Though I’m not old per se, I definitely over the years have begun to appreciate their presence and support, where as a younger guy I didn’t appreciate them enough.
TM: You write your own lyrics…where does the inspiration come from?
DR: Stories, people, interactions – I love interactions. What a moment or a glance can tell is sometimes the most interesting thing in the world to me. But all in all it comes from everywhere….and a mixture of situations I’ve seen or been in.
TM: So when’s the album due?
DR: G-d willing, and assuming I can finish the whole thing – this Fall. Probably October. Halloween CD release?!
This entry was posted on Thursday, July 3rd, 2008 at 1:31 pm and is filed under Singer-songwriter Dion Roy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
