We recently connected with Dave Clark and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Dave, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom before you have the motivation to go for what you really want.
All my life, I was told by parents, relatives and older folks “in the know” that the RIGHT thing to do was to get a good day job, and provide for your family. While that may be great advice on the surface, it doesn’t take into consideration probably the most important factor – my happiness.
While making money and taking care of your family are noble ideals, the whole concept that I could only accomplish this through a “good day job” (that I would loath) was extremely flawed. Just because it’s hard to make a living in music doesn’t mean it can’t happen, it just means I’d have to work that much harder. So be it.
Music has always been my escape from the day to day stressors of life. Listening to music, performing, writing songs, going to concerts, all of those things were things that always made me happiest in life. So, it occurred to me one day, “who says you can’t make a living doing what you truly love?”
All the parental figures in my life have come and gone, and there’s no one left to tell me I couldn’t make music my profession. So I went for it. And, after working countless jobs that I didn’t care for, it took the last couple of true “gems” to really motivate me to do anything in my power to make it as a musician. I had just gotten sick of dealing with egomaniacs, corporate BS, people with more power but half the intellect as I had, etc. It was time to become my own CEO.
Once I began to follow the right path, everything snowballed in a very good way. One performance a week turned into 2, then quickly turned into 4. Sometimes I would get multiple shows in the same day. In just a few short years, I went from “weekend hobbiest” to a full-time performer. And, with a few wise financial moves (i.e. paying off all credit cards and never charging them back up) I took control of my finances, meaning I didn’t require as much income as I required previously.
I am happy to say that not only do I perform, on average, 5 shows every single week, I have also released a solo album of all original material (2019’s Rock City) and have a second one almost ready to go (2023’s Arizona).
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Music is my business, and business is good!
Having a dual musical personality as both a cover song-performing solo artist as well as a songwriter, I am immersed in music pretty much every day of my life. I’m either performing at one of my gigs (usually around five every week), or I am practicing new songs to make the setlist stronger. If I’m not working on that side of my musical personality, I am either recording/mixing new music for my upcoming album Arizona, or possibly demoing new tracks for future releases. I have music on constantly and music simply makes me happy.
There’s nothing more special then getting in front of a crowd of music lovers who are touched by one of my performances. Different people react to different songs, but when I make a connection with people through music, it’s truly special. And it’s even more special when it’s one of my original songs that stirs emotion in a person.
When I am performing, I play traditional classic rock – anything from Elvis to Led Zeppelin; from Journey to Bon-Jovi. I play songs that people love, without playing the cliche songs that many other performers find necessary. It’s what makes my show interesting and exciting. I never play the same setlist twice.
When I’m recording, I would be what many would consider to be an “AOR” artist (album oriented rock), meaning the music is guitar driven with a harder edge, but still catchy and memorable enough to be played on commercial radio. I’ve often heard people compare me to bands such as Night Ranger, Bon-Jovi, Boston, even Whitesnake.
My new album will be out this summer, called Arizona, and it’s 12 songs of some of my best work. Many songs are new but others come from a long history of songwriting, so it’s a nice combination of old and new material.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Perseverance is number one. It’s very easy to get distracted and to have doubts as a musician, especially a solo musician. If there’s a wrong note, you can’t blame it on anyone else! You have to have a never ending belief in yourself that you will eventually get to the place that you know you can get to. This is definitely different from ego – that is not helpful – but true perseverance is the energy that takes you from where you are to where you want to go.
Practice is obviously key. I knew I wanted to be a singer long before I could sing. So it definitely started out as a leap of faith. But you have to look toward the finish line and not focus on how to get there, but just continue to look at the end result you want to achieve.
Clarity of purpose is also huge. You can’t get to where you want to be if you’re not sure where that is!
All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?
I am pleased to say that the performance side of my musical personality is going very well. Not only do I get plenty of gigs to fill my calendar, but they are solid, top-notch gigs that I want to play. And the reason for that is that I give a 100% each and every show, no matter how many people might be watching. Being reliable, dependable and being a good communicator also helps me to separate myself from a lot of my competition.
With that said, the biggest challenge I face is trying to get my original music heard by the masses. It takes just one hit to change your life overnight. To go from playing restaurants and bars to playing arenas, festivals and casinos. The challenge is finding the right network of people that can get the right songs in the right hands so that hit (or hits) can happen and I can focus on my own music rather than relying on other people’s music to make a living.
Contact Info:
- Website: DaveClarkMusician.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/DaveClarkMusician
- Facebook: Facebook.com/DaveClarkMusician
- Youtube: Dave Clark Rock City
- Other: My music is on all the major music streaming sites, including Spotify, Apply Music, YouTube, Google Play, Deezer and many more. To hear the first album, simply search Dave Clark Rock City. (In August, search “Dave Clark Arizona” to hear the new one.
Image Credits
Laura Rosch Photography
