Interview with Guitarist Dustin Douglas of Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentlemen
By Mick Michaels
COSMICK
VIEW: Hello, Dustin! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for
taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.
Dustin Douglas: Thanks for having me!
Dustin Douglas: Thanks for having me!
CV: Do you feel having such a specific sound, one rooted in 60s and 70s Blues Rock, limits the band's songwriting pallet or does having such a niche style actually give the band more audience appeal?
DD: Although we are categorized as a blues-rock band, we are not scared to dive into other genres. We all listen to a bunch of different styles of music which certainly can influence our writing. However, when we 3 get together the music we make just happens to be vintage sounding blues influenced rock n roll. If guitar based, old-school rock n roll is your flavor…then that is unapologetic-ally the music we love to make!
CV: How do you see you’ve
taken an already popular style of music, Blues Rock, and made it your own
compared to others such as ZZ Top, Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray
Vaughan? What separates it?
DD: What makes us unique is certainly each of our influences. What’s great in a 3-piece band is each member’s influences really can shine through in the space provided. You can’t just put any 3 random musicians together and expect it to work. There needs to be chemistry and balance between those 3 guys. What sets us apart is our chemistry…our balance. It’s a special thing.
DD: What makes us unique is certainly each of our influences. What’s great in a 3-piece band is each member’s influences really can shine through in the space provided. You can’t just put any 3 random musicians together and expect it to work. There needs to be chemistry and balance between those 3 guys. What sets us apart is our chemistry…our balance. It’s a special thing.
CV: Are their
limitations being a three piece group compared to other bands with two guitar
players or even a keyboard player when it comes to musical arrangements?
DD: There definitely are limitations but those limitations are not negative ones. The music I write for The Gentlemen has the 3 piece mentality. I will write other types of music that just won’t work for a 3-piece. Our style and motive is to make as much sound as possible with just the 3 of us!
DD: There definitely are limitations but those limitations are not negative ones. The music I write for The Gentlemen has the 3 piece mentality. I will write other types of music that just won’t work for a 3-piece. Our style and motive is to make as much sound as possible with just the 3 of us!
CV: "Broken"
is the band's newest single and video. Both officially released on April
30th. Tell us a little about the song and how you feel it represents
the essence of what Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentlemen represent
musically.
DD: For a first time listener, “Broken” is an amazing example of who we are as a band. It’s a sexy groove with a heavy riff and a catchy lyric. Good ole’ rock n roll you can dance to.
DD: For a first time listener, “Broken” is an amazing example of who we are as a band. It’s a sexy groove with a heavy riff and a catchy lyric. Good ole’ rock n roll you can dance to.
CV: The new single will
go live on all digital platforms. Do you feel physical releases are truly
a thing of the past?
DD: It kills me to think so but I’m certainly not one to fight the inevitable. We’re living in a time where vinyl and digital are the name of the game and they’re the polar opposites! There will always be music fans who love the tangible product. However, the ease of having an entire musical library at your fingertips is just too amazing to deny.
DD: It kills me to think so but I’m certainly not one to fight the inevitable. We’re living in a time where vinyl and digital are the name of the game and they’re the polar opposites! There will always be music fans who love the tangible product. However, the ease of having an entire musical library at your fingertips is just too amazing to deny.
CV: Many people feel that digital downloads are primarily a "younger listener’s" audio consumption choice. Do you agree with this and do digital releases somewhat alienate older listening audiences and ultimately hurt a band's overall reach in your opinion?
DD: That’s an amazing question. Especially for a band like us who have a wide range of ages in our audience. I feel eventually, no matter what age you are, getting music digitally will be the way it is. It’s a transition period right now. No different from the times of records turning into 8 tracks which turned into cassettes then to CDs and now to digital. To think what’s next!? I just always say, it doesn’t matter how you listen, as long as you’re listening!
CV: The band is also
planning its first live performance on May 1st since the pandemic. Has
not playing out for a year given you a new perspective or even an insight on
things overall?
DD: We’ve been fortunate to play a few small gigs recently but May 1, will be our first theater show since the pandemic. We can’t wait. I certainly feel the time away from the stage made me respect what I do so much more. Without the crowd and that energy I felt like a part of me was missing. I think I speak for a lot of us musicians when I say, it’ll be a very long time, if ever, that we take what we do for granted. Being in a studio and making records is great but that crowd interaction is just a feeling like no other.
CV: If live performances were ever outlawed altogether, what alternative would artists have to fill that void?
DD: Now that’s a world I don’t want to live in! I couldn’t even imagine. The streets would certainly be filled with lost souls in tight black jeans wandering about. Rock n roll zombies! However, artists are survivors. We’re used to getting knocked down time after time to only get up and try again and again. You can’t keep an artist down for long…a true artist that is. We will always find a way.
DD: We’ve been fortunate to play a few small gigs recently but May 1, will be our first theater show since the pandemic. We can’t wait. I certainly feel the time away from the stage made me respect what I do so much more. Without the crowd and that energy I felt like a part of me was missing. I think I speak for a lot of us musicians when I say, it’ll be a very long time, if ever, that we take what we do for granted. Being in a studio and making records is great but that crowd interaction is just a feeling like no other.
CV: If live performances were ever outlawed altogether, what alternative would artists have to fill that void?
DD: Now that’s a world I don’t want to live in! I couldn’t even imagine. The streets would certainly be filled with lost souls in tight black jeans wandering about. Rock n roll zombies! However, artists are survivors. We’re used to getting knocked down time after time to only get up and try again and again. You can’t keep an artist down for long…a true artist that is. We will always find a way.
CV: Given so much that
has happened over the last 12 months, what has been the greatest lesson learned
for you being an artist?
DD: I’ve learned to not worry about the past or the future. The present is all that we have. And you have to make the most of that. It’s a blessing that I get to do what I love every day. I get to make music and see the joy that my music brings to people. That’s not something to take lightly. I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
DD: I’ve learned to not worry about the past or the future. The present is all that we have. And you have to make the most of that. It’s a blessing that I get to do what I love every day. I get to make music and see the joy that my music brings to people. That’s not something to take lightly. I couldn’t be more thankful for that.
CV: In addition to the
band's new single, video and show, what else can fans look forward to see
coming from Dustin Douglas and the Electric Gentlemen in 2021?
DD: 2021 will be jammed pack with new music and live shows! More and more shows are starting to come in and we will be releasing new music at a steady pace. Certainly a few more singles and a full length record sometime in the fall. A rested musician can be a dangerous thing!
DD: 2021 will be jammed pack with new music and live shows! More and more shows are starting to come in and we will be releasing new music at a steady pace. Certainly a few more singles and a full length record sometime in the fall. A rested musician can be a dangerous thing!
CV:
Thank you again Dustin for spending some time talking and sharing with
our readers. It was such a pleasure. I wish you all the best.
DD: Thank you!
DD: Thank you!
Check out Dustin at:
Official: www.dustindouglasmusic.com
BROKEN Video Link: https://youtu.be/74cd78KxOQ8
Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/dustindouglas
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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.
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