SkiP HappEns Podcast
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SkiP HappEns Podcast
From Blueprint to Butterfly: Ken Domash's Musical Journey
Hi everybody and welcome to the Inner Harbor Studios. Yeah, it's a little bit of skip happens this afternoon, but we're actually in the radio station Inner Harbor Media 92.1. The Wolf. Thank you for checking in. The door opens. The sky was getting dark. This guy came in and said you got to get me out of the storm. Yeah, but no, but Ken Dimash right, did I say that right?
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh, it's Ken Dimash. Oh my gosh, yes, you did.
Speaker 1:Be careful how you say that. Yeah, exactly, it's good to see you, my friend, great to be here. Welcome to Syracuse, thank you. Have you ever been to this area before? No didn't think so.
Speaker 2:No, and I just, I literally just came in, followed the follow.
Speaker 1:GPS put the address and I gave you earlier and said didn't yeah turn right turn left, it's yeah, I haven't even had a chance.
Speaker 2:All I did was have the do you um?
Speaker 1:do you have like? Oh, it was raining on the way in pouring yeah, yeah, it's coming you know, um, this will be posted probably during the concert with hardy or after the show, but still, I know something that that's what we got to look forward to in a little bit. It's a great show coming up, but let's talk about you a little bit. Where are you from? St Louis, missouri Cardinals? Fan, of course it's not a choice, because we're all on the same page.
Speaker 1:Okay, all right, I don't know if I'm allowed to interview you. Then here we're the Mets, the Yankees or the Giants or the Bills, depending on what time of the year it is when I say I'm a fan, I like going.
Speaker 2:I don't get into the whole rivalry thing I have no big stake in that and, as my kids even joke, it's like we hardly get to games because I'm usually into music or any kind of art or other stuff. Cool, I love going. Yeah, how long have you been playing? I picked this up like 16 years ago. Really yeah, yeah, I was a grown up, I had everything, all different.
Speaker 1:Right there with you, my friend. Yeah, you make that turn and you don't go back, oh yeah, and then I saw music. Yeah, so it's been a big change for you. Yeah, I mean because, obviously, being you know a little bit older than a lot of people when they pick up the guitar, uh, I'm sure you had a job, I'm sure you were doing all this other stuff, and then you went. You know, I'm loving music and I want to be happy, so you went down that road yes and no.
Speaker 2:So, like in 2009, you know, I I just out of happenstance discovered um that you know I was at a wedding. How much I want, how much you want to hear I was I was at a wedding.
Speaker 2:Weddings are always fun yeah, and the lady was like, hey, sing a song, kenny. It was a very small wedding with um it was, everybody was from ireland, so they were very, they had their guitars out and it was very all that was going on and she's like sing a song and I had never sang a song in my life.
Speaker 1:So I sang an eldest song a little bit. He goes you should sing you'd love me. Yeah, I forget, was that? Was it that? Oh, what was it? You don't recall? I figured at a wedding. Maybe I can't help falling in love or love me tender.
Speaker 3:Now I guess my hands shaking my knees weak. I can't seem to stand on my own two feet. Who do you think of when you've had such luck? I'm in love. Ooh, I'm all shook up.
Speaker 2:Okay, Kevin, Okay, Kevin yeah that was it but that was pretty good too, you pulled it, I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but that was pretty good.
Speaker 1:So you fully I know. Yeah, then you can shut me up from then on. No, no, it's so true, though. It's like us in radio we walk out on stage and we don't know what we're gonna say, but the minute we open our mouth, everything like, then you don't shut up, right, right but it's, all good stuff. So I imagine, when you start playing, you don't stop well, yeah, I mean it's also um.
Speaker 2:So I had no, I'd never sang in front of anybody ever before that. So I did that. And then, um, and then I went and I started taking my daughter to take piano lessons. So then I got a guitar and started taking guitar lessons and it was, you know, it was funny. The guy's like, well, you're learning really quickly, but you know, don't expect us to continue at your age. You know it's's like that's an insult. I know I was like dude, I was starting to get it.
Speaker 2:So I went to another teacher there I was like I don't want to stick with somebody that's telling me that's the, the wall. And the same thing happened the other guy's like man, you're really getting this quickly, but don't expect this to continue. I'm like what is? Am I being punked?
Speaker 1:you know, I know seriously.
Speaker 2:So I went. I had like four or five different teachers as I was working my way through with my daughter's lessons and anyway, I could go on, but I don't know.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, that's good, that's good, it's a. He made that decision to go down that road doing your thing, and I think if somebody told me, uh well, you're only going to learn so much because you're so old, I'd be like you know, that's all my reason. I'm going to show you that I can do this. So, yeah, exactly. Um, how much of your music is drawn from real life experiences?
Speaker 2:I'd say, uh well, all of it, but they're not all real life experiences. If that makes any sense. So you channel yourself into a feeling that you might understand, but you might not have exactly lived. Gotcha and I got you. So, uh like, the last song in the album is called without living, which is about you know all these. I wouldn't know the price I paid, I wouldn't know the last, you just wouldn't know, and then you've lived life.
Speaker 2:So the fun part about coming into music now is just so much to draw on. There's like I was just at another spot and they were like that should be a song. You know I'm like, yeah, you're right and I was talking about, you know, uh, you know, letting an album out in a couple months.
Speaker 2:That's just about my daughter and how she you know he's like 15 or so. You're just so scared to let them grow up. You start to feel like, oh no, right, oh no, she's growing up and it was so cute when they're seven having dinner and getting ice cream and all that stuff, and it was like, and I captured that in a song and we actually used it at her wedding I got, oh wow, there to it.
Speaker 2:Oh my gosh never released it. I'm finally releasing it on Halloween of this year through a different label. I'm like, yeah, let's do it okay. But that's like, yeah, yeah, no, I get it an experience, uh. And then there's others that are um, I mean, I came back from being out with my buddies at a bar and we just had a great time. We just we were just having a blast. And I came home and I took my guitar out and I just started playing it down in the basement and my wife's's like you know, just kind of like you know, I'm going to town, right.
Speaker 3:All right.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I can just jump in. But the song is called Saddle Up.
Speaker 3:Saddle Up. That's what she said to me Saddle Up.
Speaker 2:And it was this whole thing about being at a bar and you know, and just the excitement of it and this girl's like let's go, I love it. None of that happened, but it was happening.
Speaker 1:It should be a song. It is a song.
Speaker 2:It was all happening around me. So it's like you're getting the vibe of the room and it's like you could and there was such funny stupid stuff happening and my wife comes back. She's like you should record that I don't like you should listen to her.
Speaker 2:Yeah, the funniest part was talk about not knowing what you're doing, but just doing it. Um, I was on my way to nashville and my wife's like do you even know how songs are supposed to be shaped? And I'm like, uh, I, uh, I never really thought about it. She's like you're, you're going to nash, nashville and you don't even know.
Speaker 1:Well, you're going to learn.
Speaker 2:And I so like that particular song. She just was like yeah, there's a verse, there's a chorus, then there's another verse, usually maybe a bridge, and I'm like, oh, so I rearranged it. I'm like, thank you, and one of the songs which was about her I was writing on the road, but it's like that kind of impromptu stuff.
Speaker 1:But she knew all that yeah so how okay, you just answered my question she knows, she knows music all right she's not involved with it at all, but she was telling you you are a musician. I wasn't told I was, but she's saying how you should shape the song yeah, right, okay, which was huge, okay, all right, it's good. It's good, I'm not saying anything.
Speaker 2:I think it's good to get that advice yeah, I mean, the funniest part is I was talking to somebody maybe this morning or yesterday who was asking about, you know, the songwriting and they were mentioning how so many artists are very particular about their song and they don't want people to kind of give that input or they don't want to. It's like, hey, this is my song and I'm like no, I don't know what I'm doing.
Speaker 3:If you have a good idea, bring it here.
Speaker 2:And this last album. It was so funny I never knew. This whole time everybody kind of assumed that. So you're in studio with the best musicians on the planet and they think I have an eagle, maybe like no, no far from it.
Speaker 2:I don't know if I've ever given that vibe, but I had this guy in the room with the producer and they're like well, how much help do you want? I mean, how I go, I want all of it. It's like I'm what. It's like we. We're trying to make a hit. How do we do? Help me, help me. And there, and it was the coolest thing, I'm in the studio singing and they're like draw your vowels, dude. And it was the coolest thing.
Speaker 1:I'm in the studio singing and they're like draw your vowels and it was the coolest thing they were teaching me yeah, how to sing my own songs and you're not the only artist that has told me that really going to. No, they. They get these professional musicians, studio musicians or vocalists, even in the background vocals. Uh, just to help you out in the advice they give you, and you know, they've been there, they've been on hit records, they're doing all that. They know right what you want and how to tell you how to do it right.
Speaker 2:I've heard that from a few few different artists, taking me a minute yeah to figure that out but I don't know.
Speaker 1:I'm hearing good stuff, so that's cool whereabouts in nashville. Do you record?
Speaker 2:oh well, that's an interesting thing too. I've tried.
Speaker 1:I forget all the names yeah, there's so many, of course, which oh yeah, okay, oh cool okay that was I actually slept there, stayed like a week it's like these old homes that are built into studios big lodge of a home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I do see, I don't know whether or not our viewers know that or not and you, maybe you could tell a little bit about it as well. Uh, I've done broadcasts from nashville's from nashville and uh, for example, the cmas, and they set you up in these recording studios that are actually old homes and the way they've been, you know, soundproofed, and that the bedrooms are now vocal booths, so on and so forth. It's amazing. Maybe the living room churches? Yeah, it's. You'll be driving down the road not even realize that.
Speaker 2:Oh my god that's a studio, the last one we just did. They have millions of dollars of gear in the in this studio right it looks like an old shed. Like you're driving down the road, there's a shed just no idea you walk in and it's like oh, they're like yeah, we don't really want people to know well, that may, that's a good point. This is here and it was not in the heart of Nashville, so the first one was in Franklin.
Speaker 1:That was just outside Yep, first time I ever recorded.
Speaker 2:It was awesome, just like you described. You'd go into one room. The fiddler was in the hallway but there's plugins everywhere.
Speaker 2:Yes, and they would give different sounds. The the drummer, of course, is in a isolated room. The vocal booth is an isolated room, but it was just in the the guitar player, the bass player, always out in the open, kind of thing. So it's literally like living in a movie when you're doing it. So that was amazing. It's amazing and um, and the last one, like I said, was in a, in, a, uh, a shed, but more recently, and I say last one, when we went to do the vocals, I went to the producer's house. Oh, wow.
Speaker 1:So to your point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then we went to do the vocals.
Speaker 2:I went to the producer's house, oh wow.
Speaker 1:So to your point. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:And then we went over to do some of the lead guitar licks and we went to his house. He has a studio. Everybody in Nashville has their own studio in their house now, and when I say studio for the guitar player, it was the breezeway from the garage into the house.
Speaker 2:They just use it. That's it. They just need the amp in a closet. Yep, and he's just sitting there on the steps rocking out the licks. I'm like this is the coolest, craziest thing I've ever seen in my life and so now we've gone away from that movie feeling exactly exactly and it's changing even more now, like wish you wouldn't go, is recorded entirely differently than anything I've ever recorded. Yeah, it was, tell me about it. Yeah, it was a guy with a keyboard.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Laid down the entire sound.
Speaker 1:Really.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was really weird to say.
Speaker 1:Like a track at a time. Oh, okay, all right.
Speaker 2:Like the backing track.
Speaker 1:Okay, then they did it. Oh okay, all right, like the backing track.
Speaker 2:Okay, exactly and all right going in and everybody goes right, and then they and they start going and everybody's going like thunder which is what you see in the movies. But this was like here's track and I was like it was so funny. I I'm like dude, I can't sing it to this. It's like I don't get the timing. What are you doing? He was like oh, you need to make the chorus longer and I go now I've got to add to it. It's gonna be like a year and a half to write this song.
Speaker 2:We're recording in two days because you'll get it I mean you got it and he, because he's like it, feels better to have that. I'm like okay, because I said help me, and he goes for me to do that chord transition. It'd be a little better, it wasn't pushy, he was just cool. So we did and I made it and it made it made it better. But the point was he had it all there and it was so weird to sing to Cause I kept going. It sounds just like a beer commercial. I heard I go, I can't even sing and they put everybody else on it. So it was. It was weird when I was singing it and then when I finally heard it, they added and and everybody gets the track right, and they did it at their place and then they bring it all together all together it's like voila and that's what we hear.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and then I'm reacting to it going could you pull down the guitar? Can we those harmony vocals hard? No, and just that kind of stuff until it all gets evened out yeah, and then you give it to mastering and then they make it just right. So when you turn it on your radio, you, you hear it. You need to turn that down too well, yeah we can.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know if you can hear it through the mic, but uh, you know, because we're on a radio station.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I know, I know, it just occurred to me. Uh, I don't mean to interrupt, we're doing no, there's a little knob on the right.
Speaker 1:No other way. Oh, that's better. Oh yeah, look at that. Thank you, reagan's there yeah no, we're all you know. This is. This is the real deal.
Speaker 2:This is the real deal I started hearing that song when we were talking. I was like I just started to like a squirrel and I'm like what's? That I heard that snare in there and you're talking about listening to music, and I was just starting. Well, if you did.
Speaker 1:If we did this podcast at the skip happen studio, which is in my house, you'd have a yellow lab jumping up on your lap. You would have maybe pop and hear me popping a beer over in the other corner. You know, I mean it works. I know, and that was the original plan. You know everything is changing. What is your? Ken Dimash is who I'm chatting with. He's the new independent artist, but not some great music at the album coming out. But what? What is your biggest challenge as a musician, as a newer musician?
Speaker 2:Wow, and as an old man, yeah, I mean, I only said that as's a joke, that's been, that's been. I mean, honestly, goodness, you look at it and it's like how is that, uh, the rhyming, and I'm watching like parker mccullum or something that play, and I'm just like going and that guy could kick my butt so fast.
Speaker 3:You know, just like going, that young, strong, it's like when I was 27, you'd still kick my butt yeah, but it's like yeah, right, right, I'm going?
Speaker 2:how do you even compete with all these super? You know, handsome, attractive young you know and I go ah, it's like that tv show where she gets hit and she's like I have more insurance, like you have these stories right you're a storyteller and it's like, oh, so it took me a minute to get my head around that like legit.
Speaker 2:Um. As far as challenges, um, that's, that's kind of an advantage. My, my inability to stop is a really big benefit. You know, it's like I don't really figure out why I'm doing all this stuff, but I mean, the biggest challenge is that it is I'm an independent artist right, it's tough, but that means he's doing it all by himself.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and if you, if you're an independent artist, there's just insurmountable hills and walls and gates. That you're just. You know, and I, as I was talking to one of the fellows when I, you know, in 2010, recording and I didn't realize, you know, these were just famous people that I didn't know were famous, like they were playing with john mayer and they were doing right, I didn't know them okay, I'm having these conversations like I, you know it's like my neighbor or something right, and then I find out later I'm like, oh, kind of a big deal.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't have been able to do my album if I knew I was around better.
Speaker 3:It was much better, yes, but I was just telling the guy.
Speaker 2:I'm like, I'm just looking for that one loose brick to get some daylight in this wall, you know. So streaming is really hard to penetrate as an independent artist. There's just access to different distribution, um, but you're looking at something no, no, no, no, I'm.
Speaker 1:I'm agreeing with you and there's a lot and there's a lot of good about being an independent artist. You don't have that 70 30 split with the label, which a lot of people don't understand. That's a lot to do with money, how you got to pay back so much before you can even make. You know they think wow, he's had a song on the radio. He went top 10. Oh my goodness, he man, he I bet she's driving a great car and he's got a beautiful home.
Speaker 1:Uh, no yeah, I've watched all those documentaries just the opposite yep, exactly, they're basically an employee and they're getting a loan to do all of that and it's a business and you're being told what to do, to a certain extent, by some of these label execs cool.
Speaker 2:It does look good, right though. I mean I'm jealous, it's like they're, but they've got the machine to put together a show.
Speaker 1:That's a lot of work but you can, as an independent artist. You control what you make, you control the shows you do, you control the music that you're putting out for sure you'll have a team behind you. I mean, you got people working the radio and working press release and you know media aspect of it all. But um, it's not.
Speaker 2:You know you, you have the overall say yes, but the the breadth of it is, you know, without the major label it's just so hard to penetrate and I'm sure you know you get it like the certain. Just so what do you do? You know, you try to do the most amazing job you can within the yards you can get into, you know? I mean, it's like so and that's exactly what I'm doing.
Speaker 2:So I'm touring radio, going to stations that will it's what we call a radio tour yeah, and you go station to station, you meet the people that are making the decisions and let me go get that person. Just kidding, no, no, no, I know I'm kidding and they get to know you and it's like it's almost no different than, you know, an artist being discovered by a label who then has the relationship to say this this one's great.
Speaker 1:How do you, you know, doing what you do, there's a lot of negativity, there's a lot of like, well, I mean, you get a lot of no's. Okay, all right, is that? I mean, I've talked to other Nashville artists and and the question I ask it's a pretty common one how do you handle criticism? How do you handle it as an artist when somebody says you know, ken, yeah, you're really good, but you're not what I'm looking for. You know what I mean? Something like that? Then you kind of I know, if it was me it'd be like I shut the door and leave and I'd be upset, but you've got to be able to handle that Right.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I here's a funny thing. So my wife always laughs at me about. She's like why do you think everybody loves you? You know, and, and, and. Even when people treat me badly, I, she, has to remind me of who those bad players are in my life.
Speaker 1:You know it in my life, you know it's like don't, don't, don't end up this way, or like so, and so yeah, you know, and uh, and I and I just think it's so funny.
Speaker 2:so why do you think everybody loves you? And in my head, um, I have a quick funny story. When I was in high school grade school or high school, I think, first year high school I was in track. I was fast, I was scrappy, fast little runner, and it was a hundred yard dash and I'm in this race. I run it fastest time I ever had. Crushed it, came in last place Just barely, just like fast. I mean, it was like how did I not win this? Go over my dad in the stands. I'm like, did you see that? And he's like, yeah, did you. He did you. He goes, you lost right. I'm like, yeah, but you see how well I came in last and that was like our joke forever.
Speaker 2:He's just, it was just a funny thing of I get it. You know it's like my dad. You know, as long as my dad thought it was something you know and he gets, that was my turns out. Maybe like five years ago. I found out that race because my friend won it. That race was the day that he set the record hasn't been beaten. I just happened to be. That race was the day that he set the record Hasn't been beaten. I just happened to be in the race.
Speaker 3:The day that everybody ran faster than anybody ever will.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I was right on. It's like if he hadn't been there I'd be the guy.
Speaker 1:Look at the numbers. Don't look at what happened with the race, no, no, but look at your numbers. It was the best you ever did.
Speaker 2:So, as far as you know, people telling you your bad stuff, even though he did come in last. But that's all right, but maybe you just try not to hear it. You know, I hope, because when you're saying it, I'm having a stretch.
Speaker 2:I've had such great experiences with like everybody in radio has been so amazing, and I mean a lot of stations that don't play me, I don't, it doesn't even compute, but I'm still, I'm visiting, I'm having a great time, yeah, so yeah, I don't know if I answered that you did well, hopefully, or not not really, but you did well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you kind of. No, I'll kid, I kid around a lot, yeah. So, and I I think you already realize that, uh, it's my personality and and I like your personality and I like what you got going. Um, if you weren't playing music, what do you think you'd be doing? Let me guess, were you a school teacher.
Speaker 2:No, I've never done that um, but I could.
Speaker 1:I would love to teach art really, yeah, I'm trying to think what, uh, now I give up. What would you be? Why?
Speaker 2:I do, I have another whole all right, what's your other game? My other gig, yeah here we go.
Speaker 1:Give me a clue it's art related.
Speaker 2:It's artistically related you sculptures.
Speaker 1:I wish I would love to do that too um, it's a really good guess.
Speaker 2:It's art related, kind of artsy cartoon I'm good at that, but that's not it either. Yeah, last one let's ask reagan help me, how'd you? Guess that architect. How'd you know that? Yeah, how did you? Oh, okay how did you get that?
Speaker 1:she guessed architect, because she's a. Yes, I've been out of college for a lot of years.
Speaker 2:She just graduated yeah, you nailed it. So, yeah, no, I'm a full-on architect so you design buildings, I design buildings, spaces, and I never here's a funny thing, I never went to school for it, so you have that.
Speaker 1:You know that printing I can do that, no way really well, I have a funny story on it.
Speaker 2:So I went to school to study design, right?
Speaker 1:yeah, okay and this is funny if I can tell the story it's all good it's all good, we're good, nobody's listening well, they will be, but that's okay in school.
Speaker 2:I would do all the design work for this one girl in the school okay and she would do all my handwriting because I couldn't do it okay so it's like this cheating scheme we had because you had. So it's like this cheating scheme we had because you had to do the first job. I get this architectural firm. I had to do all the handwriting. I was like, oh no, I had cheated my way through school and never did it. I'm really good at the design stuff.
Speaker 2:So I had to learn that, like in a week, so anyway, yeah, I do. So that's cool, man. Yeah, the architecture thing has been week, so anyway, yeah, I do so. So that's cool man. Yeah, the architecture thing has been um, and if I wasn't doing that, because I've been doing that, I was gonna do magic as a lifetime profession.
Speaker 1:Really, yeah, I had been um see, I'm amazed by that as well. I have some friends that really deep into the magic magicians, and even though we're good friends, he still will not yeah certain secrets tv so yeah yeah, yeah, I, I know, I know, I know I get it, but that's amazing. Well, good for you, man. I had a blast with that.
Speaker 2:That was in all of this. Just to give you an example of it, like when I'm doing these uh goofy tchotchkes as marketing, yeah I love this, by the way.
Speaker 1:I don't know if, um, you can see it, but uh, I don't know if you can see it, but I don't wish you wouldn't go radio. Yeah, w W Y G.
Speaker 2:It's all over here, WG. It's a W.
Speaker 1:Oh you wouldn't go W Y WG 109.3.
Speaker 2:Which does not exist on the dial.
Speaker 2:No, that's why it says I have a whole YouTube page and my dad would always say, when I was doing magic shows, he's like, like kenny, you need a theme because he had done in theater and stuff, you need a theme, kenny. So you know, magic isn't enough of a theme. You know, boom birds, it's like all, oh, a coin disappeared, oh, I'm linking rings. It's like, what's the theme? Why magic is? I get it, but beyond that, what could it be? So I would do shows that were break dancing. I was doing shows like a waiter and everything was with the money in the tabletop candles and yeah yeah I
Speaker 2:just always had a theme to it. And for music, same thing. It's like how do you promote a song like, wish you wouldn't go and I'm, and it's just well. What do you do? Send people tissues, or you know how do you get a. So the tchotchke became let's make up a radio station. That is that, that idea. So the whole magic thing, the architectural, the drawing, all of that has just taken on a whole different meaning with music. So that's, that's like another. When I found that, I was like what is music about?
Speaker 2:because that was always magic to me, music is never understood how people could just sit in a room and all start playing together.
Speaker 1:It's magic, it is music is magic to it and it's the universal language for everybody music.
Speaker 2:Music brings everybody together yes, yes and I did and I never had that. So I did, um, when I was doing the magic stuff, I was going to do that as a living and I had competed. I competed in Hawaii and I can, as becoming friends with people in Japan. Japan gave me this big award. I was going to live in Japan and it was like getting what you know it's like. This is a whole different thing and I'm. I just said I don't think I'm going to survive this. It was just you know it's like.
Speaker 2:What kind of a life do you want? It was what I had to decide, and so doing this music is almost like all right, I've grown up, we've raised some kids and and here you go, do this, do it now, baby, I'm loving it, yeah yeah, how many kids three, wow yeah girls, boys, one daughter who got married, and I have a song that's coming out this halloween okay, yeah, you mentioned that I cannot wait.
Speaker 2:It's called butterfly girl and it's just about your daughter growing up, and well you know I immediately had a throwback to butterfly kisses somebody else said that too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was a good song, but uh, bob carlisle did it and it was about, you know, walking down watching her grow, and then she walks down the aisle.
Speaker 2:Oh, you're kidding I didn't know how the song went. Is it seriously? Well, I think it busted for copyright.
Speaker 1:No, no, no, no, but I'd like that and you know what's funny and, as a father of three daughters, I'll be sure to listen to this, it's.
Speaker 2:I mean, it's just, it's just such, I mean my daughters are groaning.
Speaker 1:They've given me like eight grandkids, so wow, yeah, I haven't had that. Now you're going.
Speaker 3:Oh, you are old I know, yeah, you're a lot older than I am. Yeah, look how old he is, and he's working radio.
Speaker 1:He showed me doing that, he's old.
Speaker 2:Why is he doing it now um? Is there somebody else in here? Questions oh it keeps you excited, keeps you young I no, it does 100%. You know it's like I am running a race. Like you know, I'm the guy that's trying to run in the Olympics. It's like you're too old to be in the Olympics. Well, you know why not.
Speaker 1:Well, there's a lot of reasons why not for that.
Speaker 1:So we're talking to independent artist Ken Dimash. I said that, right, right, yeah, ken Dim. To uh independent artist ken dimash I said that, right, right, yeah, ken dimash. Okay, okay, and uh, wish you wouldn't go is the single. You know I love the coffee mugs and when you came in and you know you were handed out a few of these. I said that is so clever, just the whole idea, and it kind of goes with you being an architect. Because now, as my mind starts turning and thinking about everything you've been saying and what you do and what you're going to do, I said, yeah, definitely Good choice. Yeah, putting it all together. So so the single is Wish you Wouldn't Go. Yeah, and I will. I know we're going to hear that, but I would also. I'm going to attach the actual studio version to this video.
Speaker 1:So well, you know, because you're old.
Speaker 1:No, no, I'm only, no, no, I'm only kidding, I'm only kidding but uh, you know, I say that to everybody because it's one thing, doing it acoustic yeah, I love acoustic it's another thing being on the internet and it kind of takes away from the sound a little bit. When it comes to music it does, unless you know, if you're doing it live, like we're doing this, um, it takes away from it. So I want, I want people not I want them to see you and hear you play it, but then I also want to expose them to the actual studio version and you'll go damn, this is good well, and also I mean it's good anyways, because the guitar only gets
Speaker 2:so much so much of the sound yep, and. But it also is where they all start. Like you know all the songs you do, I just sent one for our next album going in in the next month to record for next year, and I, I like, sent in the track. I'm like going all right, we're, we're in a safe spot.
Speaker 2:We've been doing this a minute right I didn't even think before I hit send, but don't ever let that circulate anywhere because it's so bad, you know. And then a songwriting friend of mine bless her soul, man, she, uh, she put one out with me on it and I'm like, and it's like showing up everywhere and it was like that was a first take, quick idea for what your song could be and she put it out there like, what are you doing? There's like nothing on that, oh my gosh. But at the same time, I love it.
Speaker 2:My favorite is getting on the air and just totally doing an awful job and messing up well, it makes it more memorable absolutely yeah. When you're driving down the road and you hear somebody totally mess up, it's good and you're gonna want to hear it again.
Speaker 1:I, yeah, you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly yeah, your meme is forgetting your, uh, your own lyrics, which I do all the time that's embarrassing oh, it's not. You make up new ones as you go and nobody would know the difference. Oh, they do. They got the special in person edition I was doing all right you know how hard it is to go from that conversation I know, I know something all sentimental. We need a better segue. All right, well, um to something all sentimental.
Speaker 1:We need a better segue, all right. Well, what can we do to make it a better segue?
Speaker 2:I guess we can tell them what the song's about.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that'll bring us emotionally involved, relationship-based. And there he is. Ladies and gentlemen, Ken DeVos, Wish you wouldn't go.
Speaker 2:You got your reasons.
Speaker 3:I know, maybe I didn't let it show, but you're the most important part of me. Maybe I could have done things a little differently. So if you want a drink, let's drink. If you want to love me, if you're gonna leave, just leave real slow, cause I don't want this to be be be just another memory. Baby, if you're gonna leave, just leave real slow. But I wish you wouldn't go. Wish you wouldn't go.
Speaker 2:Can't we just talk no strings.
Speaker 3:Maybe we'd laugh about all kinds of stupid things. God knows I've done a few. You know I'd never hurt you. I'd never hurt you. So if you wanna drink, let's drink. If you wanna love, love me. But if you're gonna leave, just leave. Feel slow, cause I don't want this to be, just another memory.
Speaker 3:I wish you would know If we went our own separate ways, if I gave you all kinds of space. If you want to drink, let's drink. If you want to drink, let's drink. If you want to love, love me. But if you're gonna leave, just leave real slow, cause I don't want this to be Just another memory. Baby, if you're gonna leave, just leave real slow. But I wish you would go. You're gonna leave, just to leave me feel slow, but I wish you wouldn't go, wish you wouldn't go, wish you wouldn't go.
Speaker 1:Don't go Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it took me a minute to get into there. Oh wow, but you got it. Dude Boy, is that what we thought? Yeah, yeah, sorry, hi Wow wow, thank you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean I would assume that's the reaction you get from about every every radio person you go in front of, because it's music like that that will turn heads and will make listeners turn that volume up and uh go wow. Either they're going through something or something is about to happen they know it or they want somebody to know how they feel that is going to be the song that's going to do it, thank you. Now I need a tissue, wow.
Speaker 1:You know what If somebody says no, but you get emotional. You're not pulling a chain, no, no, well, no, because if you can pull on those heartstrings, you've got yourself a hit. Beautiful you do, and that was serious when we were starting.
Speaker 2:It's so funny I don't know.
Speaker 1:What's he laughing at? He's singing a song.
Speaker 2:You can't even get into the song, you know, and I'm like messing up the song. I'm like what the joke? I didn't know, and then you start to get into it, then I forget I'm, and then it's hard, like some of these songs, like when I recorded that I was crying in the recording, like it was like falling while I sang.
Speaker 1:I believe it.
Speaker 2:It's hard to sing the songs.
Speaker 1:And that Butterfly Girl. I am a mess. Can you do one verse of the Butterfly Girl, Just one verse. I'm not going to ask you to reveal the whole song because I know you don't want to.
Speaker 2:Oh no, I get it. I got to get my head in. All right, hold on, I can't get my head around.
Speaker 3:You can do it, though it's Ken Dimash Used to walk, used to talk, used to laugh a lot, used to hold my hand across in the parking lot Sign of the cross. As you go to sleep, I pray to god for your soul to keep. It'll be so hard to let you go, girl. You're my butterfly girl. You're my butterfly girl. You're my butterfly girl. Flying away, flying away. Delicate wings, delicate wings. Staying up late and playing songs was our favorite thing by the truck headlight man. She could really sing, just like words in the air. They float away. I close my eyes, so in my mind she'd stay. I close my eyes so in my mind she'd stay. It'll be so hard to let her go. She's my butterfly girl. She's my butterfly girl. She's my butterfly girl. She'll find a way. She'll find a way away On delicate wings, delicate wings. You're so beautiful as you spread your wings, you're out on your all just fluttering and you're just beyond my reach.
Speaker 3:Your colors in the sunlight are coming back to me, coming back to me. So my butterfly girl, oh my butterfly girl, my butterfly girl, my butterfly girl, flying away, flying away On delicate wings. Delicate wings Used to walk, used to talk, used to laugh a lot, used to hold my hand crossing the parking lot.
Speaker 1:Wow, dude, I didn't ask you to play the whole thing. Sorry, I couldn't stop and I didn't want you to stop. Thank you, I didn't look up. I would have. No, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I'm already. Please, no, please, I'm just I'm, I'm just yeah and uh, so much closer to your mind, dude, I know the feeling, being the dad of daughters, uh, although mine are already past the point of getting married and you know having families of their own dance with.
Speaker 2:My daughter had her wedding. That song, yeah.
Speaker 1:So all of it just means anyway dude being here mean so much, uh, getting a chance to play that stuff and having wow, yes, yes, and this will be posted here real quick um, what's the first concert you ever attended? First concert I ever we're gonna change the attitude here a little bit, we're gonna just happen. You do that. Yeah, he likes to have fun, but I know, I know, I know. So, uh, yeah, I'm very sentimental, you know. Yeah, well, I am too be careful with me.
Speaker 2:I'm very breakable, you know. Uh, aside from this tough exterior, oh, yeah, yeah, pink shirt on uh, my first concert, oh my gosh, oh, oh well, I'll tell you what I think it was okay, not really a concert.
Speaker 1:All right, I went to go see andrew dice clay oh, so I was standing behind. It won't go there. It won't go there. He did some elvis, though, oh I could see him doing that.
Speaker 2:Oh man, he shook, he shook he yeah, he's got that voice, he was I mean that's what just strikes me as the first, uh, the next, the other, the other concert. My first real concert was a Def Leppard concert. All right, and my best friend got us in with some scalp tickets. Turns out they weren't real and we got kicked out before Def Leppard came on stage.
Speaker 1:Well, that's a memory.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, we're out in the car and I'm like you, idiot. And they were like you have the wrong seats. I like you have the wrong seats. I was like let's get up and move. He's like no, these are ours.
Speaker 1:It's like no, we're going out of the building now. Way to go. Thanks, buddy dude. All right, what's your go-to karaoke song? Oh, I don't care, okay, all right, uh, I'll tell you one thing though.
Speaker 2:No, no, I tried to do a karaoke song okay, uh at my son's college and I I I love doing. Um, I won't play because I've been playing up too much a Dua Lipa song, oh okay levitating.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, my guitar.
Speaker 2:I mix it in with. I do a lot of mashes like the do mash yeah, and I'll mix in old town road and Dua Lipa, so I'm like I'll do Dua Lipa. They started playing it. It was in her key. That didn't work too well. That's what I'm not doing anymore karaoke.
Speaker 1:You can't. Oh, my god, that's so funny. Bucket list of places you'd like to play, but happens oh man, that's like uh, what I need a truck, a wheelbarrow.
Speaker 2:There's so many places I haven't played. I have been working on the craft of songwriting, producing, getting out there, trying to get songs that people know. Know to collect enough songs to play big venues, but you know bridgestone arena red rocks. I'll give you my favorite choice okay my favorite yes, right here, my favorite uh thing to accomplish would be to play at the fox theater in st louis, which is where I saw dice clay yeah and I did a magic competition there okay, way back, so it's like going full circle.
Speaker 2:I love it. Yeah, I love a theater feel because it's more of a stand-up comedy show like you and I are doing. And then you break into this acoustic on a stool type of show. That's my goal. Didn't want to put it out there and mess it up. That's all good.
Speaker 1:Coffee or whiskey before a show.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what? Or whiskey before a show?
Speaker 1:yeah, what coffee? Coffee or whiskey.
Speaker 2:Before a show put your hands together we got this, we got the whiskey.
Speaker 1:I don't I rarely will drink before love it during a show um.
Speaker 2:I've had all my buddies that are doing it. I'll be like you're in the wrong key. Oh, you're in the wrong room at this point, so I don't drink at all live performance.
Speaker 1:If fans and these are certain quickies I wrote down if fans could describe you in one word, what would you hope?
Speaker 2:it is fun, perfect, perfect, perfect boots or sneakers I bought, I brought my boots and I brought my sneakers.
Speaker 1:I know I gotta wear my favorite sneakers. Oh, no, no, hey, dudes, no, no, that's good, it's good, I love them, love them, love them how many of those can you buy.
Speaker 2:You have to buy a lot because you know what they do. Spoiler alert I power wash mine. You can't make them not smell dude, I power wash my.
Speaker 1:I have what they call canes. They're not hey dudes, but still they're like clogs, but they're the full and I power wash them.
Speaker 2:Yes, I do like the third power, wash their toast.
Speaker 1:You can't get a lot of that point. You can't get a lot out of it, but it's like they look brand new. Yeah, but they feel so good, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Now boots are super comfortable. All right, they're more comfortable than. So if you're going out, yeah yeah, if you're going out to all the bars and national booths, the booths you go and go see your nephew, or something. Yeah, hey, dudes Right.
Speaker 1:Oh, hey dudes, hey dudes, hey dudes are everywhere. I got you. Check out the canes if you haven't. But yeah, so that easy, or Ken Dimash?
Speaker 2:music. If you go to Dimash music, it'll take you to Ken Dimash. Okay, okay, I just kept that, because that's what I started with and then I realized well, nobody has a name Ken Dimash either. All the socials just have Ken Dimash and streaming.
Speaker 1:You know what you? When I hear butterfly, butterfly girl, you should really. Well, it's just me talking, but being the dad of three daughters um, that song needs to be marketed towards weddings. I agree because if that gets on a site and and I know I've worked a lot of weddings in my life, being who I am and what I do that brides are looking for that special song and a lot of brides don't want something they hear every day, yeah, and they're going to hear that and go oh my God, yeah, I want my dad to listen to this. I want, and I guarantee they both will be crying and I guarantee that's going to be on that playlist.
Speaker 2:The father daughter we're. We're trying something new. In October we have a label out of Germany that's going to release I have our current album, 20 different routes just hit over labor day, so it's just out there, that's everywhere. And then we're releasing another five song album out of a label out of Germany, which includes butterfly girls, on November 14th.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to get it. I'll tell you right now I'm going to. I'm going to go get that awesome, I'm definitely gonna agree with you.
Speaker 2:I had to figure out how do I market it to weddings and, uh, I agree, it's. It's totally.
Speaker 1:Check out some of the wedding websites and there's so many there's so many ladies, there are young women that are trying to plan their weddings and they don't know.
Speaker 2:You know music and wouldn't it be the funniest things like.
Speaker 1:You try to figure out a formula of what's going to work and you just write something that you love and that's the one that works you know, no, but then then they get to know you, and now you put out some other stuff and it just you know, it's one fan at a time and just continue to grow.
Speaker 2:I mean huge thank you to like my neighbors would walk out while I'm going for a walk with my wife and they'll come out say Kenny, love the new song you know and it's like my wife's.
Speaker 1:They'll come out and say, Kenny, love the new song.
Speaker 3:It's so funny. These are my neighbors.
Speaker 2:My wife's just like oh my gosh, are you going to talk the whole time? I'm like, yeah, I love this, this is great. She's like do you have to talk to everybody? I'm like I love people.
Speaker 1:I can see that because we hadn't met before until you walked through the door.
Speaker 2:This is the neatest way to meet, so many people.
Speaker 1:I love it and I stage.
Speaker 2:By the way, you know you do this a lot. You get to know everybody. It's almost like an X. You know times 10 of meeting and getting to be friends with people by having a stage they think they're just looking at you, but it's like you're seeing all of them and you connect with so many people. It's super fun.
Speaker 1:It is super fun. I look forward to connecting again. I know we have CRS in March.
Speaker 2:I've gone for 25 plus years, we just haven't ran into each other.
Speaker 1:I've been at bar lines dude.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 3:Was it you?
Speaker 1:that called me when I fell off the stool.
Speaker 3:I don't know, you probably landed on me. I was already on the ground.
Speaker 1:I've had some pretty rough I used to don't tell anybody at bar lines, but I used. Every year I went I'd take a bar lines glass, I'd get my drink and I have a collection of those you know most of my. Those are the only ones that last yeah, yeah, they're the thick glasses you get your beer in the dishwasher something breaking by kicking on the edge. Yeah, not those they are going to get.
Speaker 2:I don't think you're the only one.
Speaker 1:It's like they're going. Where did all the glasses go? Oh, that guy from Syracuse must have.
Speaker 2:Well, I didn't know.
Speaker 1:I love going to that, yeah, and I was in different hotel rooms.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, this year it's March. Yes, anybody, that's anybody.
Speaker 2:Which is why we are going on October 20th to record, and I'm going there in two weeks to pre-discuss it, because it's like I want to have a release when you get there, when everybody's there. It's a lot of planning.
Speaker 1:Grassroots, who I know is. You know, they're the promoters. They're the promoters for that and the promoters for radio, uh, the best team in nashville when it comes to promotion. I mean there's a lot. I mean there's a lot of good ones, don't get me wrong. And I love nancy and the gang and everybody that works there john um, but they do. And shannon uh, such great and shout out to shannon um, yeah, yep, just do a great job, do a great job.
Speaker 2:I agree with you. I, we, we did it in 2010. I went to nashville. I'd never done this and they said have you know, play a song? And I played a song and you guys are like hats me on the shoulders, like well, you're done with the architecture, son. I was like that's cool, and they go see this. They're pointing to billy ray cyrus. Yeah, yeah, that's why I went to number one and I'm like I'll start.
Speaker 3:I'm like awesome, awesome.
Speaker 1:What do I do?
Speaker 2:so they all helped me so I had a chance to work with jack cry yeah, oh, I love jack.
Speaker 1:Oh, my god I agree with you.
Speaker 2:Now it's different. Now it's like you have to pick one to go with.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but they had a lot of independence, and I've worked with them all as well, so a lot of good friends you seem to know many years, know everything, many years.
Speaker 2:You're a guy. I need to pick your brain up. You know, and I welcome.
Speaker 1:I'd like to pick your brain a little bit, but I've been doing it a long time and my Nashville connections are strong.
Speaker 2:That's awesome. People assume I have them because I'm older.
Speaker 1:But I'm just meeting everybody for the first time. Little do they know you're younger than I am.
Speaker 2:You that when you, when you come in like later in the game, you haven't burned any bridges not yet and you won't?
Speaker 1:I hope not and you won't, so I'm kind of grown up.
Speaker 2:I know I don't want to burn any bridges.
Speaker 1:I don't do experience. You know how to cross those bridges without burning them even other artists. You know, I've met and then so forth.
Speaker 2:I'll call them and I'm like, just complaining about my life problems, that I'm, and they're like, oh, I can actually talk to you and we talk. And then they'll call me on hey, I'm going to Nashville, anybody you can suggest I play with. I'm like, yeah, I play with someone, and it's not like I'm trying to compete and beat them. It's like now I'm almost like this grown-up dad going you're really good, how can I help you? And hopefully it all comes back or doesn't, doesn't matter.
Speaker 1:Thank you, You're awesome dude.
Speaker 2:Thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you for coming to the Syracuse, thank you for coming into our historic inner harbor media broadcasting facility and all the stations and all that. But thank you for being here and thank you for watching. Make sure you subscribe, make sure you tell your friends, make sure you buy the music. You will not be disappointed. I'm going to turn the mic and I'm going to reach. This is getting out this afternoon.
