Dan Godlin is a pop rock musician who hails from Boston. He just released his debut album, Loving On Empty, and his single, “Did She Look,” is number three on iHeart Radio’s Top 20 On Demand. In addition, his Camplified Tour is underway; showcasing Godlin’s performances in camp settings. Godlin was enthusiastic to talk about his path to music, his album, his tour and future plans.
About Music – Influences And Path To Music
When I asked Godlin about his musical influences and path to music, he said, “I just graduated from college and was juggling school and my music career for the past couple of years. I completed my album about a year ago, but only released it one month ago. My style of music is very much influenced by nineties pop rock, such as the Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox 20. People say I have a John Mayer tone to my voice. I am twenty-two years old and excited about going after my dreams. I remember riding in my Dad’s Jeep Wrangler and listening to his oldies mix tape – John Cougar Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen, Blues Travelers, Hootie and The Blowfish and James Taylor. I’ve always loved catchy pop songs from the seventies, eighties and nineties, and especially the nineties, because I grew up in that era. I especially loved rock ballads. I kind of got into these in middle school when I performed at cabarets and talent shows.”
Recalling his high school years, Godlin exclaimed, “I was a football player and captain of the football team. I was Most Valuable Player and had the most tackles in my entire league – ever. I stepped away from [music] when I got to high school and felt like I had to take on a jock role. I was a 225 pound big built guy and it was hard for me to balance both personas per se. I was a songwriter but not too many people knew about this. I put music in the back seat. I had a tough decision to consider especially when some ivy league [schools] offered some deals to play football, because I never showed my singer/songwriter side too much and was mostly a football and wrestling jock. But music was where my heart was. I declined the offers to play football and went with my gut. This was also at a time in my life when I had broken up with my high school sweetheart and lots of emotions were pouring out of me. I picked up my guitar and wrote more and more as college moved closer and closer.”
The Single, Album And Tour
When I asked if he was pleased with the reception of Loving on Empty and his tour, he said, “the new album is getting a lot of traction on the internet. I am pleased and shocked to have the number three single, Did She Look, on iHeart Radio’s Top 20 On Demand.”
Godlin’s inspiration for Did She Look was the result of a brief encounter in New York City. He noted, “as I walked out of a coffee shop, a beautiful girl threw a glance toward me as she walked in. I could not tell if she was interested in me or not, but her look sparked something in my head. This kind of stuff happens all of the time. You catch someone’s eye, but you don’t know what it means. There is a lot of suspense and curiosity to it, and I took that moment in time and wrote a song about it.”
Loving on Empty is Godlin’s favorite song on the album, and according to Godlin, “is actually the first song I wrote for the album. For some reason, it hits home with me and it is very personal, but it also has an outside looking in approach to a rock ballad. Each time I hear it, I think, this is why I do music. It is a reflective piece.”
When asked about the tour, Godlin responded, “the Camplified Tour is amazing and I chose this because I was a camp counselor and I love kids and the camp life. I truly connect with the kids. I play to a crowd and I am very much part of the camp scene.” Godlin’s performances include several hit cover songs, including Katy Perry’s Teenage Dream. He also fuses some cover songs into medleys such as: Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing, Ben E. King’s Stand By Me, and Sean Kingston’s Beautiful Girls. He even blends Bon Iver’s Skinny Love with a little bit of Justin Bieber. “Especially with this tour, and its campfire type vibe, I am leaning toward many cover songs and sing-alongs. I engage the crowd and people are singing together,” he added.
Songwriting, Recording Or Performing?
I asked Godlin to select a preferred component of the music process: songwriting, recording or performing. His preference is writing, but he also noted that, “writing is also the best and worst. When I can finally sit down and pour something out that was bottled up and I say it in a way that I meant to say it, the music just comes and there is no greater feeling in the world than being able to create something that you are so proud of and you can call your own. Then again, writing is also the most annoying part because there are times when you have a block and I’m saying to myself: that’s not honest, that’s not right, that’s not me. Writing is the most rewarding and also the most frustrating part. When I can get a song that I can truly call my own, and I’ve created it all on my own, it is the most rewarding and most fun for me.”
Future Plans
Regarding his future plans, Godlin said “we are going to look into some college tours in the fall. I will be writing music for film, television and advertising for Experience Music Group in Hollywood. I will be going to Los Angeles to record the music video for “Did She Look.” I will be writing and recording my second album in New York. Ben Lindell will be the producer for my album. He worked on many of the tracks on my first album and I will continue to work with him for the second.”
Final Remarks
In closing, Godlin exclaimed, “iHeart Radio is a huge deal for me. The way I will move to number one is to have people click on this song [on the internet]. Check it out! I just released my new website, www.dangodlin.com. I helped design it and all should check it out.”
Written by Cindy Vasko
About the author
