tunesday - dan croll

Dan Croll is one of those fascinating folks that you'd happily strike up a conversation with on a Friday night at the pub. The UK-based fella has plenty of tales to tell, about his years as a nightclub doorman, his former career as a rugby pro and the time he spent recording in South Africa with a capella singing group Ladysmith Black Mambazo (natch).

The next chapter in his tome is the release of his debut album, Sweet Disarray, next month, so before he graduates from the local watering hole to a fancy schmancy bar for famous fellows, we got in touch to find out a few more of his yarns.



Five words to describe your sound? All Over The Place ... Yo

What is the best thing about making music? The fact that it's all an adventure. There's a lot of stages you have to go through when making music, from writing early demos, to putting it through production, and then the emotional and mental challenges you may go through while creating it. You end up with a piece of music where beneath the lyrical and musical content there's a story to remind you of that adventure.

What goes through your head when you perform live? Nothing really, it's a rare time when my brain switches off and I'm in a very relaxed state of mind. Occasionally I'll click back in and check everyone is having a good time, then I'm back away with the fairies.

Who's your ultimate bespectacled idol? There are loads! Buddy Holly, John Lennon, Graham Coxon, Jarvis Cocker, Roy Orbison, Elvis Costello, and how could I forget my biggest idol... Elton John.

What's the weirdest job you've had? I worked in a fish and chip shop for quite a while as a teenager, that was rather strange. It was also disgusting, the worst smell I have EVER smelt has got to be from cleaning out kebab trays that catch the fat whilst they're cooking. Horrific.

What would you be doing if you weren't making music? Hopefully not working in a fish and chip shop. I find product design and architecture really interesting, so if I wasn't making music, hopefully I'd be those areas. Trying to be the next Frank Lloyd Wright or something.

What is your most treasured item? Probably my instruments, they all play a key role in making my music. If I had to pick one it would probably be my guitar, it comes nearly everywhere with me.

Who are you fascinated by in the world of music? Any of the greats really. Brian Wilson would be up there. The work he did with the Beach Boys was massively influential for me, and I was always fascinated by his use of harmonies.

Sweet Disarray is available for pre-order now from Dan's official website.