{"id":5723,"date":"2023-08-24T16:03:09","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T16:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/?p=5723"},"modified":"2023-08-24T16:07:27","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T16:07:27","slug":"blog-interview-b-dolan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/2023\/08\/24\/blog-interview-b-dolan\/","title":{"rendered":"Blog interview: B. Dolan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5724\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-2048x1367.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/B.Dolan-press-shot-90x60.jpg 90w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-spotify wp-block-embed-spotify wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Spotify Embed: The Rock Cried Out\" style=\"border-radius: 12px\" width=\"100%\" height=\"152\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen allow=\"autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/embed\/track\/2scYqMw0mkNEvhVctI09pj?si=UNoBzzoWSuiZ1av1QQf_KA&#038;utm_source=oembed\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\n<div class=\"\"><strong>Congratulations on the release of \u201cThe Rock Cried Out\u201d how does it feel?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">Everything around returning to releasing music and touring feels very strange and surreal right now.\u00a0 Also, this collection of songs is highly personal to me, and was made during a very private isolated time.\u00a0 Dealing with the onslaught of emotions attached to all of it is something I\u2019m experiencing and taking pretty slowly day by day.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>What\u2019s the story behind the song?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">I was alone in the hospital for seven days after a major surgery during the height of lockdown. During an intensely painful recovery, I found myself listening to certain songs over and over again, one of which was Nina Simone\u2019s \u201cSinnerman\u201d.\u00a0 There\u2019s a Rock in that song that has one line, which is \u201cI can\u2019t hide you\u201d.\u00a0 I found myself empathizing with and thinking about that Rock as I related to it.\u00a0 I wrote this song to tell more of that Rock\u2019s story, from my perspective.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>It\u2019s quite an epic track, what was the easiest and most challenging part of recording it?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">The beat from Widowmaker made it instantly easier.\u00a0 I had the concept first and was struggling to make the right instrumental for it.\u00a0 Widowmaker happened to hit me at exactly the right moment with a beat they\u2019d labeled \u201casteroid\u201d, and as soon as I heard it I knew this was the one I needed to write to.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">The most challenging part was to say everything I had to say in the space of two verses and a 2 and a half minute song.\u00a0 I really liked the length of the beat as Widowmaker had arranged it and wanted to stick to that, so to tell this whole story of the Rock witnessing man\u2019s rise and fall in 32 bars required me to do some math and planning and then write each bar or group of bars within certain guidelines of what I wanted to say or express at that part of the story.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>You are an artist from Providence Rhode Island, how did it all begin for you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">Seeing my name on a tombstone when I was 4 did it, I think.\u00a0 My grandfather and father shared the same name as me.\u00a0 I been weird ever since.\u00a0 Michael Jackson fascinated me as a toddler and small kid.\u00a0 I would dance on the table using a wooden spoon for a microphone.\u00a0 My mom also played piano in the house and gave lessons as a side hustle. I mostly played piano when no one was home.\u00a0 I was always obsessed with music and stories, and when I found hip-hop at age 12 it was like the perfect marriage of those things and I never looked back.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>What did you listen to starting out?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">When I was very young it was my parents collection.\u00a0 They had a lot of Pop music and sort of standard 80s white people stuff.\u00a0 I remember when Prince did the Batman soundtrack and there was a track with samples on it.\u00a0 I started figuring out how to loop and sample things using my parents dual cassette decks after that.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">Scarface\u2019s \u201cThe Diary\u201d is the one LP that made me go \u201cI want to be a RAPPER,\u201d though.\u00a0 I heard that at about 12 and it changed my whole attitude toward music and I started writing songs, poems and stories after that.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>Your sound on this particular track has an old school vibe to it what kind of sounds usually influence you to rap?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">Good rap music influences me to rap.\u00a0 I listen to stuff from all eras on a constant rotation, and tend to cherry a pick a song or two that really inspires me when I hear it.\u00a0 I try to stay curious about new music and I also like to revisit older stuff and see how it\u2019s aged.\u00a0 Doja Cat can rap for real.\u00a0 I\u2019m not necessarily their demographic but I know when the bars are official.\u00a0 Hooks catchy as f**k.\u00a0 Gangstarr\u2019s \u201cMoment of Truth\u201d album is also hitting different for me this week.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been revisiting that one too.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>You\u2019re about to tour the UK, on a scale of 1-10 how excited are you?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">11.\u00a0 I am wicked chuffed, bruv.\u00a0 I leave my heart in the UK while I\u2019m away and it\u2019s been a longer and stranger absence than usual this time.\u00a0 There\u2019ll be lots of reunions along the way and the shows should be a blast.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>How are preparations going?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">Not bad!\u00a0 I just finished 24 new songs and now I have to cram a bunch of new lyrics into my brain, but aside from that this isn\u2019t my first rodeo.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>Post pandemic what have you learned about yourself in the last three years?<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">I\u2019ve struggled to fit that answer into a new album and set for this tour, so I know I probably won\u2019t be able to do it here.\u00a0 It\u2019s a lot.\u00a0 I basically was torn down to the foundation and have been rebuilding everything inch by inch. \u00a0 Highly educational work at this point in life particularly.<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">I also changed a ton of things about the way I work, produce and release music. \u00a0<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>Did you pick up any new skills?\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">Tons of them. I am a twitch streamer now!\u00a0 I learned to partially work at green screen, and also got a lot of practice DJing on Twitch. That combined with a lot of research and work I was doing on writing have transformed a lot of what I do in ways I\u2019m excited about.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>What are you listening to at the moment?<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">I answered this question too soon!\u00a0 One more artist I\u2019ve been revisiting and have always held close to my heart is Sinead O\u2019Connor though.\u00a0 RIP.\u00a0 She\u2019s the mother to my style.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\"><strong>What are you looking forward to doing next?<\/strong><\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">I look forward to creating the new stage show live in front of people.\u00a0 That\u2019ll be a new kind of creative work I\u2019ve been missing since I\u2019ve been away.\u00a0 Beyond that the plan is always just to keep writing and keep working, and that keeps me excited about the ideas waiting in line to be made.<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><b>UK tour dates below.\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\">Special thanks to Andy @ steamingkettlepr.com<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5725\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2-435x435.png 435w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2-60x60.png 60w, https:\/\/platinummind.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Aug-22-Sep-7-2.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congratulations on the release of \u201cThe Rock Cried Out\u201d how does it feel?\u00a0 \u00a0 Everything around returning to releasing music and touring feels very strange and surreal right now.\u00a0 Also, this collection of songs is highly personal to me, and was made during a very private isolated time.\u00a0 Dealing with the onslaught of emotions attached &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[172,247,139,132,30,142,182,150,175,186,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hip-hop","category-interview","category-jazz","category-lyricist","category-music","category-producer","category-rap","category-songwriter","category-soul","category-spoken-word","category-u-s"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5723"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5728,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5723\/revisions\/5728"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}