Neighbor Featured Artist #22: Dane Hinkle on CD Baby

Dane Hinkle Spreading His Wings as Independent Singer/Songwriter

Folks who read this column know who Dane Hinkle is because of his music and his previous feature as a Neighbor artist. But now, so do music lovers in Germany, England, Japan - and all over the world. When something wonderful happens to one of your neighbors, you want to know about it. Dane is a rising star among independent musicians who have discovered that the Internet has the power to reach a global audience and the flexibility to let ordinary people with extraordinary talent stay true to their roots while letting their light shine forth. His evocative blend of folk and rock with a base of soulful harmonica has caught your ear for the past several years. Now CD Baby, one of the world’s largest online CD distributors and sources for digital downloads, currently has Dane's latest CD “Me Now” premiered at #21 among its Editor’s Picks in the acid rock genre. CD Baby was founded in the late 1990’s by a full-time independent musician as a means to sell his own music online. His efforts attracted the attention of musician friends and colleagues in a similar situation and grew into a thriving business. CD Baby has been described as the “utopian” online store for independent musicians; the artists get most of the income from their sales and deal with a distributor that values the integrity of those it represents. CD Baby operates from four solid principles – its artists are paid weekly, they receive contact information about the fans who buy their products, there are no minimum sales in order to stay on the active roster, and the company accepts no advertising or paid placement of music. Every CD distributed has been “juried”; listened to and given the thumbs up or down by the CD Baby staff. Since 2004, the online company has offered the option of digital music downloads through such sources as Apple iTunes, Emusic, and Napster. Nearly a quarter of a million musicians make their work available through CD Baby, making Dane Hinkle’s current place among the editors picks especially worthy of bragging rights. Since its founding, the company has sold more than 4.5 million CD’s worldwide and paid out more than 75 million dollars to independent musicians.. For Dane Hinkle, music was the focus through which he healed the emotional wounds of years of dangerous work as a smoke jumper firefighter. For the past seven years, the writing, performing, and recording of his own music and songs has become an increasing commitment through which he’s traveled a long road in a short amount of time. “I guess I’m most comfortable with the label ‘singer/songwriter’,” he says. While speaking very little about the hazardous work that is now a part of his past, he acknowledges its worth in the music he’s now expressing. “The most important thing I’ve learned is that you can’t be afraid of what’s coming out of you. Music is about emotion and the experiences I had out in the field gave me some scary lessons in what ‘real’ feels like. Your emotions were completely uncensored.” His early efforts in song-writing came through from dreams and he still receives inspiration from this source. Much of the distinctive style that can be heard on Dane's recordings is the result of his need to manage his own spontaneity. “I bought my own recording studio because I’d wake up in the middle of the night with a song. I can stumble over and get the basics laid down and then I don’t have to try and remember it when I wake up in the morning.” He took the same care in mastering the technical aspects of recording as he has in writing and performing his music, spending about a year becoming proficient with his digital recording equipment. He plays all the instruments as well as doing all the vocals on his recordings because it gives him greater control over the final sound. “I think wanting that degree of control isn’t so much ego as it is being honest,” he says. “A painter wouldn’t be happy letting someone else put the final brush strokes on a landscape or portrait. I sit in the studio and the music is what comes out of me. Some people, even kids who aren’t old enough to remember, say my songs take them back to the ‘60’s. But I’m just letting it come out, not making a statement – if they hear politics or protest, it’s because essential, powerful, defining music was such an part of the ‘60’s." I was interested that CD Baby described the “Me Now” CD as a mix of Piedmont blues, rockabilly, and acid rock.” Because of the spontaneity of his creative style, Dane has taught himself to do all his own instrumentation as a matter of convenience. As a result, he can capably find his way around vocals and bass, lead electric, and acoustic guitars. “I really feel like I’m most proficient on the harmonica,” he says. “I also like to play with other bands and do some harmonica solos but not as the front man.” But he also feels that his one-man approach to producing his music has created some of the attraction generating its increasing popularity. “Since the harmonica is what I do best, I feel that the music is noticed and picked because it has the element of sincerity and simplicity – the sound isn’t overproduced because I’m not as proficient with the other instruments.” Even with a finished product that is notable for simplicity, Dane is aware of an increasing commitment to his music - “I put more than 2000 hours of studio time into ‘Me Now’.” – and pleased with both his own progress and the reaction he’s getting. “I like it that the kids are picking up on my songs. It’s that 1960’s connection – we’re getting back to a place where the changes around us are reflected by the music we make and listen to. I don’t know what the odds are of having gotten this degree of recognition from such self-made creativity in such a short amount of time.” Dane Hinkle can be heard in live performances here in Greeneville, including regular Thursday appearances in the Brumley at the General Morgan Inn and at Ella’s, now open on East Andrew Johnson Highway next to Popcorn Video. His CD’s are proudly available locally at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center, and online both in CD form and in digital downloads (including #21, Editor’s Pick acid rock, “Me Now”) at CD Baby.