The acoustic rock duo Dauzat St. Marie have recently wrapped up several Spring tour dates. The duo is comprised of Mat Dauzat, guitarist, and Heather St. Marie, vocalist who met in college at Louisiana Tech University, then relocated from Louisiana to Los Angeles after graduation. We had the chance to chat with them and are pleased to bring that interview to you here:
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Music Junkie Press: Thank you so much for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We understand you just returned from your Louisiana/Arkansas tour, how did everything go and any highlights you would like to share with us?
Heather: Thank you for having us! Yes… lots and lots of travel this past week! The shows were all stellar and somehow we skipped out on all those crazy storms that are battering the South right now. This was our 9th tour as Dauzat St. Marie, and they just keep getting better and better each time. It is nice to see visible growth at every return.
Music Junkie Press: Your music truly brings out such honest emotion wrapped in a raw rock energy that is highlighted when you perform, how was it for you when you were recording?
Heather: We try to keep that same raw energy and passion when we record, though it can get tricky in such a potentially clinical environment. We are fortunate in that Mat has his own studio in North Hollywood, so we can track in an space where we are totally comfortable and not watching the studio clock thinking “this is going to cost me a fortune”! That allows us to focus on the MUSIC and not the BUDGET. That, of course, can also be a double-edged sword as well. Sometimes there is a benefit to working within a specific time frame!
Music Junkie Press: With your EP Falling Again, you have songs not only rich in passionate vocals and emotionally driven lyrics but a soundscape that captivates you and awakens your senses when you listen. How is it when you hear from your fans about how your music helps, heals or inspires them?
Mat: “Soundscapes that captivate and awaken your senses”…. I LIKE THAT! We might steal that from you! hahaha We hear from fans quite often with stories of how our music helped them through major life events, or even helped their decision-making at a major crossroad in their lives. That’s what it’s all about for us really. If we can make music that we love and it somehow helps other people as well… that in itself is SUCCESS!
Music Junkie Press: Do you have a particular artist that stands out for their music that might have inspired or helped you?
Heather: I found my passion for singing early on… singing along to my mom’s music. No one particular artist, but I loved singing Beatles, Michael Jackson, Journey… good Pop/Rock stuff.
Mat: I had the same experience in finding my passion for music in general, but I was listening to my older brothers’ records. They are 10 and 11 years older than me and I would sneak into their room and geek out on their classic rock records. Lots of Black Sabbath, Ozzy, Boston, Rush, AC/DC, etc.
Music Junkie Press: One of my favorite tracks is Sinking Down, can you tell me more about that song?
Heather: That was the first song we wrote for Dauzat St. Marie… quite a while back. A lot of our songs around that time period were mostly about the music industry. We had recently moved to Los Angeles to dive headfirst into the music industry, only to find the waters were dark and potentially poisonous. We were questioning everything and felt we had drifted too far from where we wanted to be. That was our headspace when we wrote “Sinking Down”. Shortly after that, we decided to discontinue our focus on the music INDUSTRY, and focus only on the MUSIC… and with that shift, we began seeing great growth and success.
Music Junkie Press: What is next for Dauzat St. Marie?
Mat: We are going to be taking a little time off the road. We’ve moved back into the studio in NoHo and are writing for our next release. We hope to have that done within a few months and will be back on the road this Fall.
Music Junkie Press: With so many changes in the music industry over the past couple decades, what is something that you would like to see change?
Mat: As Heather explained, we made a conscientious effort to focus on the MUSIC and not so much the INDUSTRY long ago, and it has served us well. We stopped catering to the major music industry and allocated our focus on connecting with fans. I’d like to see more of that in general. The music business is scrambling to figure out how to stop the further sinking of the ship, so they seem to focusing within…. when in reality, it’s the FANS that can keep this thing afloat. Shouldn’t we be more focused in connecting with them? Maybe find out how the music business can revise their approach to provide for a better experience and relationship with the fans?
Music Junkie Press: We have sadly seen so many music and art programs disappear from the school system in the past decade and with it the art of personally making music has been replaced with computers and programs to replicate the sound so easily. Did you have a strong music program when you were growing up? Do you have any thoughts on how the music programs benefit the youth?
Mat: I did have a cool music teacher when I was in grade school, and that certainly molded my already strong desire to surround myself with music. I believe that it is an important part of the development of our youth. Not only might it give the tools to make their own mark on the musical landscape to those so inclined – it would instill a stronger appreciation for the art in those not so inclined. The latter is important in my opinion, because I fear that the art form is becoming devalued over time. People will happily part with $2 on a daily basis for a Starbuck’s coffee, but the one-time sale of a song single at HALF that price is becoming increasingly difficult. I think education will lead to APPRECIATION.
Music Junkie Press: Do you have a particular songwriting process? When you perform, do you two have any preshow rituals?
Heather: We don’t have any one process when it comes to songwriting. Every song tends to be born into this world in its own unique way. We find it is best to mostly stay out of its way and let it happen how and when it wants to happen. We stopped trying to force the process long ago… we found it to be mostly unproductive. We just keep ourselves open to inspiration, and songs just seem to materialize for us.
As far as pre-show rituals go, it seems to change from us from tour to tour. There have been tours where we were adamant about doing vocal warm-ups before every show, and then some tours we completely throw that practice out the window. We used to religiously drink special teas before shows too… but don’t do any of that now either. We never really discuss these things, they just evolve over time. One thing that is constant is that we do our best not to mingle in the crowd before shows because speaking over the noise floor of the crowd KILLS the voice. We save that for AFTER the show!
Music Junkie Press: Lastly, is there anything else you would like to share with our audience and your fans?
Mat: We take any opportunity we can to thank our fans for the ongoing support in all our endeavors. Our musical journey has been a colorful and topsy-turvy ride, and we truly appreciate everyone who has been there with us along the way. It is that support that drives us in everything we do. Thank you!
Heather: And thank YOU, Music Junkie Press, for your support and helping spread the word about Dauzat St. Marie!
When you take a listen to them, you will be whisked away by the beautiful vocals of Heather accompanied by the melodic guitar of Mat. Check out their song, Time Slips Away here:
The song is off their recently released EP Falling Again which was produced by Dauzat and mixed by award-winning producer and mixer Ryan Greene at Validus Recording and mastered by Maor Appelbaum. You can pick up the EP on CD Baby and Itunes.
Make sure to visit their social media sites and stay up to date on their latest news.
~ Marisol
Information & Links:
- Website: www.dauzatstmarie.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DauzatStMarie
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/dauzatstmarie
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/dauzatstmarie/
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