Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Dalton.
Patrick, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started playing music as a kid. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything as bad as I wanted my first drum set. I shoveled my neighbor’s driveways in the winter time to save up for it. I’d have dreams about getting those drums and where I’d put them. I was just so focused on music I wanted to be a part of the world. My dad played guitar and I thought that was the coolest. I was also glued to my stereo and CD’s growing up. I’d raid my parents and my sister’s music collections and binge on them. I guess I was lucky that my family has good taste. Then when I was old enough to play in bands I just kind of dove into it. My friends all played guitars and I’d play the drums. My house was always the “jam house” (Thanks mom!). I went to high school in Austin TX and played in a metal band called “Exidium” (Latin for “destruction”…pretty freakin’ metal). I just kept playing and playing and practicing and practicing and I got into Berklee so I moved to Boston when I was 18. Since then I’ve played all sorts of music. Everything from Scottish pipe bands to Elvis impersonators to a hardcore band called “Lemanowicz” that was a tribute to Boston’s most rocking meteorologist Kevin Lemanowicz. After I graduated from Berklee I continued playing music for fun while I pursued a Master’s Degree in Music Therapy at Lesley University. I did a lot of work with children with various disabilities and adults in inpatient psych settings. I got to do some truly rewarding work in that field and it served as a reminder of how valuable and meaningful music can be for people. It’s a gift to be able to share music with people and I decided to commit my life to doing that. I wanted to get really serious about playing live so I joined a reggae band and a country band that gigged a lot. I got serious about learning the ins and outs of the live music world. I started gigging 3-6 times per week and started doing some national touring. Meanwhile I was learning how to be songwriter and how to write for other artists. Now I feel like I’ve (barely) got a grasp on things and I’ve settled into an original band called “Honey Talk” with fellow musicians Steve Bunce, Cody Nilsen, and Ben Blanchard. We all write and arrange the music collaboratively. It’s an incredibly exciting creative environment and I feel like Honey Talk is something that I want to grow with for the rest of my career. I’m so happy to be part of a group that creates the kind of music I like to listen to, and pushes me to grow creatively and artistically.
Has it been a smooth road?
Being a career musician is a truly beautiful thing, but it does come with a price tag. As the old saying goes “Show me a musician and I’ll show you someone who will do just about anything for $100.” That’s not actually a saying but it should be. There are always struggles in the creative arts. You are constantly pushing yourself to get better. You start to miss out on family time since you’re busy on weekends and traveling for shows. You start to really feel the strain of living with financial ambiguity. My beautiful wife Emily just gave birth to our son Bobby about 7 weeks ago so I value my family time more than ever. At the end of the day, though it’s so worth it to have a life in music. I work everyday but most of the time its work that I would gladly do for free. We put it together just fine and we are very happy.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Honey Talk baby! Our band Honey Talk is southern rock from the north, 70s rock from today. We are releasing a new EP in September called “Real Original Songs Vol. 1.” We write and play roots-rock. It feels so good to be deeply invested in this music. I truly love playing in this band and I love to share our music with anyone who will listen. We have a ton of fun composing the music, but we also take it pretty seriously. I hope you like it…but don’t tell me if you don’t. I’m sensitive
Is our city a good place to do what you do?
The Boston music scene is truly rich with talent and I’m proud to be a part of it. Of course there are other places in the country that have more “industry,” but Boston is a place where you can be a part of a world-class music scene. I truly believe we have some of the best players/composers around. Don’t believe me? Come see a show! Any show…doesn’t even matter if it’s us just go see some original live music. One thing that our city could do to improve the live music scene is making it friendlier for young people. I’d like to see college kids packing bars instead of dorm rooms. Lower the drinking age to 10 and encourage vaping indoors. Legalize cocaine and larceny and provide “selfie stations” on street corners. Seriously though maybe some shows that cater to the 18-21 year old scene is a good idea. People develop the routine of enjoying live music at this age. If they don’t pick it up then they might never pick it up. That’s seems so sad to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.honeytalkband.com
- Phone: 617-470-8213
- Email: patrickdalton85@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/honeytalkband
- Facebook: facebook.com/honeytalkmusic
Image Credit:
Photos taken by Chris Anderson
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