BEING IN THE INDUSTRY FOR 30 YEARS, DEAN FRIEDMAN CHATS TO ME ABOUT HIS BRAND NEW TOUR COMING UP AND NEW ALBUM!

What are your names?
Dean Friedman

 
What is your genre of music?
‘singer/songwriter eclectic’: rock, pop, folk, jazz, country, etc…

 
Give us a little bio about you as a band and individuals.
Dean Friedman  first marked his entry into pop consciousness with the Top 20 chart success of his infectious hit single, Ariel, a quirkily irresistible and uncategorizable pop song about a free spirited, pot-smoking, vegetarian Jewish girl in a peasant blouse who lived, as the lyric goes, “…way on the other side of the Hudson”. 
Friedman scored again with the release of his follow up album, “Well, Well,” Said the Rocking Chair’, and the now classic hit single, Lucky Stars. This magical duet, performed with singer, Denise Marsa, zoomed to the top of the UK singles charts, going instantly gold. Lucky Stars paved the way for a slew of Friedman hits, including familiar radio staples such as Lydia, Rocking Chair, McDonald’s Girl and Woman of Mine.
 Friedman’s consummate songwriting and performing, have earned him a loyal international following, devoted to the sophisticated, funny and profound work of a master songsmith. 
“Stunning Musicianship” – Hot Press, Songsmith Extraordinaire!” – Music Week , “An Amazing Talent” – The Sun, “An American Classic” – Tribune, “The Soundtrack of Our Lives” – NY Times, are just of few of the superlatives used to describe Friedman’s powerfully unique and original talent.
 Friedman’s recent run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival garnered similar critical praise:
“Every song in this Edinburgh show is a classic. You won’t see a better show.” – London Theatre Guide.  “Sophisticated and humorous work from an old master!” Scotland on Sunday. “With his mix of jaunty ditties, sentimental ballads and bashful charm, Friedman is the pop troubadour of choice.”  The Scotsman. “Dean Friedman is entirely unique and utterly brilliant” – ThreeWeeks.
Though Friedman’s next single, McDonald’s Girl was officially banned by the BBC for mentioning the  tradename of the fast food restaurant, the irrepressible pop song has been successfully covered by a number of acclaimed contemporary bands including the Blenders (Universal) and top canadian band, Barenaked Ladies [WEA]. (BNL member, Steve Page, sings background vocals on Dean’s recent double album.) The song has become a viral YouTube video hit, and a staple of high-school and college a capella groups, around the world – including Harvard’s Din & Tonics and Yale’s Mixed Company – spawning more than 40 different video versions on YouTube; and now, three decades after being banned, the song has just been licensed by the McDonald’s corporation to be featured in a national TV/Radio campaign:“McDonald’s Girl”.
Friedman composes and produces music soundtracks for TV and film, including five seasons of Central TV’s hit series BOON and the soundtrack to the underground cult horror film classic I Bought A Vampire Motorcycle [Hobo Films/U.K.]. Other credits include Nickelodeon, NBC, BBC and FUJI TV.
Despite Friedman’s apparent absence from the popular music scene, evidence that his name and music have made a lasting impact on pop music can be found repeatedly in popular media: The British band Half Man Half Biscuit released a best selling EP containing the oddly titled, The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman. (Dean emphatically denies this claim.) Friedman extracts his revenge on his CD, Submarine Races with his song, A Baker’s Tale, the hitherto untold story of Nigel Blackwell’s dubious origins. With his influence evident in the music of contemporary bands like Barenaked Ladies, the Blenders and Ben Folds Five, Friedman states, ‘It’s nice to see my music has made an impact on a new generation of artists.’
Friedman  also produced and presented BBC Radio Scotland’s acclaimed radio series, ‘Real American Folk’, which has featured American Folk icons such as Christine Lavin, David Bromberg, John Prine and Steve Forbert.
One of Friedman’s recent tours was almost cancelled when it was announced that his tour sponsor www.goldenseeds.co.uk would distribute packets of cannabis seeds to the first ten people that purchased CD’s at each of Friedman’s gigs. The controversy was only resolved after Friedman promised not to distribute the seeds within 50 yards of the venue premises. (click to see Songwriter’s Cannabis Controversy). [note: it is legal to possess cannabis seeds in the UK as long as they don’t get wet and germinate!]
 
Friedman’s latest album is titled, ’12 Songs’. It’s his eighth studio album and one of Friedman’s finest albums, yet. 12 brand new original songs, lyrical soundscapes and story songs, bursting with life, love and survival in a surreal world.  Contains instant classics like, ‘I Could Fall For You’, ‘Malala’, ‘Then You’, ‘The Ducks of St Stephen’s Green’, ‘Something Right’ and more.
 
‘Dean Friedman is entirely unique and utterly brilliant!’ 5 STARS***** – ThreeWeeks Stunning Musicianship – Hot Press ‘Songsmith Extraordinaire! A Great Performer!’ – Music Week ‘An Amazing Talent’ – The Sun ‘An American Classic’ – Tribune …are just of few of the superlatives used to describe Friedman’s powerfully unique and original talent. This stunning new recording further confirms Friedman’s status as one of the finest songwriters of his generation.
 
Friedman, 60, makes his home in Peekskill, NY where he lives with his wife and Lola, the smallest dog in the world.   
 
Are you a signed?
Working as an indie musician for 30 years. Albums and tours are crowdfunded and supported by a loyal, enthusiastic international following.

 
You’re heading out on tour in a couple of days, what can we expect?
A mix of early chart hits (Ariel, Lucky Stars, Lydia, Woman of Mine, McDonald’s Girl, etc…), fan-favorites from the past 4 decades and new material from my latest album, ’12 Songs’.

 
Where else are you heading?
Ireland and France

 
What will the set listing be?
Still working on it. You’ll have to find out at one of the gigs! 😉

 
Where can tickets be bought?
All tickets and CD’s can be purchased at www.DeanFriedman.com

 
What can we expect from your set?
Classic hits, new material and the stories behind the songs.

 
The 40+ day tour is for your new album, tell us more about it.
’12 Songs’ is my latest fan-funded release and contains a dozen new original tracks with themes that run the gamut from love-songs to kite-flying and the physics of time and space to the 100th anniversary of Ireland’s ‘Easter Rising’ revolution and the flock of ducks in Dublin that survived it plus a song dedicated to Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. I consider it the finest work of my musical career.

 
What else can we expect from you this year?
I’ve written and produced a new children’s musical that will premier at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, titled, ‘The Legend of Finn McCool’ – a silly tall tale of GIANT proportions. It’s about a battle of wits between an Irish giant and a Scottish giant and how the ‘giant’s causeway’ came to be. Lots of silly fun.

 
What made you go in to music?
My mom was a singer and I grew up in a house full of music.

 
Who are your influences?
Leonard Bernstein, Gershwin, The Beatles, Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Randy Newman

 
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
The world around me – my life and the lives of my family and friends.

 
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
I enjoy illustration, animation and video production

 
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
Officer Krupke from West Side Story

 
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
You can’t play a wrong note in jazz. What matters is the note you play after it.

 
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and  just as an artist?
Trust your instincts and have fun.

 
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Relax.

 
Do you  have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?

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