Today we’d like to introduce you to Dustin Cottrell.
Hi Dustin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was lucky to grow up in a musically inclined family. My parents both played acoustic guitar and sang daily. My grandfather, whom we lived with for a while, would routinely sit down at the piano first thing after work. Playing music was normal, natural, and socially relevant. I knew very early that I wanted to spend my life making music.
I took lessons on piano, guitar, and singing as a kid. I gained a lot of experience playing music in church. I made my first big strides, though, as a teenager when I began to study jazz piano. I loved the music theory behind it. I actually loved playing scales and studying chords. With jazz, I was also able to get an early start into performing professionally.
I studied classical and jazz piano at Florida State University, but I continued to play guitar and sing on the side. My wife Adrienne also study music at FSU and we began performing together as an indie-folk duo. We moved around a little bit after college and then settled in Marietta, GA in 2005.
Since then we’ve been doing nothing but music. I’ve played in Churches, Wedding Bands, Singer-Songwriter settings, original bands, and Tribute Bands. I’ve been open to everything, but recently have become more focused on my own projects…
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Music is a lifelong dedication…a constant labor of love. It takes my whole effort, and it’s anything but smooth. There’s always the challenge of trying to gain more mastery and artistic sophistication. There are periods of growth, but then there are walls and obstacles to be negotiated. I’ve also had serious bouts with tendonitis and vocal dysphonia. However, the biggest struggle of all I think has been simply choosing a path: Am I Jazz Pianist or a Singer-Songwriter? Do I want to go back to school and approach music as an academic or be on the road with a band? I’m slowly figuring it out; it takes the process of living to find out who you really are.
That being said, I’m thankful for the steady stream of experiences and opportunities. I like to say ‘I’m a leaf in the wind’. Every so often, I’ll get a call asking if I’m interested in this or that project, and suddenly my career will take a new direction. For example, out of the blue last year, I was offered a role as a hand double for a TV show about a musician, ‘Ordinary Joe’, so all last Fall I was on set doing these shots and sometimes live recordings on piano and guitar. I had no idea that would come up.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’ve enjoyed working in Tribute Bands because you can really dive into the details of what artists have done. I thrive on that kind of focused project. I’ve participated in Tribute shows to Steely Dan (with the band Yacht rock Schooner), David Bowie and Prince (with Electric Avenue), Amy Winehouse, Fleetwood Mac, Jimmy Buffet, Journey, Elton John, and others. In 2017, I started the band These Crowded Streets as a Tribute to Dave Matthews Band and 90’s Jam Bands. Usually, I’m playing keyboards, but with These Crowded Streets, I play acoustic guitar and sing lead, so that’s been a new role for me.
Perhaps, the most fun and special thing I do is a little project called Dusty’s Ragtime and Novelties. With this show, we play Rag-Pop stylized versions of Rock and Popular songs. We also have an increasing repertoire of really fun, irreverent originals. I’ve found that as a songwriter, my sweet spot is in a snarky, parody sort of vein. Composing is also probably the most therapeutic thing I’ve ever done. The first album is currently in the planning stages.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was a very serious and melancholy kid, but I had a goofy side too when I felt relaxed and comfortable. I was drawn to spirituality. Though my family was only vaguely Christian, I was the one to take a passionate interest. As a teen, I found my home playing music at church, and I deeply absorbed the Christian doctrines. Even while my inner spiritual life has become an ever-evolving personal project, I recognize that that upbringing made me who I am, and I’m thankful for it.
I was also obsessed with practicing piano…probably too much so.
Contact Info:
- Email: dustin@thesecrowdedstreetsband.com
- Website: https://www.thesecrowdedstreetsband.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesecrowdedstreetsatl/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dustysragtime
https://www.facebook.com/TheseCrowdedStreets - Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHzdcSbaEAzsv4sfiMw-Xcg/about
Image Credits
Amy Whaley, Carey hood
