*What Gets Us Stoned

Often times, when it comes to the music industry, the things that come to mind are women, sex, and drugs. Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers battled a drug addiction, (including extensive addictions to heroin and cocaine) which started at a very young age due to his drug addict father. Metallica front man James Hetfield was battling his drug addiction in 2001 and Ozzy Osbourne frequently mentions that he is baffled at how he has been able to survive forty years of substance abuse. 

Everyone has a story, something to overcome.  If anyone has come out on the other side, it is singer/songwriter Dane Estok. When someone is surrounded by drugs his or her entire life, it’s hard to escape that type of lifestyle.   “My sister died of a heroin overdose, my dad is a recovering crack addict, and my mom is nuts. I don't talk to her anymore,” the singer told me through e-mail. “But through all that, I've managed to not become a drug addict or ruin my life—something I can only attribute to faith in God.” In “What Gets Me Stoned,” a song off of his newest EP, Dane talks about this and what gets him stoned—love and relationships.        

Recently, Estok has been creating quite the buzz. The songwriter has been featured on popular blogs, Kings of A&R and Hitsdailydouble, and because of these blogs, he’s had a lot of great opportunities come his way. Glee actor Matthew Morrison’s manager has contacted him, Big Loud Shirt Publishing in Nashville (a premier Publishing company) and a few weeks ago Atlantic Records asked for some of his songs. “Things are slowly progressing,” said Estok. “It's a journey—nothing happens overnight in this business.”

The interview:

1) How did you get involved in music?

When I was a kid, I saw an acoustic guitar and knew that I was going to use that thing a lot in the future.  I started writing in junior high and have never stopped. When I was a kid, my Dad always sang while driving in the car. I would hear harmonies in my head, but I never sang out loud until I was much older.

2) Describe your music in five words.

 Semi-automatic Kind of Love.

3) Which band/singer/songwriter has influenced your music the most?

Rivers Cuomo from Weezer. The Blue and Pinkerton albums define my life. He is my musical hero. By listening to his music, I learned to write in a structured, yet clever way.

4) What does your songwriting process look like?

I resist writing a song until I absolutely have to. I wait and hold it in until a song basically unravels - both lyrically and melodically.

5) What has been the most successful moment in your career?

I'll let you know when I'm on my deathbed.

6) Your most embarrassing moment onstage?

I was in a band in college. Before one song, I tuned my guitar completely wrong using a tuning foot pedal and started playing. I stopped in the middle of the song and explained to the crowd that I tuned wrong and am an idiot.

7) Where can you see yourself in a year from now?

I want to be in Europe - touring.

8) What do you bring to the table that no other solo artist does?

A story behind the music. Musicians are a dime a dozen, but when you have a musician that overcomes a rough past and can write all their own music, then that is very unique—and I consider myself to be a part of that group.

You can find Dane’s self-titled EP on iTunes or check out the tunes here:  

http://daneestok.bandcamp.com/


*This article will be featured in next month's edition of Broken Records Magazine.