Well folks, we have almost made it to the end of the year... and it has been a rough one for most of us. Hopefully we will have a brighter year ahead. But if we've learned anything through the struggles of 2020, it's to appreciate what you have, value all the special people in your life and to never take anything for granted. If it makes you feel better, Break Dancing is now an Olympic sport, so there's that...
Get To Know Anderson
"Yeah, so I'm originally from Champlin, Minnesota and I am based in the midwest. We have been playing and touring throughout the midwest for the last three years. We're trying to branch out, and played coast to coast this year - obviously before COVID hit. I got into music in middle school. My brother taught me how to play guitar. I took some lessons and he taught me some basic chords. I've always loved music and entertaining people. I was first motivated to learn guitar because I wanted to be able to play while I sang. Throughout my childhood I picked up and put down my guitar a lot. It wasn't until college that I started playing more consistently. I was out playing open mic nights and then started to write my own songs. As my love for writing and performing music grew and became more serious, I went down to Nashville to record some songs and all that stuff. And here we are today. Currently, I kind of do a circuit thing where I am based out of Minneapolis, but I'm in Nashville a week at a time to do some shows, write and record. I like to keep an outsider's perspective with what I'm doing. I love the people I work with in Nashville, but for me, if I were to just stay there, I would feel like I’d be in a rut. I like to keep a fresh mentality."
"Cheyenne" Pulls You in From the First Line
Anderson Daniels is making a big splash with his single "Cheyenne". He released it on October 23rd and it already has over 22,000 streams on Spotify. I first came across Anderson when I heard his song "Town Like This" on Instagram and instantly fell in love with his voice. As I posted the song on our Instagram page, it got a great reaction from other singer-songwriters, as well as listeners. That's when the light bulb went off... Daniels is special. Anderson captures a story as well as anyone with his electric voice and swagger in each note. The Minnesota native stayed consistent once again with "Cheyenne" from start to finish. The song has the perfect amount of instruments keeping the traditional country sound alive in addition to a cool “cowboy driving on the highway'' kind of vibe. Excited to see what Anderson Daniel’s future holds.
Inspiration Behind "Cheyenne"
Written By: TJ Christensen & Anderson Daniels, Produced By: Grady Saxman
"Yeah, so the idea that I came up with, I always loved growing up hearing the more western side of Country Music. I know my stuff is rock heavy as well, but I love that red dirt feel. When I came up with this idea, I wrote it with my buddy TJ Christensen. It's about finding a place... everyone talks about finding "your person" and falling in love and all that. I think this song is about finding a place that feels like home and falling in love with that place instead of a person. Kind of living that drifter life, which is similar to what we do as musicians. We then stumble across that one spot you’ve got to get back to. This idea is actually what “Cheyenne” is about. Most people think it's about a girl named "Cheyenne", but the song is actually about the town of Cheyenne. It fits with the whole western vibe as well. When I brought it to TJ, it took us a while to kind of explain that vibe. Then it finally hit and we got to work. What's cool is that he recorded a version of it and put it out a little over a year ago. Loved the song so much I asked if it was okay if I cut it as well. TJ was cool with that. We both really believed in the song and both got to release it."
Q & A With Anderson Daniels
Q: What was it like growing up in your hometown and what did you do?
A: "So, I come from Champlin, Minnesota which is outside of Minneapolis - like a third tier suburb. You go fifteen miles one way, you're in the country. You go fifteen miles the other way, you're in North Minneapolis. I went to a high school that was very diverse, at both ends of the spectrum. I always say I'm happy to have had that experience. It gave me a good understanding of people in this country and across the board. We were a small place in the Twin Cities and blue collar all around. I started working at a machine shop when I was 14 or 15 years old. This was where I really caught the Country Music bug. I learned the values, respect and hard work that lines up with the genre. When I was growing up, it was work every summer, spring break, winter break and that kind of stuff. I did the regular high school things growing up. I played football and basketball and yeah man, "home of the rebels" is the first line in my song "Town Like This". I knew when we wrote that song and put in rebels for the mascot I had to record it."
Q: What's one memory from your youth you wish you could go back to?
A: "Oh dude, I would always go up to my buddies cabin up in Wisconsin. We would drive a few hours and stay there every weekend and just be dumb high school kids. We’d sneak beers and cigars and things like that. It was fun! When you're younger, some kids are straight shooters that follow all the rules. Some get a little too reckless. I think me and my buddies hit it pretty good - with the perfect amount of both but not letting things get too out of hand. Those were some great times and we made the most of it. When you look back at a time in your life and say "that was the shit"... that's when you know you did it right, with no regrets."
Q: Who introduced you to music and when did you know you wanted to pursue it as a career?
A: "I’ve got three brothers so there's four of us. We would go places with my dad and he would always have George Strait, Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn playing in the car. That's where I'd say I was first introduced to Country Music. I even remember when American Idol was in its prime, around the mid-2000s. The family would watch it all the time. Music and entertaining is something I've always been around. My mom was a huge Mellancamp and Bon Jovi fan, so that's where the Rock influence comes from. I always knew I wanted to be on stage. Touring and being on stage is as important, or more important, to me than songwriting. I love playing my own songs, but being able to get on stage is amazing. I was fortunate enough out of college to have enough gigs and opportunities to play music and pursue it as a career.”
Q: If you could go back 5 or 10 years what advice would you give your younger self?
A: "Um, I'd say two things, just as an overall life thing. First, settle down a little... I feel like my younger self wanted so much control over everything. I had a lot of anxiety going on. I'd just say relax, let things happen and focus on what you want to do and what you can control. I look where I am now and look back five years and tell myself to just keep my nose to the grindstone and tear it up. There are so many learning curves you go through. Also, if I could have started a few years earlier, that would be the biggest advice I'd tell myself. For me it's a butterfly effect. I always talk about changing things in the past, but I'm content where I am now and with what I'm doing. If I went back and changed events to date, I wouldn't be here where I am now."
If you are just discovering Anderson Daniels keep up to date with him on Apple Music, Spotify, Facebook, Twitter & Instagram
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