{"id":3691,"date":"2018-05-14T15:00:06","date_gmt":"2018-05-14T21:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/?p=3691"},"modified":"2018-05-14T15:00:06","modified_gmt":"2018-05-14T21:00:06","slug":"kyle-donovan-a-modern-day-renaissance-troubadour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/kyle-donovan-a-modern-day-renaissance-troubadour\/","title":{"rendered":"KYLE DONOVAN \u2013 A MODERN DAY RENAISSANCE TROUBADOUR"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kyle Donovan Live @ Folk Alliance 2017\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S579UZ5mRtk?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Denver-based singer and songwriter Kyle Donovan is no stranger to competition. Who is this guy, anyway? His website says he\u2019s \u201ca singer-songwriter based on the Front Range of Colorado. He\u2019s also the singer and guitarist in Miles Wide, an acoustic rock band also based out of Denver, Colorado. But that\u2019s not why he\u2019s on our radar at the moment. He\u2019s gained our attention because as a songwriter and acoustic folk music performer, he\u2019s been selected as one of ten finalists in the 2018 Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest. \u00a0Previously, he\u2019s won recognition at the 2016 Rocky Mountain Folks Festival Songwriter Contest and has been featured in American Songwriter Magazine.<\/p>\n<p>Donovan stays pretty busy with his music, playing in several different projects in the Denver area, including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.summerlandsun.com\/\">Summerland Sun<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/theconstellationcollective\">The Constellation Collective<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.clandestineamigo.com\/\">Clandestine Amigo<\/a>, as well as the aforementioned band, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mileswide.com\/\">Miles Wide<\/a>. Suffice it to say, he\u2019s so busy these days that his hands aren\u2019t idle long enough for him to get into any trouble.<\/p>\n<p>His selection as a finalist for the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest presented the opportunity to sit down and ask Donovan some questions about his entry into the competition, what draws him towards folk music and how he came into being a musician, as well as any formal training it took for him to get to where he is with his music today. We also inquired as to his personal musical influences and how those influences helped him to evolve his particular style of folk music, and his approach to writing what he believes is a good song.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Wildflower! Arts &amp; Music Festival: What was it that made you decide to enter the songwriting competition, and how did you hear about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Kyle Donovan: <\/strong>In 2016, I met Bethel Steele, a previous Wildflower! winner of the Al Johnson Contest. Bethel urged me to apply to Wildflower!, along with other songwriting competitions. We traveled together to the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance conference in Austin, TX, where I became acquainted with lots of other songwriters. The network of support that I found through the Folk Alliance community has been an incredible addition to my career, and has helped to push me into a space where I felt ready to submit my songs for a competition like this one. I have to give credit where credit is due: the people in my life, who have told me they believe in me and my music, are a driving force in my career. I want to prove them right.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3692\" style=\"width: 1034px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3692\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3692\" src=\"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kyle-Donovan-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kyle-Donovan-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kyle-Donovan-980x551.jpg 980w, https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kyle-Donovan-480x270.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) and (max-width: 980px) 980px, (min-width: 981px) 1024px, 100vw\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-3692\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><em>Kyle Donovan top ten finalist in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest to compete at Wildflower! Arts &amp; Music Festival in Richardson<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>WAMFest: What was it that first drew you towards music and becoming a musician?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>As a kid, I was always singing. Choral groups, vocal jazz ensembles, barbershop quartets, and a cappella groups were a huge part of my life between ages 10 and 21. Around 8 years old I learned to play the violin. Whenever we had a minute to spare during lessons, I would sit the violin in my lap and start strumming it like a guitar \u2013 this drove my violin instructors crazy and it drove my parents to buy me a guitar. I think groups like The Beatles, who featured a lot of acoustic guitar in their music, were highly influential in my desire to start playing. I also have to give credit where credit is due: Mr. Jones by the Counting Crows was one of the first songs I ever learned, and I would not stop playing it for a few months after I learned it.<\/p>\n<p>Before I was ever skilled, I was highly determined to sing and play along to my favorite songs. In terms of becoming a musician, I made the leap in 2014 when my best friend from childhood told me to \u201cQuit my desk job or shut the hell up,\u201d because I was complaining incessantly about my first job after my undergraduate degree. He was the same person who told me that if he knew anyone who could make it in this life as a musician, it would be me. I suppose he\u2019s one of those people who I want to prove right. I quit my job the next month and went full-time into music, playing around 100 shows in my first year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAMFest: \u00a0Was music always something you were passionate about, and if not, what were some of the things you were passionate about before music: Sports, computers, hobbies, etc?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>Like a lot of kids raised in the \u201890s and 2000s, I played little league baseball and soccer, rode my bike around the neighborhood, and played video games with my friends. If I\u2019m perfectly honest, I never expected to be a musician as a kid. it always seemed out of reach or impractical somehow. The narrative surrounding work growing up was, \u201cGet good grades, go to a good college, and get a good job.\u201d I pursued Political Science and Philosophy at the University of Colorado, because I\u2019ve always had an intense sense of social justice and morality. I wanted to understand the world around me better, so that someday, I could be of some help.<\/p>\n<p>But as I entered the workforce after college, employed by a prominent environmental non-profit in Boulder, CO, I realized through my studies and work that the entrenched political and economic systems in place weren\u2019t going anywhere. For a while this caused a lot of anguish for me, and I felt unsure of how I could make a difference or do something meaningful with my life. Now, as an artist, I do feel a pull toward writing about social justice and helping the world through advocacy in my music. But my desire to heal and unite people through stories close to my heart is overwhelmingly powerful \u2013 and listeners often tell me how moved they were by my stories and songs.<\/p>\n<p>To this end, I try to spread a message of kindness and recognizing one another\u2019s humanity during my shows \u2013 that we\u2019re all in this together, and we\u2019re all really on the same team. In a way, I\u2019m grateful to have pursued the academic path that I did, because I might have otherwise wondered, \u201cwhat if\u201d or \u201cwhat can I do?\u201d Today, I feel that I\u2019m doing the best I can, by touching one person\u2019s heart at a time.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Summerland Sun - &quot;Can&#039;t Find My Way Home&quot; (Blind Faith)\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cygy4pi4i10?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>WAMFest: Do you have any formal music training \u2013 did you go to school or take lessons, or are you self-taught?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>I spent a lot of time in vocal groups as a kid \u2013 learning to sight read, use the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Solf%C3%A8ge\">Solf\u00e8ge<\/a> system (Do-Re-Mi), and most importantly, learning to listen. I\u2019m fond of saying that the same thing that makes a good friend also makes a good musician \u2013 it really all comes down to being a good listener.\u00a0 I spent some time in music classes reading off of a page, but by the time I had a guitar in my hands, I was sick of Do-Re-Mi and ready to have fun playing my favorite songs.<\/p>\n<p>I took a few guitar lessons here and there, but I\u2019m mostly self-taught. I spent a <em>lot<\/em> of time playing the same 4 chords over, and over, and over again until they sounded smooth. That same childhood friend I mentioned earlier (his name is Thomas) helped to instill a passion for music theory into my heart during college, so a lot of my playing is trained and thought out in that sense. I\u2019m a bit of a theory nerd, so don\u2019t get me started on parallel keys and chord choices, unless you want an hour-long diatribe about the beautiful interwoven nature of the different modes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAMFest: How would you describe your music style, and what is it that inspires or motivates you to write about something, a particular topic?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>I learned pretty quickly through playing in bars and cafes that stealing the attention of the room with a loud guitar and screaming vocals wasn\u2019t my style. I saw too many musicians try that trick and get ignored by audiences. My approach is basically to play my set, regardless of the venue, as if I\u2019m playing for a packed, hushed living room of 20 friends. At times, it\u2019s quiet and subtle, but it forces listeners to pay attention, lest they might miss something. I often play in other musicians\u2019 bands, and my style is much the same: I would rather play tastefully and subtly, at the risk of not playing enough, than to \u201coverplay\u201d and overpower the sound of the band any day.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m often inspired by events in my own life, or events that I\u2019ve seen people close to me go through. Love, loss, childhood, and the passage of time are common themes in my music. Songwriting is a sacred sort of ritual for me, and it often takes hours of quiet, meditative time to get just a few lines on the page. A lot of my music is from the first-person perspective, and I\u2019m interested in expanding that to write more from the perspective of others.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/7vaOfPBkDI4\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/7vaOfPBkDI4<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong> WAMFest: Who are your musical influences, and what was it about them and their music that inspired and influenced you and your own music \u2013 your sound and\/or style?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>I would say some of my biggest influences as a kid were The Beatles, Simon &amp; Garfunkel, and the Counting Crows. The tight-knit harmonies from John, Paul, and George really cemented a love for singing early on, and the same is true for Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel\u2019s duo. There\u2019s something so ethereal and beautiful about the music from both groups that touches a tender place in my heart. It\u2019s something I\u2019ve always wanted to replicate.<\/p>\n<p>Counting Crows\u2019 <em>Long December<\/em> was often playing around New Years\u2019 Day, and I\u2019ve always loved the descriptive, detailed storytelling that Adam Duritz puts forward in his music. His voice is an emotive tenor, but distinctly different from so many others. There\u2019s something powerful in his songwriting that I\u2019ve always admired.<\/p>\n<p>More recently, Anna Tivel has had a huge influence on my songwriting. Her approach on songwriting is like a well-crafted sentence. It\u2019s not too simple, and not too complex. Just enough is being said to support the sentiment, and it\u2019s being said beautifully. When I saw Anna play at Folk Alliance International in 2017, I cried my eyes out and got up the courage to approach her the next day. When I asked her what the secret to her writing was, she told me to listen to Guy Clarke, read a lot of books, and never to make a song 100% truth or 100% fiction. I\u2019ve done my best to heed those words ever since. Anna\u2019s my musical hero at the moment, and I can\u2019t get enough of her music. Please check it out \u2013 I promise you won\u2019t regret it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAMFest:<\/strong> <strong>For you personally, what are the best and worst things about being a working musician and songwriter?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>The best part of the job absolutely is the connection I\u2019ve found to a larger community. There are so many talented musicians and songwriters on the Front Range of Colorado, not to mention the incredible base of support and music-loving listeners here. Having a community of people who are so passionate about music is a huge part of my life, and I\u2019m grateful every day for the people that surround me. Moreover, I\u2019m grateful for the ability to make a living by expressing myself through original music and collaborating with others to bring their ideas and songs to life.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a real lack of security as a working musician. I\u2019m primarily self-employed, which means I\u2019m responsible for setting goals and deciding what success looks like. Maybe back in the \u201860s and \u201870s, there was a model for \u201cmaking it\u201d in the music business. Today, the landscape is very different. Anyone can make an album, and no one can sell one. I\u2019d say the biggest drawback to being a working musician is also one of the biggest advantages: You\u2019re on your own schedule, and you set the standard for success. For some people, that\u2019s daunting and even terrifying. I count myself lucky because I see it as a challenge, and I\u2019m driven to succeed by all the folks who believe in me and my mission. I feel like the world has my back.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0; width: 400px; height: 340px;\" src=\"https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=2967362174\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=0687f5\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" seamless=\"\"><a href=\"http:\/\/mileswide.bandcamp.com\/album\/the-kindness-of-strangers\">The Kindness of Strangers by Miles Wide<\/a><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>WAMFest: Where do you see yourself and your music in three to five years from now?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>My trajectory right now is sending me toward more listening rooms. I currently play a lot of bars, restaurants, and cafes which pay a small guarantee, but have little regard for the sanctity of an original folk song. In three or four years, I would be grateful to have more shows where I\u2019m playing to an audience who is hanging on every word. I\u2019d like to expand my skill set to being a composer and producer, as well as a performer. I run the sound board at a local coffee shop right now part-time, but I\u2019m working on expanding that into producing other independent musicians. I\u2019m working on becoming better at piano, and I\u2019m hopeful that those efforts will be fruitful in a few years. I would love to be able to fluidly accompany my voice on the piano as well as the guitar. I\u2019d also like to travel more \u2014 to Europe especially. Building small fan bases and pockets of venues throughout Europe has been a dream for a while, and I\u2019m starting to see it take shape in my mind\u2019s eye.<\/p>\n<p><strong>WAMFest: If your entry is chosen as winner, what will you do to celebrate?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Donovan: <\/strong>This might sound strange, but if I win the competition, I\u2019ll probably book a tour to celebrate. The accolade would help me get much closer to my dream of playing listening rooms and house concerts \u2014 and if I travel through Portland, Oregon, Anna Tivel\u2019s hometown, I\u2019ll ask her if I can open up a show for her!<\/p>\n<p>Kyle Donovan will compete in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 11:30 a.m. on the United Healthcare Singer Songwriter Stage in the Eisemann Center. Kyle is also booked to perform on Saturday, May 19, 2018 at 7:00 p.m. on the CityLine Stage at the 26<sup>th<\/sup> Wildflower! Arts &amp; Music Festival. Tickets available <a href=\"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\">www.wildflowerfestival.com<\/a> and more information about the contest: <a href=\"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/songwriter-contest\/\">https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/songwriter-contest\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Website:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.kyledonovan.com\">www.kyledonovan.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Facebook:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/kyledonovanmusic\">http:\/\/facebook.com\/kyledonovanmusic<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Twitter:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/kyledonovan.tumblr.com\/\">http:\/\/kyledonovan.tumblr.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>YouTube:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCrwG8aSyr0FIGNnW_N74iuw\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCrwG8aSyr0FIGNnW_N74iuw<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Instagram:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/kyledonovanmusic\">http:\/\/instagram.com\/kyledonovanmusic<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Denver-based singer and songwriter Kyle Donovan is no stranger to competition. Who is this guy, anyway? His website says he\u2019s \u201ca singer-songwriter based on the Front Range of Colorado. He\u2019s also the singer and guitarist in Miles Wide, an acoustic rock band also based out of Denver, Colorado. But that\u2019s not why he\u2019s on our [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":30,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,21,22],"tags":[991,881,995,444,986,988,563,982,425,979,987,54,992,994,980,863,984,997,160,996,30,990,989,985,981,714,983,993,635,29],"class_list":["post-3691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-al-johnson-performing-songwriter-contest","category-blog","category-entertainment","tag-adam-duritz","tag-al-johnson-performing-songwriter-contest","tag-anna-tivel","tag-austin","tag-bethel-steele","tag-boulder","tag-cityline","tag-clandestine-amigo","tag-colorado","tag-counting-crows","tag-denver","tag-eisemann-center","tag-front-range-of-colorado","tag-guy-clarke","tag-kjhk","tag-kyle-donovan","tag-miles-wide","tag-oregon","tag-paul-simon","tag-portland","tag-richardson","tag-simon-garfunkel","tag-solfege","tag-southwest-regional-folk-alliance","tag-summerland-sun","tag-the-beatles","tag-the-constellation-collective","tag-the-kindness-of-strangers","tag-united-healthcare","tag-wildflower-arts-music-festival"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3691"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3691\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildflowerfestival.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}