Atlanta native, Cousin Dan, is bringing his eclectic set to the Basement at Graveyard Tavern this Saturday, June 15 along with RAC and Penguin Prison! Not only is it going to be a killer show, but Cousin Dan has some awesome surprises in store! We couldn’t wait to ask him some questions about his music, his favorite gigs and his dream show! For a good laugh, check out the interview below!
What sparked your interest in DJ’ing in the first place?
Well, Cousin Dan is no DJ. That is a common misconception that I get from people that haven’t really experienced what I do. They think, “Cousin Dan is one guy, and he make makes electronic music = DJ right?” I consider myself to be a bit more of a performance artist/one man spectacle. I produce all of my own tracks and in a live setting I sing, dance, shred on guitars and synths, pop balloons on my mirrored cod piece, and rip phone books in half. Do you know any DJs like that?
You’ll be dropping your single at the show this Saturday. What makes this single special to you?
Great question! For me this single represents a transition for what people think about Cousin Dan. I have been playing shows for almost 3 years now and have built up a reputation of being hilarious and awesome. Some could consider Cousin Dan a gimmick or novelty act that is just fun to watch on stage, but I’m searching for more than that… With this single it is my goal to let people in on another side of Cousin Dan, a bit wiser and more mature side. Basically, I am ready to start writing great songs with lyrics that have real meaning to them.
What has been your most memorable gig thus far?
My most memorable gig thus far would probably be when I played Counterpoint Music Festival last year. It was my first experience playing such a big festival. The gig itself was not the greatest or the most well attended, but what do you expect when your slot is at 1PM on a Saturday? What I enjoyed about it was the VIP treatment of being an artist, the free booze, back stage/front row access everywhere, meeting other musicians that I admire, and getting real weird with my friends for 3 days.
How do you connect with your crowd?
Connecting with the crowd is a big part of what I do. That is a lot of why I do this in the first place, to in some way connect with people. First off there’s my appearance, I have a bunch of lasers and a light up personal dance floor that shoots smoke out the sides. Do you remember the mirrored cod piece I mentioned from earlier? Well I have a cut off sleeve mirrored denim vest to match it. Also, I wear leopard spandex, (“oh like LMFAO?” kind of, but they aren’t even a band anymore, so shut up about it ’cause I don’t even give-a-care.) Then there is the music and my actual performance. I like to moonwalk when I can get enough room, and the facial expressions I use when singing my songs are ripped straight from the heart. I let the girls pop balloons on my dick. I do a lot of spins and I can twirl a microphone with the best of ’em.
What is your dream gig? Venue? Lineup?
Picture this… It’s Superbowl Sunday at Madison Square Garden. Sold out crowd. The first half of the game is over and your team is in the lead, all of the sudden the lights go out, you hear an eagle cry, then Michael Buffer comes out and says “Lets get ready to RUMBLLLLLEEEEEE!” Boom, that’s when a spotlight hits a helicopter that is hovering high above the 50-yard line. All of the sudden you realize that someone is descending from the chopper, “Who is that guy?” It’s Cousin Dan, as I am being slowly lowered to the field some synthesizer pads start to swell up and I’m playing a ballad style guitar solo. As I am slowly turning in circles and getting closer to the ground, the song starts to build and it’s getting faster and more intense. The crowd is starting to go wild at this point, and when my feet hit the ground…BOOM! POW POW! Shit loads of fireworks go off and then hundreds of naked chicks start running up to me, handing me scratch off lotto tickets. That’s when a funky beat kicks in and a hologram of Michael Jackson shows up and he starts singing. MJ is killing it as always, but he lets me take over singing on the hook. Back to the second verse, MJ still killin’ it, but then the beat suddenly cuts out and all you can hear are these faint turntable scratches. Me and MJ look at each other confused by what is going on. The crowd starts to turn on us and I am getting pretty nervous, but the faint turntable scratches start getting louder and louder and louder then… BOOM! POW! BANG! twice as many shitloads of fireworks go off and a hologram of Tupac flies around the stadium and starts spitting some real next level shit rhymes on everybody. He lands on the stage and I finish the song with a guitar solo kinda thing. The hundreds of naked chicks from before carry me away while MJ and Tupac’s holograms start to make out but no one even cares, because homophobia doesn’t exist at my dream gig.
P.S. The scratchy lottery tickets were all winners..
What can we expect from Cousin Dan in the next year? A tour? New music?
I would expect all of the above from Cousin Dan this year. I am currently working on my EP, Ivory Sensations, which should be ready for release this fall. Once that is done I will be setting up tour dates and shooting videos and getting all the rest of my shit together!
Check out Cousin Dan doing his thing this Saturday, June 15 at the Basement at Graveyard Tavern! Tickets below!
