The following is an interview with Dominique Arciero, a singer/songwriter hailing from Nashville, TN. Follow her on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Soundcloud – or visit her website for more information.
You can also buy her new EP “Second Lives” on iTunes.
Where is your favorite place to perform? Venue, city, state?
The legendary McCabe’s Guitar Shop in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. Maybe it’s the history in there, the instruments lining the walls of the venue, or the incredibly supportive and hospitable staff, but no place creates a better environment for the performer and the listener alike. I joined Sean Watkins in his solo show there and more recently had the honor of opening for Benmont Tench (of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers).
Who has been your musical inspiration?
James Taylor. Tom Brosseau. Glen Phillips. Patty Griffin. Many Nashville songwriters behind the albums of 80s-90s country I grew up on.
Who was your favorite band/musician when you were 16?
It’s always James Taylor – but I went through an Oasis and Natalie Imbruglia phase…
The lunabelles is a band you are/were in with your sisters
When and why did you break away to do a solo album? and do you still perform with them?
My three sisters and I formed our band in 1999 (I was 12 and the youngest was 8), but we’d been performing plays at our house and singing in old folks homes years before that. As The Little Women Band, we spent years making music together, performing and recording with various producers and then three of us eventually moved to Nashville and got a record deal with Sony. After we spent some time promoting our single on country radio, our label and manager dropped us before releasing an album. Soon after, we decided to take some time to work on our own individual projects in 2012 and my sisters moved back to New York City while I stayed in Nashville. After a year of writing alone, I got up the nerve to make an EP with a friend. I’d really battled with the idea of making my own music. It was a strange and scary prospect. But nowadays, I feel much more comfortable recording my own music and singing the songs I write. It’s a privilege to be able to share my voice and it’s also kind of a necessity for me now. I do, however, really miss singing harmonies with my sisters. There’s nothing more natural and comforting than that.
What is making a music video like? Do you give direction on what you want the video to portray? is it more of a collaboration with the videographer/manager?
I want any images and video that go along with my music to really feature another artist’s visual work. I definitely have ideas for visuals when I write songs (and I love editing video) but definitely prefer a 50/50 collaboration, merging my sound with the visual artist’s own special thing.
How would you describe your music in 3 words
That’s not fair!
How would you describe yourself in 3 words
Ever heard of the HSP?
What is your perception of the radio from an artist’s perspective.
The radio is wonderful thing… I listen mostly to A Prairie Home Companion 🙂
What do you want others/your fans to know about the radio?
I’m the rare weirdo who doesn’t subscribe to Spotify, Apple music or anything, not because I’m against it, I just listen to my friends’ music and vinyl. If I look up something new it’s usually on YouTube and then I’ll buy it. Soundcloud is great too!