Still got the blues (and then some): Where Dan Patlansky Stands Today

Still Got the Blues (and Then Some): Where Dan Patlansky Stands Today

It’s late on a Thursday afternoon, and I listen attentively as blues virtuoso Dan Patlansky’s thoughts pattern into words. There’s a serenity about him these days, the kind of ease that derives from years of showcasing his master-skills on world-class stages from Johannesburg to New York, yet still feeling hungry for the next great note.

Patlansky is undeniably known for forging sounds that are raw, rare, and unmistakably his own. Now, having dived deep into an insoluble career, Patlansky unveils where he is now – musically, personally, and creatively.

1. The Evolution of a Blues Man
You’ve been called one of the world’s finest blues-rock guitarists – how do you keep evolving without losing the soul of your sound?
– There are staple ingredients that will always be part of the direction you take, the songs that you write, the albums you release, or the show you’re putting on. It’s like blueprint DNA that’s probably impossible to shake.

But it’s also when you’re touring a new album, for instance, you’re playing the same set every single night. What helps is that it’s an improvising form of music, so the song will come across differently every time, but the main structure of the song remains the same – and that is the driving force. To always try and ‘marry’ different stuff into what I already do, to make it a little bit more interesting.

2. Your tone is iconic. Is tone still a chase, or have you finally caught the sound in your head?
– It’s like a never-ending journey. A lot of musicians spend every cent they earn on equipment, always chasing a particular sound. It is a journey that’ll never end, never be perfect. You get maybe one or two shows a year where everything comes together, where everything presents itself like you want it to. There are so many factors, it’s not just the equipment you’re using. It’s the venue, and how your music sounds in that particular venue. It all contributes.

But the reason I think tone is so important for me, is because tone is like the vehicle the music travels on.

3. Songwriting, Scars, and Soul
What have the blues taught you that no other genre ever could?
– Because the Blues in its truest form is such a simple form of music, it is universal. You can, for instance, go to a country where they don’t speak English, and get on stage with your Blues band, and communicate. The Blues has that uniform kind of structure and form that goes across the world.
But to make the Blues sound interesting is difficult, because it’s so simple. So I think what the Blues have taught me the most is how to be a better musician, and hopefully an ever-evolving musician.

4. Where the Music Lives Now
Any personal or creative demons you’ve made peace with recently?
– It’s a weird thing – it’s like the demons are always mentally present when performing, writing songs. You’ve always got to have a different hat on. When you’re touring, you’re not worried about writing or performing music. But when you’re writing for an album, it’s like wearing a completely different hat. Within those two realms is that crippling self-doubt, the imposter syndrome, where you get these moments of supreme confidence in what you do, and something can take that away instantly. But it’s good, it removes arrogance and complacency with where you are.

5. Gear, Grit and Go-To’s
Is there a riff you wish you’ve written?
– I don’t know about a riff – there are many cool riffs, but often I’ll hear a song and imagine I could go back to before the song was written and make it my song. I feel more value in the songwriting realm than in the riff and playing kind of realm. I’ve got a very particularly broad taste in music, Blues is my first love, then there’s rock. I love certain country music too. For instance, there’s an artist that produced my favourite album that I’ve heard in years, and I couldn’t stand his music personally before he released this album. I don’t know if you’ve heard Post Malone’s new album called, F-1 Trillion? I don’t like every song on the album, but there are some songs on there that are so well-written and so well produced. That was the last time I had that feeling of, ‘man, I wish I wrote that song’. It’s exciting to have that inspiration.

6. Big Truths and Bigger Dreams
What do you hope people say about your music twenty years from now?
– I would want my music to not be dated, for instance, I wouldn’t want people classifying my music as, “such a 2011 kind of sound”. I try my best not to follow trends in ways of songwriting. I think, being in the genre that I am, it is a bit more, well, timeless is a strong word, but it’s more timeless than that way of thinking. I always think of albums and my music as time capsules of where I am when I’m writing it, and where I was when I’m hearing it in hindsight. Lyrically, what was on my mind, what was bothering me, what was important to me in that particular era of my life, and also what I was listening to and what my influences were. I just hope that, in 20 years’ time, when listening to my music, people still get excited as they would the day it was released. I’d like my music to still have that level of energy and excitement.

7. If Blues is truth, what is the biggest truth you’ve faced recently?
– It probably all goes back to realising your flaws, and how they’re holding you back in all these different channels in life. I suppose it’s just about coming to terms with them and knowing they’re there. Not just sweeping it under the rug, rather saying, ‘that’s something I need to work on’. For me, that’s been my truth, in a big way. Over the last two years there’s been, now transformation is a strong word, but almost like a lot of personal change, and not from outside influences, just from me telling myself what I needed to change. Those truths were tough to admit and tough to come to terms with, but it’s so worth it. You come out at the end as a better person.

From stadium stages to intimate clubs, from heartbreak ballads to scorching solos, Dan Patlansky continues to prove that the Blues isn’t just alive – it’s timeless. Wherever his journey leads next, one thing is certain: he’s still playing like the truth depends on it.

Listen to his music on Spotify: 

View his page on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/danpatlanskymusic

Visit his website:
www.danpatlansky.com

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