Micah Dalton
Living at the intersection of R&B, soul, Southern folk, country and blues is the music of Micah Dalton. The Atlanta artist is releasing his latest project, “Gathered ‘Round the Greasefire,” Sunday, May 23 at 7:30 p.m. at Eddie’s Attic.
We recently sat down with Micah to hear and talk about his new EP:
How is this recording different than previous projects?
In the past when I recorded I tried to take a production-based approach. This time I wanted it to be simpler and more song oriented so they stand on their own. Also, this project is very raw and the themes are more personal. While I was writing these songs my life experiences were dynamic and grimy. The music is influenced by difficulty and so I put more colored transparency in this project.
What does the title “Gathered ‘Round the Greasefire” mean?
I had this mental image of us symbolically standing around a campfire combined with the problem of a kitchen grease fire. The idea is that as we live in community with each other we stand there watching our houses catch on fire. We want everything to be fine but we aren’t putting out the fire. We’re standing next to each other ignoring the problem.
How are you evolving as an artist?
I’m more self aware of my art and music. You start out very ambitious and bring everything you can into your music. Now I’m learning to fine tune my music and carve out instead of adding on. Also, while soul music is still at my core I’m developing so it’s not derivative but it’s my own style and essence. My music is less a literal replication of influences like Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Paul Simon, and Linda Martell and more of who I am.
Why have you chosen to stay in Atlanta?
I grew up here and it’s where I’m comfortable. The structure of a big city sometimes makes it hard for people to connect but we are still the cultural epicenter of the South and Atlanta is a very satisfying creative outlet. With my multi-cultural background, it’s a good place to live with the tension between country and R&B and to be authentic to both folk and the black experience. In the spirit of the South we love the familiar but in a new way of integrating a lot of music elements that speak to people.
