{"id":17307,"date":"2017-06-01T00:17:14","date_gmt":"2017-06-01T07:17:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/?p=17307"},"modified":"2017-06-01T12:46:25","modified_gmt":"2017-06-01T19:46:25","slug":"video-premiere-dom-kelly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/2017\/06\/video-premiere-dom-kelly\/","title":{"rendered":"VIDEO PREMIERE &#038; INTERVIEW DOM KELLY"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>VIDEO PREMIERE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW<\/strong><\/p>\n<h1>Musician: <strong>DOM KELLY<\/strong><\/h1>\n<h3>Music Video: \u201c<strong>12<\/strong>\u201d (featuring Emily Saliers)<\/h3>\n<h3>Dancer: Erika Leeds<\/h3>\n<h3>Directed by: Zak Washburn<\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9E7xiePiRj4\" width=\"660\" height=\"371\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><strong>DOM KELLY\u2019S MOODY, ELEGANT VIDEO \u201c12\u201d EXPLORES THE UNSPOKEN JOURNEY OF STRUGGLE, HEARTACHE AND ULTIMATELY\u2014FINDING HOME WITHIN THE FIRE<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>As the drummer, vocalist and co-founding member of the power-pop band\u00a0A Fragile Tomorrow,\u00a0Dom Kelly\u00a0has\u00a0released 5 critically-acclaimed studio albums including 2015\u2019s\u00a0<em>Make Me Over<\/em>, which garnered an Independent Music Award for their collaboration with folk icon\u00a0Joan Baez. The band toured with artists like\u00a0Indigo Girls, The Bangles, Matthew Sweet\u00a0and\u00a0Antigone Rising\u00a0while building their loyal, international fan base. Kelly and his brother Sean are two of triplets born with varying degrees of Cerebral Palsy. Their triplet brother Paul passed away when very young, which inspired them to form the band in tribute to him. After years spent behind the drum kit with his band, Kelly is now sharing his own songwriting talents on his solo debut album,\u00a0<em>Everything Is Just Enough,<\/em> for which he recruited musical guests Emily Saliers (Indigo Girls), and Lucy Wainwright Roche. He even toured with Indigo Girls this spring.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17316\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-1-headshot-cropped.jpg\" alt=\"Dom-Kelly-1---headshot-cropped\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-1-headshot-cropped.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-1-headshot-cropped-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>This uniquely creative video asks the question: Can addiction and recovery really be beautiful, even inspirational? Directed by award-winning filmmaker Zak Washburn, Dom Kelly\u2019s moody, elegant video for \u201c12\u201d explores these themes in a visual that reveals the unspoken journey of struggle, heartache, and ultimately\u2014finding hope within the fire. Set in an antiquated Southern home, Dom lives and moves through this metaphorical mansion: piecing together memories of love, love recaptured, and love lost. The clip also utilizes several segments of creative, contemporary dance that feature Dom and dancer\/choreographer Erika Leeds in an emotional performance that underscores the impact of addiction. \u201c12\u201d is an uplifting yet thoughtful piece that touches upon the darkness behind much of our reality, while still gently nudging us toward the road that leads to hope and redemption.<\/p>\n<p>We talked with Dom Kelly about his music, passion for songwriting, desire to explore music therapy, and his new solo album\u2014which is eclectic, smart, dynamic and lyrically unique. He says, \u201cPassion, conviction and artistry are the things that matter the most.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2><strong>DOM KELLY \/ A FRAGILE TOMORROW Web-Exclusive Interview<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h2><strong>with\u00a0<em>M Music &amp; Musicians<\/em>\u00a0magazine publisher, Merlin David<\/strong><\/h2>\n<h3>\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17313\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-2.jpg\" alt=\"Dom Kelly-2\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-2.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Tell us how the album, <em>Everything Is Just Enough<\/em>, evolved.<br \/>\n<\/strong>I wanted to make a solo album for many years, but always allowed fear to hold me back from taking action. Last summer, after a long year with a lot of ups and down, I decided I finally needed to go for it. I went into Low Watt Recording in Savannah, GA with my younger brother Brendan, and started making this album. It began with the song \u201cPie,\u201d and after a few months, we finished the very last song for the record, \u201cGreat Already.\u201d I started out imagining this project as an album of duets with friends, but it wound up evolving into something more.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did the idea of \u201c12\u201d come to you?<\/strong><br \/>\n\u201c12\u201d started musically. Brendan and I were tracking a different song when he started playing that main riff. I stopped what we were doing and told him we needed to write something with that. He and I sat down, wrote the music together, and the melody just came to me as we worked with the chord progression. I went home that night and wrote the lyrics, and the next day we tracked it. It\u2019s a song about addiction, recovery and remembering there is a solution when you sometimes forget. I\u2019ve been in recovery for seven years, and it\u2019s the most important thing in my life\u2014so it\u2019s only natural I would write about it. The lyrics actually came to me while I was taking some time to meditate at home. That happens to me a lot. I knew the song was deeply personal and really special. When I listened back after we did the initial tracking, it became clear that Emily Saliers <em>had<\/em> to sing on it. I sent her a rough bounce of the track and she wrote back really quickly telling me she loved the song\u2014and wanted to sing on it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about the uniquely creative video.<\/strong><br \/>\nThe video for \u201c12\u201d started with a thought on my end about centering a music video around contemporary dance, and director Zak Washburn took off with it from there. He really understood the meaning behind the song and took it in a beautiful direction. I\u2019m thrilled we were able to incorporate dance in a way that makes sense, too. I danced for nearly 13 years\u2014and come from a line of dancers on my mom\u2019s side of the family. It\u2019s an incredibly important art form to me. I was nervous to do any dancing in it, especially because Erika Leeds, of the Atlanta-based company Staibdance, is so crazy talented. But we worked really well together and I\u2019m thrilled about how that portion came out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How is this solo project different from your band A Fragile Tomorrow?<\/strong><br \/>\nMy solo project is different than my work with AFT in many different respects. I think it\u2019s pretty obvious right off the bat that it\u2019s more of a singer-songwriter record than a rock record. I listen to music that spans genres, and I really wanted my influences to shine through here. In AFT, we kind of have a pretty specific sound\u2014although it has evolved over the years. We\u2019re a high energy rock band with catchy melodies and loads of harmonies. I wanted elements of that on this record, but I also wanted my lead vocal to shine in a different way. I wanted it to be more acoustic based, and made a conscious decision to take more of a folky approach. There are obviously some rock influences on this record, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019d ever be able to lose that if I tried. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) But I took a different perspective with this one. Working with Brendan in this way was actually really incredible. He\u2019s a complete genius. Obvious musical ability aside, his approach to production and engineering is like nobody else I\u2019ve ever worked with.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17309\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-6-Everything-is-Just-Enough-album-artwork.jpg\" alt=\"Dom Kelly-6 - Everything is Just Enough - album artwork\" width=\"660\" height=\"660\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-6-Everything-is-Just-Enough-album-artwork.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-6-Everything-is-Just-Enough-album-artwork-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-6-Everything-is-Just-Enough-album-artwork-300x300.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>What makes you want to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI want to write songs because it helps me have a voice. I spent a long time not writing songs. Ideas, melodies, and lyrics would come here and there, but I\u2019d often dismiss them because I compared myself to my brother Sean\u2014who is one of the best songwriters living on this planet. I\u2019d put him up against the greats any day. He has a true gift for crafting songs that you don\u2019t see nowadays. You can imagine that as his identical brother, I\u2019d feel some inferiority. That\u2019s got nothing to do with him and everything to do with my own insecurities, but it\u2019s the truth. For years, I pushed away songs because I never could imagine bringing them to AFT.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How did your view of the songs change?<\/strong><br \/>\nI realized my songs weren\u2019t really suited for the band, and I could actually do something on my own. I stopped comparing myself to Sean and started to feel confident in my own abilities, realizing we\u2019re just different writers. These days, I have songs coming out of me left and right. I feel I can share my experiences, thoughts, and feelings best with others when they\u2019re told through song. Songwriting is kind of cathartic for me. I do it for myself first, and then hope others connect with it. Lately, I\u2019ve had Noah Gundersen\u2019s latest record on repeat. There\u2019s an incredible line from one of his songs that explains my view on songwriting. He says, \u201cThere\u2019s nothing more sincere than selfish art.\u201d It gives me chills just saying it. That\u2019s exactly how I feel about writing songs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>As a drummer, tell us about your creative process for writing songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI definitely approach songwriting differently than drumming. On the last AFT record, there was a song that Sean, Brendan and I collaborated on, and it actually started out as a drum beat I wrote. Over time, we formed the rest of the song on top of that. On my own, it generally starts with melodies\u2014that come while I\u2019m driving my car or meditating, and I\u2019ll pull out my phone and record myself humming them. The lyrics come mostly after the melody of the entire song is formed, and then the music comes after that. That process isn\u2019t true for all my songs. There were a few on my record that started out with me fooling around on the piano, and a couple of others were lyric ideas that turned into something else.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us one experience where something unique inspired you to write a song.<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019d for sure say that \u201cHailey\u2019s Gone\u201d on my new album fits into that narrative. After a tour my band did with Indigo Girls a couple of years ago, a fan, who at the time went by Hailey, wrote to me privately and told me that our album, <em>Make Me Over<\/em>, helped him come out as trans. We became friendly on social media and I watched how this person, not even done with high school, started the transition from female to male. Now he lives as Ben, and I was blown away by his courage that I was inspired to write that song. Most of the time my writing comes from my own personal experience, but in this case, I was deeply moved and inspired by someone else\u2019s story.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What songwriting tip would you like to offer?<\/strong><br \/>\nI feel like I\u2019m still learning about songwriting and taking tips from others, so this is a tough one for me, but just based on my own experience, I would say don\u2019t be afraid of being vulnerable and honest. I think there\u2019s a place for songs about pickup trucks and whiskey, but it\u2019s rare to hear people go to deeper places these days. Don\u2019t be afraid of writing about things that make you uncomfortable. As a music listener, those are the songs I connect with the most.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who inspired you to write songs?<\/strong><br \/>\nI would honestly say my brother Sean. Even though, I\u2019ve compared myself to him in this regard, he\u2019s really inspired me to write. His ability to craft a song\u2014from music to lyrics to arrangement\u2014is hugely influential. He has an ability to dig deep and write about important things in a way that doesn\u2019t feel contrived. In addition to Sean, I would most definitely say Joni Mitchell. <em>Blue<\/em> is my favorite album of all time, and the emotion she puts into her songs is transcendent.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17312\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-3.jpg\" alt=\"Dom Kelly-3\" width=\"660\" height=\"503\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-3.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-3-300x228.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>What instrument can you not live without\u2014that helps you write, record or perform?<\/strong><br \/>\nI studied music in college. I know theory. My Yamaha keyboard is important, but I\u2019m not a pianist. I\u2019m not sure there\u2019s a particular instrument or piece of equipment that helps me write, but I know that I rely on my vintage Ludwig Vistalite drum kit while performing with AFT. I absolutely love that kit, as well as the 60s Supraphonic snare I use with it, and I never want to part with it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What PRO are you with?<\/strong><br \/>\nI\u2019m with ASCAP, and have been since AFT\u2019s first album in 2005. They do great work in ensuring that artists, particularly independent artists, get what we deserve for the work we put in.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Top 5 Musicians\u00a0who inspired you to become a musician?<\/strong><br \/>\nThe Beatles, Neil Finn, Joni Mitchell, Richard Farina, Peter Holsapple<\/p>\n<p><strong>What are your Top 5 favorite albums of all time?<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>Blue<\/em> (1971) \u2013 Joni Mitchell<br \/>\n<em>Pet Sounds<\/em> (1966) \u2013 The Beach Boys<br \/>\n<em>Dulcinea<\/em> (1994) \u2013 Toad the Wet Sprocket<br \/>\n<em>Rumours<\/em> (1977) \u2013 Fleetwood Mac<br \/>\n<em>Swamp Ophelia<\/em> (1994) \u2013 Indigo Girls<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17311\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-4.jpg\" alt=\"Dom Kelly-4\" width=\"660\" height=\"366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-4.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-4-300x166.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about a time you recorded with a musical hero.<\/strong><em><br \/>\n<\/em>Recording with Joan Baez was probably the highlight of my career. We covered a version of a Mimi and Richard Farina song called \u201cOne Way Ticket,\u201d and it was an absolute blast. She\u2019s one of the sweetest people I\u2019ve ever known, and getting to collaborate in that way was remarkable. The late Mimi is Joan\u2019s sister, and Richard is my cousin. Obviously Richard died before I was born, but I grew up listening to their records, and I always dreamed of joining our bloodlines again to cover one of their songs with Joan.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tell us about working with Indigo Girls.<\/strong><br \/>\nLast week when I was on the road with them, Amy joked on stage that they\u2019re basically like my second and third Moms. I met Emily and Amy at an Indigo Girls show at least 10 years ago. I think I was 16. My brother Sean and I were probably the only male teenagers at the show in Kingston NY. (<em>Laughs<\/em>) After the show, we went behind the venue and waited for them to come out. We had already given their guitar tech, Sulli, a note saying we were friends of Danielle Howell, a singer-songwriter from South Carolina we\u2019ve known for years\u2014who was on Amy Ray\u2019s label. Amy got that note, came out, and we talked about all these people we knew in common. We had just made our second record with Malcolm Burn, who they had worked with in the late 90s. We gave her our record. About six months later, Sean went to one of her solo shows, and she ran up to him saying, \u2018I love your record. You guys are so good.\u2019 And we just became friends.<\/p>\n<p><strong>They\u2019ve helped your career.<\/strong><br \/>\nWe definitely credit them for us having a career in music. They\u2019re the two most down-to-earth, supportive people on the planet. The fact that they gave me shows for my solo record is amazing. I honestly thought I would put this record out on my own on Bandcamp\u2014for free or something\u2014because I wanted to do it for fun. MPress wanted to put it out. I was able to get Emily to sing on it, and all these friends to help. It turned out to become something else. I didn\u2019t expect to tour around it. It\u2019s just something I wanted to do, but I got some shows because of them. It\u2019s been pretty remarkable.<\/p>\n<p><strong><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-17310\" src=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-5.jpg\" alt=\"Dom Kelly-5\" width=\"660\" height=\"440\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-5.jpg 660w, https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Dom-Kelly-5-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 660px) 100vw, 660px\" \/>Best advice someone has given you.<\/strong><br \/>\nThis is a weird one, but when I was 14, AFT opened for Blues Traveler, and John Popper told us to drop out of school and take Vicodin. I admit I didn\u2019t take his advice on the Vicodin front, but my brothers and I did ask our parents to homeschool us in high school so we could go on the road and pursue a career in music. I\u2019m grateful we heeded that advice\u2014otherwise we wouldn\u2019t be where we are today.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Best advice you\u2019d like to give upcoming musicians.<\/strong><br \/>\nHave courage in your convictions. It\u2019s so easy to do what others tell you hoping it will make you famous or make you lots of money. If that\u2019s what you truly want, then go for it. But don\u2019t let fear of failure hold you back from creating great art. I don\u2019t believe you can fail if you\u2019re making art that sincere. It\u2019s no secret that most people can\u2019t afford a full time career in music, but money shouldn\u2019t be a driving force in becoming a musician. Passion, conviction and artistry are the things that matter the most.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s next?<\/strong><br \/>\nI just got done with a run of shows with Indigo Girls, and now I\u2019ll be working on booking some other solo shows while getting into the studio with my brothers to begin work on a new AFT record. I\u2019m more excited about this AFT record than anything else we\u2019ve ever done. Outside of my music career, I\u2019m in the process of going back to school for music therapy. I\u2019ll be getting an equivalency so that I can be board certified since I already have an undergraduate and graduate education in other fields. My goal after getting certified is to get a master\u2019s and eventually a PhD so I can do research in the field. We did music therapy when we were kids. I see how powerful music is and can be in helping people stay alive. Music can bring positivity. It\u2019s really inspiring.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Where can your new fans get more info and stay updated?<\/strong><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/DomKellyMusic.com\" target=\"_blank\">DomKellyMusic.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>VIDEO PREMIERE &amp; WEB-EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Musician: DOM KELLY Music Video: \u201c12\u201d (featuring Emily Saliers) Dancer: Erika Leeds Directed by: Zak Washburn DOM KELLY\u2019S MOODY, ELEGANT VIDEO \u201c12\u201d EXPLORES THE UNSPOKEN JOURNEY OF STRUGGLE, HEARTACHE AND ULTIMATELY\u2014FINDING HOME WITHIN THE FIRE As the drummer, vocalist and co-founding member of the power-pop band\u00a0A Fragile Tomorrow,\u00a0Dom Kelly\u00a0has\u00a0released 5 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17315,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7725],"tags":[9101,9102,9103,9104,6271,9105,4430,9106,9107,9108,9109,206,9110,9111,9112,9113,9114,5261,9116,9117,2294,3593,8922,991,9118,9119,9120,9121,9122,9123,9124,10161,7566,9125,2651,3010,9126,7978,9127,9128,9129,9130,483,9132,9131,9133,9134,9135,2692,2642,3818,9136,2591,9137,9138],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17307"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17307"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17321,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17307\/revisions\/17321"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17315"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}