When an artist's music addresses pure subjects like the search for truth, love and self-realization, it strikes a universal chord. People prick up their ears and take notice. Sparks fly. Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter, guitarist Jim Dugan migh [+]When an artist's music addresses pure subjects like the search for truth, love and self-realization, it strikes a universal chord. People prick up their ears and take notice. Sparks fly. Philadelphia-based singer/songwriter, guitarist Jim Dugan might just set things on fire with his astounding debut album, Marigold. As a truly gifted songwriter and storyteller, Jim Dugan's Marigold introduces an impressive collection of eleven original compositions that exude an undeniable positive and melodic energy.
Jim grew up in Rhode Island, loving pop and rock music from an early age. "To me, music has always been a language unto itself," he offers. "My childhood super heroes were guys like David Bowie, XTC and Aerosmith. I listened for hours to the language of music coming from these great artists.
"I didn't actually start writing my own songs until I left home at 18 and started facing life head on. That's when reality implodes and you begin to wax philosophical about all those real life issues coming at you, you know - like rent, dating, and keeping gas in your car; all the important stuff," he says. "Drugs and alcohol didn't work, so I gave that up and with much help developed an interest in spirituality, writing songs was a way to sort through all the disillusionment."
After high school, Jim moved to NYC, where he attended the Institute of Audio Engineering for two years before moving to DC to start a small studio business of his own. While working as a sound engineer, Jim also played in original bands, continuing to hone his songwriting skills. Opportunities to nurture his creative side were all around him. "My experience in the studio was the best musical schooling I have had. For about five years, I worked at Cue Recording in Falls Church, Virginia," he remembers. "While I was there, I worked with artists such as Shai (Platinum recording artist), Michael Faith, HR of the Bad Brains, DC Talk, and David Rose. I was fortunate to spend a good amount of time with David Rose. He had a project on CBS called Blue Rose, in France, but he was American. He returned here to the States to promote his record, we met, and started doing demos together. I loved his voice and his ideas, so I spent as much time as I could work with him on his stuff and my stuff. He
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