David Poe photographed by Ronnie Smith
1. At what age did you realize that this was your true passion?
“16”
2. When did you really start pursuing music with laser focus?
“As a teenager. Never used a laser, though”.
3. What advice do you have for someone who is just starting out?
“If you’re pursuing a career in the arts, create every day. If you’re pursing commercial success, you had better be rich already”.
4. What is your favorite song that you've made?
“The next one”.
5. If you could thank one person right now who would it be and why?
“Mick Montgomery, the arts advocate and venue owner in my hometown who gave my band its first gigs. My family, who supported my early musical pursuits. All the teachers who demanded I do my best. And John Lennon”.
David Poe photographed by Ronnie Smith
6. Who do you see yourself collaborating with next?
“The Los Angeles Dance Project, which has commissioned music for a new work to be performed at the Museum Of Islamic Art in Doha, Qatar during the World Cup”.
“Brendan Hines. We’re making his next solo record”.
“Larry Klein. Writing songs with and for some great artists he is producing”.
“Blake Morgan. He and I are going on tour later this month”.
“Recently, I sang the first-ever orchestral presentation of David Bowie’s Blackstar in its entirety with saxophonist Donny McCaslin and keyboardist Jason Lindner from the original band and the Charlotte Symphony. I hope to collaborate with all of them again soon”.
7. What has been your most memorable moment?
“I don't remember.
Maybe it was seeing the Statue Of Liberty when I first moved to New York. She had her back turned to us. It took me a while to get noticed.
Maybe standing at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, by the Western Wall, Dome Of The Rock, within sight of Calvary. It is like the Times Square of Abrahamic faiths.
Maybe my first train ride in Tokyo. It felt like I had been transported to the future”.
8. If you could go back in time and change one thing what would it be?
“The internet”.
9. What do you do to decompress?
“Write songs”.
10. What advice do you have for someone who gets stuck on this journey?
“Read a book. Take a walk. Go to a show. Play a new instrument.
Read this quote from the dance pioneer Martha Graham:
"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique.
“And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it.
“It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
“You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep yourself open and aware to the urges that motivate you. Keep the channel open.
“No artist is pleased. [There is] no satisfaction whatever at any time. There is only a queer divine dissatisfaction, a blessed unrest that keeps us marching and makes us more alive than the others."