Interview with Singer/Songwriter Willem Dicke

Willem Dicke is a Washington, DC-based singer/songwriter whose original songs have won awards from Billboard Magazine, The Songwriters Association of Washington and UNISONG. He currently performs live music at various venues throughout the Washington DC metropolitan area.

EG: How did you know you wanted to be a musician?
WD: My mother bought me a plastic guitar when I was six, and I used to perform for my first grade class every week. I think I used a spoon as a microphone. I was living in the Netherlands at the time and didn't speak any English (we didn't move to the United States until I was seven), but I listened religiously to the Top 40 on a pirate radio station called "Radio Veronica" every Saturday, and since most of the music was sung in English, I just mimicked the sounds of the song lyrics when I sang for my classmates.

EG: What are your musical influences?
WD: The Wallflowers, Counting Crows, Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and REM.

EG: What is your song writing process? D you first write music, then lyrics? Do you even have a process?
WD: Melodies almost always come first. The verses and chorus then dictate the mood of the song, which in turn point me to a more specific theme and lyrics. My songs are essentially three or four minute distillations of some event or observation, a musical snapshot that captures a particular period in life that is set against the backdrop of a driving beat--something you can reflect on and drive to at the same time.

EG: What do you consider to be your greatest musical achievement
WD: Winning a number of songwriting awards, including one from Billboard, and being featured in several articles and television news segments were all honors. I also enjoy the medleys I've created of cover songs--combining, say, Usher and Simon and Garfunkel. But the greatest achievement was the writing and recording of the two CDs I released, especially the second one "Familiar Ground."

EG: Why are these CDs so important to you?
WD: The CDs are collection of songs that are essentially three or four minute distillations of particular observations and reflections of people, places and events-- musical snapshots of my life at the time. It gives those times a sense of permanence.

EG: What types of gigs do you usually play?
WD: I play as a solo artist, with a duo and with a band. I've played from small hole-in-the wall dives to large amphitheaters like Nissan Pavilion in the DC area.

EG: What have been some of your favorite gigs?
WD: There have been many. My band, the FBI, recently played at the Hard Rock Cafe in DC with the guitar players from the Doobie Brothers and Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. A few years ago, I played on the Georgetown University campus with another band I was in, and it turned out to be a wild night with hundreds of people. I'm not sure the surrounding Georgetown residents were thrilled, but everyone else had a great time!

EG: What do you like best about playing live?
WD: Few things in life surpass the raw emotion and passion that come from connecting with a crowd in a live setting. These transcendental moments--when everything is hitting on all cylinders: playing, singing and the audience response--are constant reminders of how lucky I consider myself to be doing what I'm doing.

EG: Tell me about your full-time job at SoundExchange.
WD: I work as communications director/editor for SoundExchange. The organization collects and distributes royalties to artists and labels whose music is played on digital media like satellite (XM and Sirius) and Internet radio.

EG: What else do you do in your spare time that is non-music related?
WD: I'm an avid walker--I love to put on my iPod and just go for miles. Sitting in the sun while reading a book or newspaper is also a favorite.

EG: What are your future plans for your music career?
WD: I'll probably record another CD in the future, but I just hope to be playing for as long as I can, since that is what I most enjoy doing.

You can see Willem Dicke perform live throughout the Washington metropolitan area. His calendar of events can be found at www.myspace.com/willemd. You can also download his original songs there.