Nashville based band The Danberrys are husband and wife duo Dorothy Daniel and Ben DeBerry. They recently released their latest album SHINE and it has been justifiably earning very positive reviews, including one from our good selves at Lonesome Highway. The album consists of material drawn largely from personal experiences, both painful and often still at the healing stage. Dorothy spoke openly with us recently about the album, the disruption caused to them by the pandemic and intimate matters that she is overcoming.
Despite having its release date put back to late July, your new album SHINE has already been receiving great reviews both in the U.S.A. and Europe. That must be particularly satisfying and uplifting in these uncertain times?
Yes! It really is so wonderful when people connect with what we're doing. We've hit so many bumps in the road with this album release, so reading (most of) the reviews has been uplifting, to say the least. Paul McGee wrote a review for Lonesome Highway that was particularly generous and thoughtful. Not gonna lie ... given the current atmosphere, some of the reviews have made me cry happy tears.
Notwithstanding the glowing reviews, I believe the album was created during a traumatic four-year period for you. It covers a journey from acute depression, through a healing process and appears to arrive at a time when your confidence is at a high point. Is the lack of opportunity to perform the material live at present therefore particularly frustrating?
In a word, yes. But we've also been doing some live streams, so that has helped. We've also done quite a few recordings for music outlets and other projects, so I do feel like we're still getting to perform.
A number of the songs cover issues that are even more relevant currently, that when you created them. The River Is Wide, The Mountain and Love Conquers War especially come to mind. Were these songs written with specific issues in mind or more open-ended?
We almost always draw from personal experience when songwriting, so all of the songs on the record (and those three songs in particular) are actually quite personal to us. There is a specific story behind every song - some experience or feeling that we were processing with our music. However, we've always tried to craft the songs in a way that they can be interpreted to mean different things for different people. We've both always been huge fans of the mystery behind lyrics. It's more fun to guess at what the lyrics mean than to have it handed to you on a platter. It's somewhat harder to write that way - it's like writing three songs in one - but the process is more rewarding to us and the resulting songs tend to be more universal and timeless. We use a ton of symbolism as well, especially for The River is Wide and Francis, on this particular album.
The songs on the album are credited as co-writes with your husband Ben DeBerry, with bluegrass player Jon Weisberger also getting a co-write on three of the tracks. Did you each agree on the subject matter for each song and develop the lyrics from there, or how exactly did that process evolve?
The three songs we wrote with Jon were actually songs that I had started a few years ago. I had a verse and chorus (at least) to begin with, and we just finished the songs with Jon. Ben and I used to write solo, so we each have a pool of unfinished songs in the bank. Jon taught us how to write together. He didn't know that's what he was doing...but that's what he did.
After finishing those three songs with him, we had learned to communicate with each other as professionals instead of married people (two totally different things!), and we had effectively entered the creative space at that point, which is that place where you've made yourself actively open to receive and it just starts flowing in. Most of the remaining songs on the album came easily after those first three co-writes with Jon. One of us would come up with a melody or a guitar lick and then we'd just sit down and hammer it out. I usually focus more on lyrics and melody, and Ben is better with chord structure. Ben came up with two of the songs, Rain, and Love Conquers War, and I mostly just helped him finish them.
You move a few paces away from your previously more acoustic sound with SHINE, adding a more bluesy and folky edge this time around. Is this the trajectory you see yourselves traveling going forward?
Yes and no. I think we've definitely left the acoustic string-band sound behind, but I would like to be open to bringing back some of the old instrumentation into the broader sound. It also feels like we might be leaning into a bit more of an Indie Rock vibe in the future. Only time will tell.
You have the legendary Darrell Scott adding vocals on The Mountain. How did that materialize and what other players feature on the album?
Having Darrell on this album was one of the greatest gifts. One of our producers, Marco Giovino, is good friends with Darrell. They had worked together on a few projects, including Robert Plant's Band of Joy. Marco sent the song to Darrell and he apparently really liked the song, so he agreed to sing on it. He's amazing. Can't say enough about him as a musician and human being. All of the other players on the album are equally spectacular: Duke Levine on guitars and mandolin, Marty Ballou on upright and electric bass, Neal Pawley on guitars and trombone, Tom West on keys, Marco (of course) on drums & perc & vibes, and Vanessa McGowan and Amanda Broadway on background vocals. We had an all-star cast of musicians and friends on this record.
As well co-producer Marco Giovino, Brian Brinkerhoff, who has worked with Van Morrison and more recently Carla Olson, is also credited. What lead you to them and what did they add to your music that otherwise might not have unfolded?
Brian Brinkerhoff called us out of the blue after our last album, GIVE & RECEIVE, was released. We didn't know him, but we had a mutual friend who had turned him onto our music. He said he wanted to make a record with us, so we asked around to a few other artists in town who had worked with him. We initially agreed to record a stripped-down, duo-style record at Brian's home studio in Santa Cruz, CA, but when we started writing the songs, it quickly became clear that these songs were not suitable for that kind of record. Brian had mentioned that he knew Marco at the beginning of the project, so we asked if we could possibly get him involved. We were beside ourselves when Marco signed on to co-produce the album. He's one of our favourite all-time drummers, and he brought the swampy tribal vibes to this record as nobody else could. He also hand-picked the players and provided the studio. He worked with us for weeks via email prior to our scheduled studio dates to get the song structures and tempos just right. Marco's impact on this record was huge and hugely positive.
You speak openly of difficult personal periods in your life, in particular dealing with and eventually becoming aware that you were struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Has that realization and acceptance been a weight removed from your shoulders?
In a way, yes. I was extremely relieved to have a name and a source for all of the "issues" that had been plaguing me, but awareness does come with a price. Awareness is only the beginning - the real work (and it's hard work) starts there. I remember feeling almost euphoric after discovering I had been sexually abused as a child. My therapist told me at the time to prepare for the wave of emotional turmoil that was about to unfold, but I didn't listen to her. I was just so grateful to finally understand why I had struggled so much with all of this debilitating depression, anxiety, and physical pain and numbness. But then the wave hit and a big part of me wanted to go back and unlearn everything - I wanted to push it all back down where it came from. But there really is no turning back at that point. I've come to understand that healing will be my life's work. I've had to work diligently (every day, every minute) to re-wire my body's stress response, and I’ve discovered over time that it’s something I will need to maintain. Healing from that type of trauma is not a fix-it-and-forget-it situation. The process has been much slower than I expected, but I’ve made it through the tunnel to the other side. The hardest part is over, and I’ve come to accept certain gifts that these life experiences have bestowed upon me.
Your life journey has most certainly generated the groundwork for striking and intense storytelling. Has songwriting been therapeutic in terms of dealing with these issues?
Absolutely yes. It's partly how I process my emotions. I learn things about myself when I'm writing. It's like I open up to my subconscious and let it speak freely to me. It's very healing.
Your musical career was launched at an early age, singing in church as a young girl. I gather this was quite a daunting experience for you?
Yes, I hated it! I had terrible stage fright and would be sick for weeks beforehand just thinking about it.
Many artists, like yourself, admit to suffering from stage fright, which often surprises the casual punter who assumes anyone getting on a stage must be bursting with confidence! What’s the magic formula for overcoming this, or is there one?
I think most performers probably have a certain level of jitters before getting on stage. At this point, I try to re-frame those feelings as excitement, and that usually works to settle me back into my body. The only way to get over it is to keep doing it. There is no better way of getting over stage fright than to get on stage. And to get on stage again. And again. And again.
The Danberrys performed regularly at The 5 Spot at Five Points in East Nashville at the weekly bluegrass sessions staged there. Given the seemingly endless pool of musical talent in East Nashville, how difficult is it to stand out from the crowd?
That's a really difficult question to answer. I think the only thing we can do as artists is to be authentic. If you're being yourself, telling the truth about yourself with your music, then you will resonate with people. Talent doesn't hurt (obviously), but I strongly believe there is an invisible magnetic force that emanates from confidence and presence, and you only have that power when you're being truly authentic. I think that's what connects with audiences.
Growing up near Nashville and eventually moving into East Nashville, no doubt you’ve witnessed the neighbourhood morphing into a very cool place to reside. Given the ongoing pandemic and the pressures on those working in the arts, do you envisage that musicians and others working in the industry will be priced out of continuing to live in the area?
It's already happening. Musicians were getting priced out of East Nashville way before the pandemic. Most musicians who move to town can't even afford rent in East Nashville, forget buying a house. It really has impacted the local music scene, but I do believe artists will find a way to make it work. We're creative like that.
Finally, having navigated and overcome some difficult hurdles over the past number of years, how difficult has the COVID-19 pandemic been for you both personally and professionally?
We've had our good days and some bad…some really bad. There have been a few moments where I felt like I regressed some years with my anxiety. Luckily, I/we have the tools to deal with it at this point on our journey, and we have each other and our daughter, so it hasn't been lonely. Professionally, it's been frustrating at times. Many plans have been foiled, but we always (always) eventually return to the belief that everything is working out for the highest good of all...a basic trust in the universe that has been hard-won. So even when our personal and professional plans fall apart, we take comfort knowing that something big is in the works. It’s easy to see if you ignore the news and start paying attention to the people around you. When we focus on our community and our fellow humans, it’s easy to see the beautiful transformation taking place.
Interview by Declan Culliton