DUSTIN DALE GASPARD
SINGER/ SONG WRITER- CAJUN BOY
"there’s an alchemy to Dustin Dale Gaspard’s sound which will become more than perceptible once you hit play "
The Full Story:
Dustin Dale Gaspard hails from the rural southern community of Cow Island Louisiana, a landscape of mysterious rich marshland, ancient shrouding oak trees, and dream inducing nights/ days. The open pastures, whispering cane fields, and smothering earth tones offer him a creative canvas to color with the soundscape of his original music. His Atmospheric and cryptic tunes are influenced by the land that raised him. Gaspard’s simple upbringing granted a sacrosanct mindset to remain humble and grateful in all life's endeavors, but often feeling misunderstood he began exploring music as a safe space at 17. Having been a self taught guitarist and lyricist, much of his music is reflected by his childhood experiences, memories and dreams of his home. He was raised on vintage 50s/ 60s soul/ swamp pop, plus other traditional folk sounds from his area and an appreciation for acoustic instrumentation. Combining his love for poetry and respect for many intimate singer songwriters, his inventive musical perspective was born.
Emerging from such and underexposed area, in 2011 Gaspard had moved 50 miles north to Lafayette, the nearest prominent city in order to develop and perform as a singer-songwriter. No car, no job, and no home he slept beneath the safety of a bridge while couch surfing, and playing for open mics and cover shows in the area. After several weeks, he settled in with newly attained friends of the local music scene and focused on booking and performing shows while working several part time jobs. He released his first solo songwriter single “Same C” in 2015 followed by “Running Like A Gun” in 2016. Neither saw much success upon debut, and were re-released on a live record during a rained out Festival International. Still it was seen as much needed progress in Gaspard’s eyes and a testament to his little time spent in Lafayette.
During the following summer of 2016, a somewhat defeated Gaspard began experiencing extreme vocal troubles. His late nights socializing, unending performance schedule and string of poor choices with substance abuse led to injured vocal chords and a call for professional attention. His lack of proper singing technique, along with his recent life actions, permanently damaged his voice leading him to stop singing and speaking for 6 weeks. The two months following his complete silence, he underwent a vulnerable continuation of vocal rehabilitation. Though not 100%, Gaspard was slowly back to performing in December of that year.
Searching for new inspiration he decided to step back as a pure folk singer songwriter. In 2017 He began high energy Rockn Soul/ Funky Soul 5 piece band (bass,drums,sax,guitar,vocals) DG & the Freetown Sound in order to perform larger, rowdier venues throughout the south and continue an expanding role as a songwriter. It was a step in a different direction from intimate folk songwriter shows, exposing a new catalog of artists and performers, and allowing for a larger radius of networking for all of his music. In 2018 the Freetown Sound’s soul pop anthem “Shoulders” was released with a 10 piece choir and newly produced big band rockn roll sound. The following year would show great momentum for the project and included several festival performances and the release of their five song debut EP Microphone Inheritance pt. 1. Meanwhile, January 2019, Dustin decided to write, track, produce, perform and release his official debut demo “Porcelain Prayer Tapes” which were a collection of personal acoustic songs, written periodically on during downtime from the band.
Late Spring 2019 also saw Gaspard become the second recipient of the South Louisiana Songwriters Festival Scholarship which catapulted him into a realm of songwriters from all across the world. All four of his collaborative songs were chosen for the event’s showcase. With new influence and inspiration in his original genre, Gaspard began working on a full length solo record. He gained support from fellow Irish songwriter Brian Deady (Lucifer Season 3: “Get On My Knees”), who he opened for during a short tour in Ireland November/ December 2019. Simultaneously Gaspard released two new singles “Porcelain Dreams” (the lead up to full length record “The Reader the Lover”) and “Orchestral Heart” (“In Callow Comfort” EP January 2020) the latter written during his time in Ireland. Upon his return, DG & the Freetown Sound saw their second largest performance of the year opening for regionally famous recording artist Marc Broussard and a crowd of 1000+ at Rock n Bowl Lafayette.
Looking briefly to the future Gaspard intends on having several studio releases including DG & the Freetown Sounds “Microphone Inheritance pt. 2” and solo EP “In Callow Comfort”, both nearing their completion currently. New Orleans’ Folk Alliance International hosts Dustin Dale Gaspard during The Blackpot/ Lafayette Louisiana showcase in January 2020.
"If you’re looking for a new serene acoustic guitar-led soundscape to surrender your consciousness to, up and coming artist Dustin Dale Gaspard’s latest single “Porcelain Dreams” comes highly recommended.
Porcelain Dreams finds the perfect balance between Indie, Folk, and Shoegaze to offer a bluesy, soulful and intrinsically melodic soundscape. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call the US-based 6-piece’s latest offering of Ambient Americana one of the most mesmeric soundscapes we’ve heard this year. Many similar downtempo singles all too easily fall flat and into the realms of pedestrianism, but there’s an alchemy to Dustin Dale Gaspard’s sound which will become more than perceptible once you hit play on their latest release"
-AnR Music Factory
Based in Lafayette, Dustin Dale Gaspard is both Alt. Folk Songwriter and front man/ vocalist for Rock N Soul group DG and The Freetown Sound. He has prided himself on conviction of live performance, clever cryptic lyricism and an always evolving songwriting style. From howling vocal ambiance of solo tunes like "Porcelain Dreams", to other creative, yet simple folk driven tunes, "Widower & The Water", his writing reveals a variety of range. Drawing influence from Colorado songwriter's Gregory Alan Isakov, and Nathaniel Rateliffe, Gaspard focuses on sharing tales and sustaining soul touching live performances. With new age roots on the rise Gaspard looks to make his mark for any listener willing to dance to his vision. "Porcelain Prayer Tapes" is the first official demo release. Other influential artists include: Matt Corby, Josh Garrels, Ben Howard and Ray Lamontagne