Nova Scotia born and raised, Ottawa, ON-based country artist, Dylan Holton recently released his single, “I Used To”. Just with one quick listen to the single, I knew this guy is going places. The song has been stuck in my head since. If you’re a fan of Brett Kissel, I would definitely recommend you take a listen to Dylan.
Check out the single below, and find out more about Dylan via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi guys! Thanks for reading in! My name is Dylan Holton and I’m a singer/songwriter originally from Nova Scotia Canada. I currently reside in Ottawa, Ontario with my beautiful wife Siobhan, and also the absolute core of our lives, our little baby boy Gadd! Along with my wife and son, my parents and sisters have been my absolute biggest supports on this crazy journey and I’m happy you’re reading in for the support as well! Before throwing a guitar on my back in my early 20’s, my first love was baseball. It took me to North Carolina in the U.S.A where I played for 3 years, including 1 year of semi-pro in Virginia, until injuries led me on the center stage. I signed a record deal in Los Angeles a few years ago and performed with some incredible artists, one of the most memorable being Travis Tritt, before headlining a full original acoustic show on cruise ships all around the world! Everywhere I’ve traveled, every word I’ve written and every hand I’ve shaken has led me back to my beautiful country and I couldn’t be more blessed to continue doing what I absolutely love to do; entertain.
Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.
As a human being, I’ve changed over the years. I think about this in relation to my music writing as well. I started writing poetry and lyrics at a young age and when I would put a melody to those lyrics, or put lyrics to a melody, I literally felt like I could change the world; if not for myself, for someone else. I started with a very singer/songwriter acoustic style, which molded into a bit of reggae alternative rock. After touring with my band in North Carolina for a number of years, that’s when the record deal came and I found myself writing for me again; writing with emotion and a true purpose. I felt my music become so inspirational for thousands, which was an incredible achievement for me. Now, after falling to the country genre, it’s been an absolute blast performing and writing country music! It allows you to write about the seriousness of love and relationships, but the very next track can have you putting back a few cold ones with your friends and that’s what so fun about it! I’m going to be in the country writing style for some time I just know it.
Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?
Each year I would average approx. 150 – 200 shows. These include everything from pubs, restaurants, private and corporate events, weddings, and the list goes on! It’s extremely rare for me to have a weekend off and some shows are booked over a year in advance. I’ve been blessed in this aspect. In mid-September, I’m performing Marvest – City Folk Festival which is always a great turnout here in Ottawa. August 30th I’m at The Mill Tavern in Manotick, ON, then Aug 31st at The Taproom in Orleans, ON. The schedule goes on and on and you can see all upcoming shows at dylanholton.com. With my live performances, I’m told they offer something a bit different than what people are used to hearing. I always cater to my audiences. There are times crowds want to hear the cover songs so I’ll give them the classic Garth Brooks, or some Chris Stapleton, but then when the younger crowd is listening in, I’ll surprise them with a blend of Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, and the list goes on. This, mixed with my originals of course always leaves people pretty interested in my approach and I love doing shows like this! When I have a full original acoustic show, it’s best to acknowledge the people in front of me for taking the time to listen to my stories and experiences. Nothing beats that.
If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?
This is a great question. I think if you asked a lot of well-known artists this question, their answer might surprise you. Artists have songs with meaning buried deep that maybe the listener doesn’t hear or understand. For that reason, I would have to say listening to one of my songs from a few years back called Weight of the World would be my answer. This song did great when it came to radio reaching #1 on the East Coast Canadian Countdown for a number weeks and also won Honorable Mention in the 2015 International Songwriting Competition a few years ago. But this is a song that goes deeper than just feeling the pressures of everyday life and well, I guess I’ll leave it at that.
Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/artists?
I respect Canadian Beats for representing and supporting so much great Canadian talent! Some of my favorite Canada artists…well, I have to mention our family friend George Canyon who use to live 5 minutes down the road from me back in our hometown of Pictou County, Nova Scotia; then of course Jimmy Rankin, Dave Gunning, and Brett Kissel just to name a few off the top of my head. But one of the most memorable would have to be Bryan Adams. I have to mention him because I got to spend some time with him on his tour bus a few years back and it was incredibly inspiring. Watching him perform for 3 hours straight without taking a sip of water has really set the bar for live performers.
Connect with Dylan Holton:
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