Kurt Dahl is lawyerdrummer

ep6 – Kurt Dahl is lawyerdrummer

[00:00:00] I think if there’s one thing that everyone can use more of, it’s free legal advice. So, disclaimer about this episode, I totally did not ply our guest for free legal advice. I don’t want to turn you away if that’s what you’re hoping for. I. But you’re gonna find out anyway, right? I’m not sure. The expectation was if you bring a lawyer on your podcast that you’re going to attempt to get some free legal advice from them, or that you will carefully disguise your leading questions to sneak out some free legal advice.

Okay? I might have done that a little bit and honestly, kind of hoping the game respects game here. but Kurt Dahl is an entertainment lawyer by day. Drummer in the Canadian rock band, One Bad Son by night. Yes, it sounds a little superhero “ish” Kurt references Superman. But we all know this is Daredevil, right?

Like this is totally Daredevil if the lawyer by day swapped the suit and the case [00:01:00] notes for drumsticks and ripped jeans instead of a skin tight red body suit with cute horns. Yeah, he’s the rock and roll Daredevil, and I really hope he agrees. One Bad Son recently celebrated 20 years accomplishing five top 10 singles and a number one in Canada, and a long list of touring and appearances.

Opening for the biggest names in rock and roll. Rolling Stones being all you need to say there. He has been practicing law since 2010 and balanced both demanding careers alongside building a family with his wife in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. My name is Glen Erickson. This is almost famous enough. Thanks for spending your time with us.

This is Kurt Dahl.[00:02:00]

Glen Erickson: Well, first of all, Kurt Dahl, uh, thank you so much for spending some time, uh, with me here and in some conversation. And this is our first time actually. meeting.

Kurt Dahl: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: that’s really, that’s really cool to me. I’ve known about you for, uh, quite a while. I think maybe going back to 2016, I’m thinking maybe when you, um, I think when you became president of Sask Music, the provincial association, I was a former, past president, past chair of Alberta Music.

So, and stayed involved. So, so little common ground to start on. And, I know that that’s when, I started sort of. being more aware and knowing who you are. But, yeah, I appreciate the time. I’m doing this podcast about the life pursuing the dream and all the different things it looks like. And, and I knew when I was first conceiving a list of guests, I knew I wanted to talk to you for obvious reasons.

You’ve done a lot of great work. You’ve done a lot of great work as a lawyer [00:03:00] in the entertainment business. And obviously you’ve been an active musician with a career, uh, which is, uh, incredibly unique. And so I’m sure lots of people come and ask you to talk about that, but, uh, I just think you most likely have some great behind the veil insights, for everybody about the business and if it’s okay, we’ll just organically see where that goes.

Kurt Dahl: Yeah, I love it, man. And honestly, yeah, I, I do feel, I feel lucky that I get to do sort of both have a foot in both careers, you know? And, um, yeah, I don’t take it for granted, that’s for sure.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, well, let’s, let’s start. Right at that point with you adopting the moniker and running with lawyer drummer, you know, which is, you know, your social handles, I think it’s so great, right? Because I mean, there’s lots of people who might have spent the majority of their adult careers in a duality.

Maybe there’s a plumber painter, but. They don’t probably, you know what I mean? Like grab the handle or something and run with it that [00:04:00] way. And that’s, uh, the on the nose thing has really worked, for you. So I’m, I’m definitely going to be interested in seeing what that has looked like over the course of time.

with where you’re at right now, entering 2025, what, which side of those two is, uh, grabbing the greater share?

Kurt Dahl: you know, honestly, I think now at this stage in my life, the le the lawyer side takes up more time, right? I mean more, more bandwidth. But that doesn’t mean it’s. I get less enjoyment or fulfillment from the music side. Cause to me, you know, the music side, I guess the good way to put it is it takes up less of my overall time, but gives me so much joy, you know what I mean?

So it’s like, uh, I’m so lucky that I still have that. Right. So for example, I mean, to go back a few years, um, you know, in say 20, well, probably the time you heard of. Heard of me the first time 2016 around that time. I mean, one [00:05:00] bad son was touring like eight, nine months of the year. Um, you know, we had, we’re, I just lost memory on Facebook.

Like we were the ninth most played band, uh, on Canadian rock radio. So we were, that’s a reflection of just how much we were touring, right. How much work we’re putting in at that point. And this is, so I guess, yeah, 2016, let’s say, I was, you know, burning the candles, burning the candle at both ends and gone all the time.

And, and, you know, while I loved it, I mean, music was just the, the, the, the main focus or took up more of the bandwidth. It’s also like incredibly, incredibly demanding, right, to be on the road that much. And, it’s hard enough if you’re, if you don’t have like a family at home, but, but I do. So, um, yeah. So I guess fast forward to now, like I would not want, I would not want to be on the road nine months of the year, even if

Glen Erickson: Yeah,

Kurt Dahl: if things were going amazing, I still. You know, I love my kids too much. I love my wife too much. So,

Glen Erickson: especially knowing the [00:06:00] ebb and flow, right? Like, so the music career is peaks and valleys and cycles, right? Whereas, you know, a full time job, like, well, any full time job, I would consider, especially a lawyer, work is pretty steady, pretty steady, offering of work. So, I can see, How that gets, you said, like, let’s jump back.

So I’m going to ask to jump well, before I jump all the way back, cause I do want to jump all the way back with you and then start going. But, Let’s just go back to the name Lawyer Drummer really quick. So how did you decide, start, I mean, I’m sure you knew you were living, you’ve been living in a duality since, you know, since you started pursuing all of this and deciding that you could, you could actually pull this off.

So when did that, when did you decide you needed to sort of hang on that brand? I’m just really curious about it. Yep.

Kurt Dahl: enough, in the early days, I tried to keep the two sort of identities separate from each other and keep them sort of secret from each [00:07:00] other almost. Right. I didn’t want people because at the time I was, I was, I hadn’t, I was a nobody on both sides of those equations.

I wasn’t proven as a lawyer and we hadn’t, I had, I wasn’t proven as a musician. We hadn’t had our first real success yet. So I didn’t let people in the legal world know that I was a musician and in the music world, I didn’t want to tell people I was a lawyer. Cause you know, to most musicians, lawyers aren’t very cool, you know? So, So I kind of kept them secret from each other and then both kind of ironically, I guess, started to happen around the same time, started to create a buzz around the same time that was around, I mean, I guess 2012 we had our first breakthrough with Scarecrows as our first single. and then around that time, I had been working my ass off in Vancouver as an entertainment lawyer, and, you know, I was just living and breathing the music biz, and I was obsessed with entertainment law and becoming the best entertainment lawyer in the country, so I started to get a name for myself there. And then I was trying to keep the two [00:08:00] identities separate, but people are like, Hey, aren’t you the guy that, you know, we just interviewed for this about your band and now you’re, we’re doing this thing about the lawyer side. And so I just, at one point there was an article written in, in Saskatoon and it was by a late great dear friend of mine named Cam Fuller, and he was a journalist here in Saskatoon and he wrote this article and he sort of coined the term.

It’s, it’s lawyer drummer, almost like a, like a superhero, you know? Um, And so, so myself and the band and my wife had a good chuckle. It’s like, Hey, lawyer drummer, you know, it sounds like, you know, like it has that Clark Kent sort of Superman vibe. So then I just like, you know what, I’m just going to stop pretending to be something.

I’m not, I’m both those things. Right. I’m. Like you said, we often have dualities. Sometimes we embrace them, sometimes we don’t, but that’s who I am. I’m a lawyer who also is a long haired rock and roll drummer. Um, and I happen to be really passionate about both.

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: I embraced it and that was probably around that time, [00:09:00] like 2012

Glen Erickson: Okay.

Kurt Dahl: yeah.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, that authentic admission is, I think that’s pretty significant to a lot of things we talk about with developing artists, right? Or people coming up in the way we would like to give advice. Now, Because you’re right, I, I, there’s lots of opportunities to be unsure about that, but I guess part of my whole passion project of creating this podcast and trying to pull the veil back is making it so obvious and clear how there is no one same path that all of us follow to keep our feet on the ground.

In the music business when we love it so much. And, you know, and, and you sort of just gave a perfect example of that. I, I’m going to be completely honest with you. There was this part of me that really, there’s a nerd and a geographical history, part of me that wondered if there was any impetus that you needed to sort of set yourself apart, a lawyer drummer, because, I honestly had you confused with Kurt [00:10:00] Dahl.

Kurt Dahl: Ha

Glen Erickson: And I, I know about your reaction. You’ve heard this so many times.

Kurt Dahl: other Kurtal,

Glen Erickson: What are the F and Ods of a Kurt Dahl, but with an E at the end? So nobody would know the silent E at the end of his from Regina, Saskatchewan. So I, I spent most of my teenage and college years in Regina. So that’s a significant developmental upbringing out of, Regina.

So, and I was like a massive limb lifter and new pornographers guy. So in the early 2000s, so very familiar with the name. So when I first started hearing your name, I literally, of course. Assumed that Kurt Dahl, the drummer from Limblifter, I mean, it’s a drummer too, like, like how, like, what are the odds?

You’re both from the prairies. You’re both drummers. Um, I just thought that was crazy.

Kurt Dahl: And both moved to Vancouver. Cause so I like, so

Glen Erickson: Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Kurt Dahl: like three multiple layers of confusion. And I remember, and yeah, and good point. I mean, looking back, I didn’t, [00:11:00] the lawyer drummer alias, it had nothing to do with that because people still, I want people to still know my name, right.

Cause people,

Glen Erickson: Mm

Kurt Dahl: people, as soon as they go to my page, it’s like lawyer drummer is Kurt doll, whatever. But, but it’s a good point, like maybe subconsciously, but it’s a quick funny story. in the early days in Vancouver, again, through my website, through my socials, I always encourage people to reach out and call me or email me, you know, and. Which resulted, especially in the early days, getting some really weird calls. And I used to foolishly pick them up at all hours to be like, to

Glen Erickson: hmm. Ha

Kurt Dahl: I always wanted to give back and help out. So it was all good. But I remember I got this call one time. It was like, you know, 9 PM on a Friday.

My wife and I were having dinner at, our apartment in Vancouver. And I get this call and he, he’s like, Hey, Curt, like I, I got, I’m a musician. I got this questions. And I said, I’m a big fan of you. And And I love your band and stuff. So I’m, I’m thinking he knows one bad son and I give him like probably way too, way too much of my [00:12:00] time, but I gave him like maybe half an hour of free legal advice and then at the end of the closet.

Yeah, man, thanks so much. That’s so helpful. And he’s like, do you remember the time that you and I did acid back in 89?

Glen Erickson: ha ha ha.

Kurt Dahl: And I

Glen Erickson: Oh my gosh.

Kurt Dahl: was, I was eight years old in 89. I think, I think you’ve got me confused with the other. So, there’s been many calls like that where people, yeah, obviously get the wrong Kurt.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, I mean, that’s, that’s a real pain in the ass for anybody, I’m sure. But you seem to, by your demeanor have, uh, rolled it off your shoulder pretty easily, uh, Or at least that’s how or or you’re really good at putting on a face and I brought it up and you’re going to go home to your wife. But

Kurt Dahl: and, and I’m a fan. Like I’m a fan, like, like you said, I was a big limb lifter fan, agent electric, even new pornographers. So and I have met a couple of times. We, we got a photo together. This was again, back when I lived in van at some cool, like [00:13:00] music venue, I forget what it was called, you know, the railway club or something, but, um,

Glen Erickson: that’s the classic mover. Yeah,

Kurt Dahl: So we’re there and people are like, it’s the two Kurt dolls.

Let’s get a photo, you know? And, he was cool about it. And he’s, he, he, he said something interesting. He’s like, what’d he say? He’s like, people keep asking, calling me for legal advice. Yeah.

Glen Erickson: starts for you in like 2004, right? Which is you’re, you’re, you’re It looks like you got your undergrad in 2004 and you start writing songs with your buddies and, and deciding you’re going to start making music under that, you know, formation, which I’m sure you had been playing drums for a long time beforehand and maybe had some different iterations and attempts with, with, with people, but that’s sort of when everything Begins to take off for you, right?

Like 2004 South Katoon was that you had your [00:14:00] undergrad. I mean, it’s, it’s interesting timing. I guess the question for me always is, were you thinking what was, what was the end goal? What did you think was going to happen? Was it like, I need to make the rockstar thing happen. And this is a, I guess a lot of people use the term fallback, or were you always convinced you were going to try to like grow both things at the same time?

Or what was. What was the focus kind of in that real young, like, initial stage?

Kurt Dahl: Yeah, good question, man. I mean, honestly, if I’m being totally honest, like, yeah, I, I, I wanted to become a rock star for sure. you know, and we always joke Shane and I in one bad sound, like we always, we started in oh four, we thought we’d have like a record deal by like, oh five, you know, we thought we’d a major

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: by oh six, you know, and, we wanted to, we wrote songs that, thought, you know, we’re meant for arenas and eventually we got there.

It just took us, you know, 15 years. But, um, know, and I think the law thing, I wouldn’t say it was [00:15:00] a backup. I mean, you know, I read so many biographies of all my idols, all the rock star biographies, and. The common was they all got screwed over by someone in a suit. You know, they got screwed over by someone a contract.

Right. And so I did, I do recall clearly, and it’s funny what you remember, what you don’t, but I remember thinking if I could become like a long haired lawyer who represented and saved all the musicians from those shitty contracts, That’d be a pretty cool career. I didn’t think about the money. I didn’t really care.

I mean, I didn’t come from money and I was naively, you know, that, that was not a driving factor. It was just like, it just seemed like a noble thing to do and a cool thing to do. And of course, fast forward. Now I am that guy, which is kind of. Cool. In a lot of ways that it actually played out that way, but really it was like, and a little bit selfishly too, like I want to make sure my band didn’t get screwed over.

So I was going to become a lawyer. I never intended [00:16:00] to become a regular lawyer. Like, and I always joke that I’m not, I don’t hang out with other lawyers. It’s not my, you know, my, my people are the music industry and entertainment industry. People, if I go to lawyer events, I just, you know, just like, Get me out of here.

You know what I mean? and I don’t know anything about family law or, you know, um, property law, like, you know, buying a house, that kind of law. I don’t know that stuff. It’s not my passion. It was my goal was always to do this, you know, because This is what I know and what I love. So, and then, but again, I could, I’ve imagined that, guess I couldn’t have imagined that I could have this balance in this, like, I love what I do.

I absolutely love it. And I love that I can still play one bad son 20 years in, like, I never would have guessed that I, you know, even back then I was a dreamer, but I, I couldn’t have picked this outcome if I, if I tried, you

Glen Erickson: So were you a really smart kid? Were you the high grades [00:17:00] thing? Was it that version of a stereotype? Was that true for you? For someone who goes on to law school or at least, I guess the appearance of. The path straight from your undergrad to sort of staying right on that, that path was that just, were you just always, you know, well educated, like good in school type guy?

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: so the LSAT is like, yeah, the test you write to get into law school or to try to get into law school, right? These days, so many kids are trying to get into law school and you have to, it’s a lot of pressure to write the LSAT. And I know this because people call me and I give them advice. so I, but for me, I wrote it on a whim. It was like some summer I was working, for a company called weed man. I was doing lawn care around, around the city. I was the weed man, which with long hair, you could imagine the jokes that I got. But, um, know, and I was like, I’m just gonna go. I, I, I took a [00:18:00] business law course in commerce and it was, I just found law to be super intriguing, you know, and I was kind of bored with commerce already.

I was like, I guess I’m not a businessman. So I literally got one summer day on a whim. I mean, I signed up ahead of time, but I went and wrote the LSAT, did very, like next to no preparation for it and had zero pressure going into it. And then as you can imagine, I did quite well. Otherwise I wouldn’t be here.

I wouldn’t have applied. So I did very well on the LSAT and then I was like, okay, I guess this is a sign. You know, I was very, I was very kind of hippie ish, And just like, this is a sign from the, from the universe, I should do this. So, but to your question, I mean, was I a smart kid? I mean, I think that there’s, if I applied myself, yes, I say that because, you know, it’s just a fun little aside, but like in grade eight, I was like, you know, top of the class kind of thing when I got to high school. And. Got in with, you know, the wrong crowd or a crowd that didn’t care about school and marks. And they were kind of like a [00:19:00] rough crowd, but I thought they were cool. And my marks went from like here to just like, they just plummeted and my parents are like, what the hell is going on, Kurt? So I guess my point is, and then a year I realized these kids aren’t actually very cool and actually not very nice. So I found a new crowd that actually were good people and cared about school. So my marks went right back up and is now as an A student. So. The only say this because as a dad, and I guess just to just as a human, I think who you choose as your friends and who you choose to be around with as a kid or as an adult has such a huge, huge impact on your life, you know, so, um, I mean, so I went from a to like D and was like, my parents said, what’s going on?

And really, It was just the people I was hanging out with. so yeah, you

Glen Erickson: Were you pursuing music back then at the same time? Was that a developing passion in high school already?

Kurt Dahl: know, interestingly enough, I was very much, and then maybe you’ve found this with other guests. It’s [00:20:00] like, I was very much a late bloomer. I didn’t pick up the drumsticks until grade 12. And which, as you know, like so many musician friends of mine, you know, their parents got them into it. They started playing guitar at age like six or seven. or there’s like the child prodigies who start even earlier. And that was not me. I was not the cool musician. I was a big music fan, all through high school and Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Soundgarden changed my life. and I, I credit those bands for me becoming musician. And I guess by extension, an entertainment lawyer, but I was not, I was not a musician.

I just had long hair, similar to what I have now and a pearl jam shirt on all through high school. And then grade 12, I was like, I want to just be, be a musician now. And I picked up the drumsticks and guess what? I was shitty at first. So it took me a lot of time to work at it. So, you know, by the time One Bad Son formed in 2004, I just started to sort of hone my chops as a drummer.

It wasn’t like I was, doing it for 20 years, you know.

Glen Erickson: So you [00:21:00] really kind of built, you built that skill out with that band. Do you probably, I, I’m going to make an assumption that that’s perhaps how you look back and feel like it. That’s when it really, that’s when it really clicked in and you were able to sort of grow your, which is kind of a cool thing.

You can tell me whether this is the way it worked out for you. Cause I know it’s worked out. As a musician, for me, this way is when that sort of syncs up like that, you have a much higher potential to develop your own style, which is, you know, I think an interesting point of conversation amongst musicians, right?

Whether you just mimicked somebody and then just tried to be known as the great version or the great all around drummer, like whether you want to be a studio or whether you want a. To be known for particular style, when I click in with a band at a time, I feel like then you start playing that. And you don’t try to be everything else.

Is that, did that happen for you that way?

Kurt Dahl: Yeah, totally. It’s a, it’s a great point. I mean, I was forced to create my own [00:22:00] style because you know, one bad son and again, when we started out, it wasn’t like we had, it took us a while to find our sound, but it wasn’t like one bad son was exactly the type of music that I was listening to or that I worshiped, you know, like for me,

Glen Erickson: Mm hmm.

Kurt Dahl: Number one and two. So the who and Zeppelin, I love that stuff. Right. But one bad son was definitely not that right. So especially early years of our band, it was a lot heavier. So then it, it forced me to create my own style, which is, which was a good thing. Right. If, if we had just. If my, if my band mates were all huge Zeppelin fans like me, we would’ve ended up sounding like Greta Van Fleet, you know?

Glen Erickson: hmm.

Kurt Dahl: thankfully they weren’t, they were in more heavier stuff. So then we had sort of a mix of like Zeppelin meets Sound Garden or, the who mi with

Glen Erickson: Mm hmm.

Kurt Dahl: or whatever, right? So it was like those seventies influences, which I loved mixed with a heavier sort of nineties grunge vibe. And then the end result was my sort of heavy hitting style, which

Glen Erickson: Which is where the good stuff always [00:23:00] comes from, don’t you think? Like, maybe not solely, but when you hear or get the back story on people and you see two sort of upbringings or influences collide and then see what comes out of it, Collaboration like that always seems to be a big thing. So, so 2010, you guys are like messing around from 2004, 2010, accepting that you didn’t have the major label deal in the first, you know, 18 months.

but you keep at it, right? So you’re keeping at it. And 2010 is when I think a lot of things Seem to happen for you, between, moving to Vancouver, signing with 604, passing the bar, which is all again, keeping that balance going, but all like, that’s a lot of big stuff in one year, did the grind.

Yeah. Between like. Did those six years feel like a grind? Were there the moments [00:24:00] of maybe this isn’t happening for us? Or was there a straight, that beautiful pie eyed rockstar dream belief that kept you on this trajectory? What did, what did the grind look like through those six years?

Kurt Dahl: no, that’s, that’s a, and that’s, uh, I think people often avoid like the hard years when they, when they tell their sort of success stories, you know, or their origin stories. Right. I mean, but you’re right. Those six years. And I guess I would extend that to eight because we kind of broke through in 2012.

So those first eight years as a band. Um, and not to mention obviously beside the band, there’s my, my personal, my, my personal life, you know, my real life. Uh, those eight, those eight years were super tough. Like we, you know, we were literally, mentioned, we’re trying to find our sound, we’re also trying to find our audience, you know, and so we’re touring.

We had a bit of help from some local agents or one agent, but we drive like, you know, 18 hours to go like Thunder Bay or something and play to like

Glen Erickson: Good old right. [00:25:00] A passage here. Hmm. Hmm. Hmm.

Kurt Dahl: drive 18 hours, play to six people, of which hated us. and then the other two were like distant relatives or something. get paid a case, a case of beer. Lose money, obviously, cause you had gas and hotels and then, but also drive home defeated, right? Like thinking you’re driving there with hope. Maybe this is a great rock bar that’s going to be packed with people that want to find the next big rock band. And you get there and it’s like, no, it’s just horrible. or we drive, I remember we drove one time to yeah, Southern Alberta, kind of by, Waterton national park, but there’s like the small town. it was like, we played, it was like a three nighter and three sets a night. And I sort of bluffed and said, we had all these cover songs, which we didn’t. And so we’re playing originals too much.

People that don’t give a shit about us. And you know, by day, night two, we were just like, [00:26:00] Defeated again. And, but it’s those kinds of, then I remember the final quick story is we played a three nighter in Regina. It was a long weekend. And again, I sort of lied and said, we had all these covers. We get there and we had three nights at the venue and they gave us three nights of hotel and our first night we play, it was like a Thursday, let’s say, and. The crowd is non existent and those that are there don’t like us. we get back to the hotel that night and the hotel’s like, you don’t have a room here. And I was like, well, we have, we have a room for three nights. And she said, no, the venue called and said, it’s canceled. You guys suck. Go

Glen Erickson: Oh, oh, oh,

Kurt Dahl: So.

Glen Erickson: harsh.

Kurt Dahl: it’s also, that’s how you build character, right?

So then that’s also, I got to employ my, my burgeoning legal skills. I called the venue. I said, after a lot of, um, swear words, I said, you’re putting us up for tonight, cause we’re here. It’s 1. A. m. We’re. So you say, fine, so we got [00:27:00] hotels that night got up that next morning, got our gear out of the venue, drove home and again, that sense of defeat.

Now, be fair, we weren’t that good at the time, so our songs weren’t that great, but it’s those moments that really made us look inward as a band and as individuals and say, We’re not, we’re not as good as whatever’s on the radio right now. Even though I didn’t like Nickelback, et cetera, know, I thought we were better, but we weren’t at the time.

Right. Our songs weren’t good enough to be on the radio. So we’d sort of make those mental leaps. Like, how do we, even though we don’t like what’s on the radio, how can we write stuff that’s so effing catchy that radio can’t deny it. And that took us eight years, but we eventually did it, you know?

Glen Erickson: So let me, let me put a pin right on that one because, that truth telling inside of a band when you’re working with people and, and it might be similar with, because almost every solo artist I know has, you know, latched on to a guitar player that plays other gigs with them or [00:28:00] some musicians or some people who are along every step of the way, right?

And. You know, you have to have this belief that what I’m doing is great, you know, but you’ve probably read the 5, 000 entry bios for, you know, Juno awards or Western Canadian or factor grant submissions of, and people write their bios, like they, they, they pretend like what they think they’re going to be right.

But they’re

Kurt Dahl: Right. Right.

Glen Erickson: years old from like, small town, Saskatchewan. So, it just reeks of. All those things that make people a little just turn some people off, but but you kind of have to have that still because everybody who tells their story who made it big has that in their story still. So you just sort of pointed that out, right?

That you were like, I think we’re that good, but we’re obviously not that good. So what were, what were, and I know that I’m asking you to pull some [00:29:00] thoughts out from a long time ago, but what, what were some of those things that were coming out? Do you feel that you had to wrestle with, like in trying to say maybe we’re not that good?

What were, what was the truth and what was the direction that you feel it gave you to work on?

Kurt Dahl: Yeah, it’s so interesting. You’re right. I think to succeed as a musician, I guess the same would apply if you’re an actor or any sort of creative, you have to have a little dosage of naivete. Like, you have to of drink your own Kool Aid to a certain extent. You have to believe in yourself when no one else does, right?

Because whether you’re, you know, You know, whether you’re Tom Cruise or you’re Bob Dylan, like there’s a time when nobody believes in you except you. Maybe your parents believe in you, but they don’t know you’re going to be as big as Tom Cruise or Bob Dylan, right? So, there has to be, you have to be a bit insane, I guess, as part of it, right? And that’s why we, that’s why we love great artists, you know? Um, They have to be, you have to be insane to do it. and then, and you have to sort of create yourself, right? [00:30:00] Then Bob Dylan always said, it’s like, life’s not about finding yourself. It’s about creating yourself, which I love that, right? but then you have to be able to, the, the, the, the second ingredient, which a lot of ours don’t have is that harsh. Sort of self analysis, right. And being completely trying to be objective when it comes to yourself and say, you know, I mean, Bob Dylan knew he had talent, but he knew he wasn’t as good as Woody Guthrie, his idol. So he’s like, how can I become as good as Woody Guthrie? You know? Um, and some same actors, whatever, like you, have to be really your own harshest critic.

Right. And so it’s, it’s that weird duality of being sort of insane and drinking your own Kool Aid, but also being like, How good is the Kool Aid really?

Glen Erickson: Yeah, yeah,

Kurt Dahl: and I think if I’m being honest, and speaking with self awareness, I think I was, I had a pretty good dose of that. Like I was like, guys, our song isn’t that good.

It’s got, our song is seven minutes and it’s got a 85 [00:31:00] intro before any, before any vocals come in. That’s not going to work. Just look, turn the radio on. No one’s ever going to play this. So I think

Glen Erickson: yeah, yeah.

Kurt Dahl: you know, sort of brought that real self analysis element our songwriting. and then, so once you’re aware, a good way to do it is look at, look at your idols, you know, and, and compare, right? So again, Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie, for us, it was like One Bad Son comparing it to Led Zeppelin. It’s like, listen, record, nothing compares to, uh, you know, Whole Lot Of Love. So let’s. let’s do better. Let’s practice more. And so for One Bad Son, I mean as a band, I mean we just We all moved into a house together. It was like this decrepit, should have been condemned old house that had black mold in the walls. And we lived there and jammed like literally seven days a week. We just jammed.

And, It’s, [00:32:00] it was great to be, it was a great way to become better songwriters and musicians. It was a bad way to have any sort of balance in life. Cause that’s all we did was play in the band. and I guess, I mean, similar thing applies on the legal side. I mean, I poured myself into it. Like I wanted to become the best entertainment lawyer in the country. So I read everything about the music industry. I read every book. I, I, you know, read every biography. So I understood what’s happened in the industry and blah, blah. and eventually, like anything you put in your 10, 000 hours and, and the results come.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, I that’s amazing. well, then let’s look from. 2017, which again, I sort of tongue in cheek to the right of passage, like making that long drive through Thunder Bay and Sault Ste. Marie and, Oh, I forgot the name of those venues. It’s every band. I know that’s made those trips and knows that’s the worst band house above a venue.

I think it’s Either Sault Ste. Marie or Sudbury. Maybe the townhouse in Sudbury has the worst band room in history. but [00:33:00] you know, from an outsider perspective, you look like you’re on that rite of passage for Canadian rock bands, right? Between 2010 and 17 of, of, We’re going to do a little more than the last time.

We’re going to play a few more shows than the last time. We’re going to try and get a few more people out and we’re just incrementally running the same cycle and the same circuit and just keep doing it and hustling and dreaming and, and connecting with people and all of that thing. So that’s what it looks like.

Your trajectory is, is that an accurate assumption? Is that how you felt it was happening for you on the inside? Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: it. I mean, We didn’t get sort of any breaks, you know, um, know, some bands like, Oh, you get picked up or song goes and that nowadays the song goes viral or some other bands as we’re taking you across doing a big tour, you’re the opening act, or you get a bunch of grant funding, which we never really got. you know, whatever, like just [00:34:00] different, everyone’s got some sort of moment for us. It was eventually just getting a bunch of hits on the radio, but. We did, we earned every fan the hard way, you know, like touring the country. So we had, you know, a van and trailer, we’d go back and forth and back and forth, you know, and, and again, like the, you know, I’m not saying that to complain.

It’s that’s how we have such hardcore fans, every fan we earned like by melting their face in a live setting. Right. So, and then we got really good. at performing live. And, so that was, you’re right. From 2010 to 2017, I mean, that was just nonstop touring. I remember one time we, again, we never got to the bus level.

Cause to get to a bus level, as you know, costs a lot of money. You gotta be making a lot of money to have afford a bus. we never got there. We could have maybe towards the end, but then it would have made no money on tour. So we’d go on tour, be gone for two months and then, Have nothing to show for it except we were in a bus so, but I remember oftentimes doing like want to just get home after tour is done.

So we [00:35:00] finished off one year, one tour on the east coast. It was like Halifax final show and we saw when we’re living in Vancouver at the time. And so we’re like, let’s just get home to our girls into our own beds. So let’s just drive nonstop. What would we take turns? Of course, there’s four of us and we just two hour shifts.

So the driver and the shotgun, obviously stays awake to make sure the driver is safe and the two guys in the back and lay down on the bench, the two benches and sleep. we did that. So it’s a two hour shift. So you do a full cycle and that you’ve driven eight hours. we did that and we just did nonstop from Halifax to Vancouver, which I mean, you could Google map it.

I’m not sure how many hours it says, but. It was a

Glen Erickson: That’s ridiculous.

Kurt Dahl: Yeah. It

Glen Erickson: We used to, we used to nonstop it, Edmonton to Vancouver, like a 14 hour, whatever you know what I mean? Or one time I remember leaving the. The Western Canadian Music Awards and Brandon and, and deadheading it through the night to Edmonton. I [00:36:00] mean, that felt crazy. I can’t even imagine all the way from Halifax.

I mean, that first eight hours rotation, you probably would feel like we haven’t even gotten it anywhere yet.

Kurt Dahl: And so it says

Glen Erickson: that’s legendary, right? Like, does anybody do that anymore? Does anybody even do that anymore?

Kurt Dahl: I

Glen Erickson: Right.

Kurt Dahl: hope they comment, but so if I

Glen Erickson: Oh man.

Kurt Dahl: it’s actually cool if you map it, cause it really does show it’s literally, I mean, aside from Newfoundland or, you know, the island, like it’s really is coast to coast and a lot of that’s through the U S so you’re on the interstate.

So it’s a bit, the, the better

Glen Erickson: I was going to ask, did you, did you skip the Thunder Bay up and around

Kurt Dahl: it.

Glen Erickson: Detroit

Kurt Dahl: a,

Glen Erickson: and

Kurt Dahl: that, that

Glen Erickson: yeah,

Kurt Dahl: day. So it says 56 hours and that’s nonstop, but I felt like I’m sure we have to stop for gas every two hours and stop for to stretch out and change your position. So probably end up taking us probably 70 hours straight.

So that’s what three full days, nonstop

Glen Erickson: did you ever get hassles at the border? Like a lot of [00:37:00] bands have a lot of stories because you’ve got a trailer behind you, you can’t hide all that shit in your merch and they’re like, you’re coming here to play a show for secret. And I’ve heard a lot of stories that way. Did you ever, and just that innocent, we’re just trying to cut, we’re just trying to cut some time off of our trip.

You never had that issue.

Kurt Dahl: not too bad. I mean, I always made sure that we were at all of our ducks and oaks. I knew that I would screw us over. I remember one time our, our, our singer had like a belt that had like bullets on it. Like it was like a, like, you know, just a cool rock and roll belt made of bullets, you know? And they’re like, do you have any guns or ammo?

And we’re like, no. and they, they just were, you know, it’s luck of the draw when it comes to whatever agent you get. And usually they were great. one of them, one time one guy was like, I love you guys as a band, which I was like the ultimate, you know, we’ve got a full pass, you

Glen Erickson: Oh my God. Yeah,

Kurt Dahl: no, no, no full, no cavity searches, you know?

Um, and, but this, this other time is like, this [00:38:00] guy was just in a bad mood or was bored or whatever. But so he, he tore apart, tore apart everything in the van and the trailer. And then we have to put it all back in, of course, and organize it again, which is a pain in the ass. But he found this belt that had bullets on it. And he’s like, you told me there’s no ammo here. I was like, dude, I was at this point, I was just so, frustrated. I was like, try, try to put those bullets in a gun and see what happens, right? Like they’re, they’re, they’re stitched

Glen Erickson: yeah, yeah.

Kurt Dahl: the belt and they’re not even real, but like they’re old, whatever. But anyway, so we got kind of busted for that. They’re like, who had the bullets? You know, we all kind of freaked out. And then when they showed us the belt, we had a good laugh, but you know, that’s the only time ever. The time has been great. Although I’m sure it’s different now in soon to be Trump’s America. I’m sure it’s going to be just a pain in the ass even more, but, that’s, that’s a whole other podcast, you know?

Glen Erickson: Yeah, that’s very, very true. So, well, if there was ever a good time, though, to have the lawyer in the band, you can see where that’d be valuable. Have [00:39:00] your ducks in a row, like you said, for

Kurt Dahl: Yeah,

Glen Erickson: crossing, stuff like that. so that’s what was going on with the band. So what’s happening with Kurt Dahl during this time?

Are you, is it still feel like a steady trajectory of your, your law career and practicing? Are you married at this point? What, and you know, now you have a new set of future aspirations and, and that stuff plays in. So deeply, and I don’t know if you ever had this experience before you answer, but did you ever come across people who like, didn’t believe you were, I don’t know what the right word is.

Didn’t believe that you were like, all in maybe is the word or didn’t believe that you could pull both of those things off. I asked because I didn’t start the iteration of a touring band for me. Didn’t start till I was 33 years old and I You know, and I had my second child, you know, shortly after that, within that time, and I’ll never forget sitting on, uh, [00:40:00] sitting in the booth alive with Grant Lawrence when he was doing Radio 3, to promote our second record coming out, and he kept wanting to ask questions about, Me trying to pull off being a full time dad and at this age and now just trying to break a band, you know, across Canada type thing.

So, I would get those questions.

Kurt Dahl: Right. He, he

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: back to it.

Glen Erickson: Yeah. They just, people get stumped on it and I would often get told, I’ll never forget also sitting with a potential, I was trying to, you know, talk to someone about signed and, they, they didn’t think that we were. You know, for whatever reason, you met people in those positions, make their guesses.

They didn’t see the signs that we’re all in because we’re still, we haven’t given up our careers. We haven’t essentially sacrificed everything worth any, any meaning in our lives for music. And so they weren’t willing to jump on, on that. And I’m curious about your own development of being married, a relationship, a career, like a [00:41:00] lawyer, what your experience was trying to break a life in music that way.

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh.

Kurt Dahl: at the end of the day, I’ve always been someone in the States back to when I was a kid, like no one could tell me. What to do, you know what I mean? I don’t like being told what I can’t do, especially. and I imagine that’s a common trait of, of you might interview.

you know, for me, it’s like, if someone said, you know, you can’t be married and be in a band, or you can’t be faithful and be in a band, which that’s also part of the thing. Or if you like, or if you can’t, you can’t be a lawyer and be in a bad, I was just like, F you, I’ll do what the hell I want. I’m Kurt Dahl, you know? so I was happily married and it doesn’t mean it doesn’t come without work. You have to work to be like in any relationship, but I would see guys out on the road. Who I knew had a wife or even kids at home. Maybe, you know, cheating on their wives and stuff. And I just like, I, I, it’s the rock and roll cliche.

And I just, it was not, I was never going to, I always [00:42:00] said do one or the other, like, you know, if you’re, if you’re going to be, married and then we go out and cheat on your girl, when you’re on tour, you know, Don’t get married in the first place, dude. You know? and then the same would apply on the lawyer side.

People are like, well, you can’t really, you can’t be a lawyer and a musician. And I’d be like, don’t tell me what I can’t do. I mean, I think there is something to be said. Like I remember, You know, Lou Reed once said like the best artists are ones that have no backup plan. They go all in. And, and I love Lou Reed.

And I agree with almost everything he said, but, in this situation, I’d say he’s wrong. I mean, I, you know, if anyone doubted what I could do as a musician, I mean, I’d easily prove them wrong once I got on stage, you know? Um, so I think it’s, you know, I think it’s, I’m able to do both careers and do them very well if I can speak with, you know, sort of some self analysis, but because I cut out a lot of other things in my life, you know, I don’t really watch TV. [00:43:00] I don’t second guess myself. You know, once I commit to something, I just go and do it. I’ve always been good at just like getting, getting tasks done, right? So if I know, you know, If I know we got a record to record, in, in a month, I’ll just get, go on the garage and hammer out my parts and do it until I’m, I’m great at it.

You know? And I mean, the same applies on the, the legal side. Like I just, I put in the time, right? So, and I guess, and that’s, and this is not at all meant to be braggy by any means more just like, because

Glen Erickson: No, be braggy.

Kurt Dahl: I mean, people always ask this sort of question, like, how do you do it? Right. And it’s like, you know, I usually, I kind

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: I write it off with some sort of deferring, um, answer, but I mean, like, it does help that I’m passionate about both, right?

Like find things you’re it’s again, the cliche, right? Find, find something you’re passionate about and you never work a day in your life. Right. So, you know, I, I work my ass off on both those careers. Because I love both of them, right? If I was, there’s things I hate doing, like, uh, my taxes, you know, [00:44:00] like, um, so if I, if I was an accountant, I, I, I’d kill myself, you know?

So, um, find things you love, right? And that’s, that’s how I’m able to do both, I think. And that’s, so when, if anyone ever said, well, you can’t do both that good, or you shouldn’t, you shouldn’t do that. It’s not allowed. I just, again, my attitude of like, don’t tell me what to do. I’ll do what the hell I want. I’m going to create my

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: that’s always been my, my sort of guiding light, you know? Wow,

Glen Erickson: heard that Lou Reed quote an awful lot as well. And it’s a great quote. And, and I have, and I have, and I have friends in the business who have great story. Like my very first interview on here was Dan Mangan and, you know, his story. Yeah. And Dan’s story about, you know, very embryonic stage in his life when he was driving all the way to South by Southwest.

And one of his best songs came out of that road regrets of, of driving,

Kurt Dahl: yeah.

Glen Erickson: driving, you know, he’s, he’s with all these dreams, right? Like, I’m going to get discovered at South by and then he does not get discovered. And then the drive home is, Very long and very hard, [00:45:00] but he made a choice and it’s part of his story of like, this is when I need to like jump off the cliff, right?

The, or the, the blind, like leap into all of this. But the truth is, and I guess this is why these stories and everybody’s stories are so important for me to tell here is, is that the percentage of people who get to actually make the choice that Lou Reed is suggesting and then live Achieve that and live in it is a small percentage, right?

And that’s why it’s the rock and roll dream. I think it’s wonderful. It’s beautiful. The truth is that there is this massive percentage underneath it of people who get to, as I have always put it, be a part of the fabric of history of. the music scene and the music business. And, and for some people, you know, it’s, they become a songwriter or they adapt to another part of the industry, or in my case, wore a lot of different hats in order to keep my feet dipped in it.

[00:46:00] And you’re in your case to follow two very large, distinct, demanding passions, sort of with each other. equal fervor through a career. So I think that’s, that’s where some really interesting stories are. And I think that’s what people should be asking. How did you do it? Right? If they’re asking, how do you do it, man, they should be listening for, can I see myself in that, right?

Can I believe that I I’m passionate about this other thing too? I don’t have to give everything up. A lot of times it’s. a relationship with a lot of people I’ve, I’ve met that, you know, they allow a relationship to suffer for the glory of chasing a rock and roll dream. How, when did you get married? How far back did that,

Kurt Dahl: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: that go?

Kurt Dahl: it was that same year, 2010, that big sort of like,

Glen Erickson: Oh my ear for you, Kurt. Oh my God.

Kurt Dahl: was, it was everything. Yeah. It was, it was crazy. It was actually all within a month too. So I got called to the bar and became a lawyer [00:47:00] Saskatoon. Then I got married. then, uh, moved to Vancouver and got a new job and that is all within a month.

So like, and a lot of looking back at the time, it’s like, we just, this is what we got to do. Let’s just go. And I mean, for a lot of people that could have really broke them, I mean, or, or one of those things could have not gone as, as they had hoped. I mean, thankfully, and again, I give a lot of credit to my wife.

She’s always been the rock, you know, and, And I couldn’t have done any of this without her. Right. So, you know, I think that’s part of it. It’s like, I always had that big support at home. And then it also gave me like the motivation to be like a good husband and a good dad, all that stuff. Right. So, yeah, so that was really, you know, that laid the groundwork for everything else that came from, came afterwards, you know,

Glen Erickson: And how many years married before children came along?

Kurt Dahl: our first kid, 2015, so we were married five years. Yeah.

Glen Erickson: Okay. Not too long. So, so a large chunk of a [00:48:00] large chunk of doing this lately has been with kids, which Completely changes, things. What was, what was the very first thing that you were like, this, this has to change. This is changing now when kids came along. Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: touring like crazy. And I’d seen how that, that story ends in terms of like, you know, it’s hard to be on the road, like, and it’s things I love about being on tour, of course, and I, you know, I often miss it if I haven’t done it for a while, but. It’s a lot of times it’s hard, right? Like you’re not, you’re not in your own bed and you’re away from people you love and missing big events. Like I always hated missing like, you know, I wouldn’t miss Christmas, but like missing kids birthdays or, you know, wife’s birthday or whatever, right? Those kinds of things. Or even just like, there’s a big event happening with all your friends and your family in Saskatoon, but you’re You know, we’re, I’m really [00:49:00] picking on Thunder Bay today, but, uh, um, you know, that’s just, that’s part of, and that’s what I would say. Any, any band that’s made it on a, on a, on any sort of level, got so much respect for, you know, because your average fan just doesn’t see all this.

They see all the positives, whether it be on social media or, or, or on stage. They don’t see all the sacrifice, right? Like you’re to get to that level, to be, you know, to be The Tragically Hip, think about all the things they missed at home. Right. And, and I think about the people that have supported them to get them there and all that stuff.

So I just have so much love and respect for, for artists that really do

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Yeah. So I’ll never forget. So, so my band had a great fortune that one of the members worked for WestJet during its time. And he would, he would partner pass whatever his brother, who was also in the band, cause it was his brother and then buddy pass myself and the drummer. and so we would go do that 401 tour, right.

From [00:50:00] Windsor to Ottawa back and forth, like three times a year over touring Western Canada. Um, Even once. So, I’ll never forget. I had started getting used to this great validation where all we’d have to do is go there and come back to Edmonton. And then, you know, either in some articles in the street rags, we’d get talked about, like, something’s happening, right?

It looks really validating to everyone in your own scene that you’re the ones consistently going. It does something. It elevates you. And I was enjoying that feeling, but I’ll never forget sitting outside. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the Phog, in Windsor, the P H O G. The is this tiny corner venue bar with this corner stage that could fit maybe 25 people into this room.

They got some folklore around them from CBC radio three. and I always wanted to play it cause I was an indie rock guy and wanted to play all the well known venues at the time. But I’ll never forget sitting in the parking lot outside. It was [00:51:00] the night before father’s day, feeling like the lowest pieces of shit that I could have ever felt like, what the hell am I doing here?

You know, and there was, it, it robbed, I couldn’t come home from a tour and ever feel like, yeah, I’m cool. I’m going to, you know, people don’t really, people didn’t really know what was going on or how you felt. Um, it was a harsh feeling. And to, to your point. the, one of the largest impetus is to our, my band ending was my personal, you know, when the question is like, do we keep this going, I had just gone through, you know, my, seven year old daughter, you just innocently in my arms, just saying, I like it better when you’re not gone.

You can’t shake that when you hear it.

Kurt Dahl: that’s

Glen Erickson: Right.

Kurt Dahl: Yeah, exactly. it. That’s

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: And so, and so

Glen Erickson: okay. So

Kurt Dahl: just so I

Glen Erickson: yeah, yeah, go ahead.

Kurt Dahl: old, how old is your daughter now? That, that daughter.

Glen Erickson: Well, this is the very fun part about all this that she is [00:52:00] 19 and she is going to listen to this episode and then we are going to do what I call post-fame where we’re going to talk for 15 minutes about her take on an episode together like you and I are doing right now, her up in her room. And then we, we share music inspirations and things like that all the time.

So we’re just going to talk about whatever, in those little post epilogue kind of pieces. So, maybe my greatest thrill in this podcast is, being able to incorporate my daughter, into it. She’s wonderful.

Kurt Dahl: I love it. And you know what? And to me that that is, it kind of relates to what you’re saying to some extent, but like, yeah, like I always, those early years were tough when my kids are young and I was still touring and, and now two are very little, but like, you know, not quantity sort of touring, but

Glen Erickson: Hmm.

Kurt Dahl: things ever is like, obviously I’ve, or not obviously I should say, but I’ve got a great relationship with my kids.

And. But getting able to being able to like have them experience the band now, cause now they’re a bit older. We played, we played a [00:53:00] show two weeks, weeks ago in town and you had a thousand people out and the kids came to sound check. And now it’s like the band, it used to be a thing that took me away from my family. And now it’s a thing that like, you know, they can see that dad is cool and they can see the sacrifice that I, the payoff to all the sacrifice I made, you know? So I love that you and your daughter can share that and share music and all that sort of stuff.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, it’s incredible. I mean, that’s incredible for you as well. Like, I, I would have loved to have been able to also have that experience, right? I think it’s pretty awesome. like I said before, like you had gotten on my radar around 2016 2017. And I started to know who you were and then sort of see some of the things that you were doing.

And I, and I think I immediately noticed that you were pretty active as in your voice in the community, which is pretty great. So I don’t know whether you know or not, but I mean, there’s a number of things that you’ve been a part of different charities and fundraisers and activist voice. [00:54:00] the one that had real particular interest to me, and I don’t know if it was late in 2018, early 2019, where you made a, social media post about wearing this shirt that you had made feminist,

Kurt Dahl: Right.

Glen Erickson: which, uh, by the way, I, I had ordered one.

I don’t know if you know, I was one of the,

Kurt Dahl: know that. Nice. Nice.

Glen Erickson: six years, but, um, I love I love the shirt. So here’s why I want to ask you about that. First of all, I want to ask what were the seeds behind printing a shirt, wearing it, publicizing it, and then even following through people’s demand and printing extras and allowing them to order and also wear it and have that voice as a man in our culture right now and all the things going on.

I’m curious where that comes from. I’m sure everybody who ordered one has their own angle and take about why. Uh, but what [00:55:00] I want to tell you before you tell me that it’s like, the interesting thing to me is like, I ordered that because I’m pretty outspoken. I’m extremely supportive of. the female voice in our society about equality and all the ways that it’s ridiculous that things haven’t changed, everything that we’ve gone through over the last six years of, you know, either whether it’s largely branded like me too, or just these crazy continual challenges like what’s happening in the States, uh, against freedoms of women and their bodies.

Um, I’ve always been 100 percent advocate, like, to me, there’s no difference other than, you know, the differences that we can make between us. And, but with all of that said, I remember putting the shirt on and thinking, should I be wearing this shirt? You know, I’ve probably been a dick to women. A number of times in my life, I’ve said a lot of things the same way I [00:56:00] do with privilege.

I’ve said to women without understanding what I was really saying, because I’m a man, and I’m allowed to have so many short sighted shortcomings, right? The things I don’t even see, like the first time, the first time I learned. That a woman checks doors and looks who’s coming on the sidewalk and makes a choice whether or not to cross the street because of how safe she feels.

I’ve never had to do that in my whole life, right? Um, and once you do that, it changes you. And yet, with all of that knowledge, I remember the feeling of, should I be wearing this shirt because I was afraid of being called out as a fraud? Um,

Kurt Dahl: yeah, no, they’re.

Glen Erickson: those little feelings are. In, so I’m just really curious about what the seeds were for you and what brought about something like that.

And I know it’s just one of a lot of things that you sort of stood for, but I’m, I’m definitely interested.

Kurt Dahl: Yeah, I know. 100%. I think at the time it was, like the, the U. S. Supreme Court judge had been appointed. [00:57:00] He was, you know, Kavanaugh, whatever, the guy that

Glen Erickson: Mm-hmm . Mm-hmm

Kurt Dahl: by like three different women and he got appointed. then, The worry was at the time for, from, for a lot of people was that they were going to make abortion illegal again, which now it is essentially.

Glen Erickson: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm

Kurt Dahl: it’s just so sad that things have gone the way they’ve gone since then. But that, for me, it was like, know, I want to just use my voice, and my platform to kind of create awareness and raise some money and whatever. And I think that, I mean, for me, You know, my definition, uh, and everyone’s got different definitions, I, I imagine, but my definition of feminism is, you know, that women and men should have equal rights.

Um, and I think that, you know, in hindsight, even like some, mostly the, most of the response to that was really positive. And, and sometimes in life, when you get a couple of negatives, you focus on those, but some people were like, well, you know, you’re a white privileged male lawyer. Like, how dare [00:58:00] you.

You know, think you can, whatever, whatever. I think that also I think those people are just really negative. Um, because, because of course the alternative is that I say nothing and do nothing. Right.

Glen Erickson: Yeah. Good point.

Kurt Dahl: so I feel like you’re always going to get shot down if you try to make a difference. Right. so it raised some money and. The response is great. Raise some awareness and then just donate it to a local women’s shelter in Saskatoon. But, for me, it’s just, and you see this happening in the U S more and more now, especially with Trump coming back in. It’s like, there’s a sense of like men have all the power again, and it’s just really scary.

Glen Erickson: So, cause I recognize that I, I wasn’t doing a podcast with you to get a whole bunch of Free legal advice for musicians, that wasn’t the goal at all. though there’s lots of questions I could ask that are typical, like, what are the things that come up the most, et cetera, but you made a fantastic post on Instagram recently where you said.

Here’s, here’s 14 things I’ve [00:59:00] learned in the last two decades, which I thought, Oh my God, like how well timed Kurt with the fact that I was going to be talking to you right away because I want to pull out from people what those are. So, I mean, I’ll tell everybody listening first and foremost, obviously they should go to the lawyer drummer, Instagram page and find that a post where you talk about these 14 things, which are all spot on, by the way,

Kurt Dahl: Thank you.

Glen Erickson: maybe then rapid fire.

I pull a couple of them out and just, You give sort of the broader context about how that’s come to be really important to you in like

Kurt Dahl: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: quicker rapid fire So the very first one you said was success in quotes In the music biz comes in the long term not the short term established daily habits and routines that work towards that success and watch them Manifest so i’m really been curious about the place of how careers get developed in music and how that’s changed i’ve been fascinated by like the contest TV show and whether that’s actually a valid [01:00:00] placement now that it’s existed for 20 plus years in how artists find a career.

Yeah, everything from Idol to the talent shows and, you know, versus this idea where artists who are more pure would think people are skipping those steps. Everyone should have to go up the same number of rungs on the ladder right in their career and which to me just whether I like those shows or not isn’t true like everyone’s trying to skip skip ahead to fame and fortune and not have to like you know go through all the the pain and the heartbreak and the way you described Those years for you.

So I’m just wondering what you feel about, you know, this idea of how you establish that and build that, you know, is there a version where you can’t skip the steps or what does that look like for you?

Kurt Dahl: Well, I mean, I think for me, I just seen like some, some of my biggest clients, and, and even just friends that have done well in the music biz, like really, It really is long term. And, and [01:01:00] like, I’m thinking of someone like say, Chris Stapleton, who, you know, spent how many years in Nashville, just writing songs for other artists, you know, and he was an absolute nobody and did that for, I mean, I don’t know, 15 years or something, I, I, I’m not sure, maybe not that long, but,

Glen Erickson: Yeah.

Kurt Dahl: something like that, but, and then eventually just came up with like his own thing and then put all together and it was like this perfectly formulated artist and identity. And then he blew up that debut record. So, I mean, and they did it his own way to, so people. He didn’t have to pretend to be someone else. Right. And that’s another point in there. but I think so many artists, again, a lot of them are my clients where it’s like, you, you take the road less traveled takes a bit longer, but when you get to the destination, you, you arrive fully formed, you know what I mean?

And, um,

Glen Erickson: You’re you’re 13th point is about the most successful people are authentically themselves. So don’t try to be someone else. And I guess you’re kind of pointing at [01:02:00] that one too, with that is sometimes it just takes you longer to find. Maybe your authentic self. Maybe we shouldn’t put such a quick timeline on what we think is our

Kurt Dahl: yeah, look at someone like Bruce Springsteen. I mean, you know, his first two records bombed Bob Dylan’s first two records bombed, you know, it’s like, Yeah, it took a while to find themselves, but they didn’t change just cause the first record didn’t succeed. They didn’t try to be someone else after that.

Right. So,

Glen Erickson: Hmm.

Kurt Dahl: and then once you, if you stick to your guns and define who you are, and, then I think you’ve got a longer career ahead. Right. And, um, you know, Colter wall is a good example. You know, someone who’s just always just done his own thing. It hasn’t tried to, doesn’t go to Nashville and do co writes, try to change the sound or whatever.

He just kind of does his own thing. And people love him for that, you know? So I think that’s kind of where it was coming from.

Glen Erickson: Okay. your number seven you had talked about and you alluded this earlier about you either climbing up the mountain or on your way back down. [01:03:00] You can’t stay at the top for very long. so you said enjoy the climb as well as the descent. You had talked about how nobody talks about the grind and the hard part of their story.

do you have a little picture of what the descent looks like in a career of music when you’re, you know, it’s peaks and valleys, it’s ebbs and flows. What does the descent look like?

Kurt Dahl: Yeah. You know, it’s interesting. I mean, well, I experienced it with one bad son. I mean, every client of mine has experienced it. You know, a good example would be someone like Neil young, who, you know, at one point was touring arenas and then, you know, in the, in the seventies with like, say Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, and then all of a sudden. In the eighties come along and his records tank and now he’s back to like the midsize venues. And then at the end of the eighties, he’s as rocking in the free world and he’s back up to the top. He’s back in arenas. And then, the nineties were kind of weird for him. So kind of smaller venues and then his big comeback album with harvest moon.

So now he’s back on it. So I think it’s like, that’s a good example. I [01:04:00] mean, you can’t, or even the biggest pop star, whether you’re, I mean, Lady Gaga is a good example. Every song of hers for a time, there were just was a mega smash, but her last few releases haven’t been right. But does that mean she’s going to be done?

Well, I, I really hope not. can’t stay at, no one could stay at the top. Whether you’re who are the biggest artists of all time. I mean, Elvis, a lot of his singles tank towards the end. You mean we’ve all, or I’ve seen that movie, right? It’s towards the end. It’s like his singles weren’t doing anything.

Michael Jackson. I mean, look where, how that ended up. I mean, no one can stay at the top. Right. So, almost getting to the absolute top, it can be a curse in some ways. Right. So sometimes you,

Glen Erickson: Yeah,

Kurt Dahl: You’re almost better to kind of be just kind of going around the bottom rung of the mountain or the middle of the mountain, right?

Glen Erickson: well, it makes me think while you were saying that, that, you know, when you’re trying to grow a career and you’re aspiring to this, right? Like that mountain isn’t the biggest, you know, it’s not the number one signal singles and being on all of those things like that mountain for me when I was going to say, I just wanted to [01:05:00] play all those iconic venues across Canada.

If I could play the railway and the sidetrack here in Edmonton, if I could play the Dakota and in Toronto, like, Like at one point, that was my mountain, right? And then I get to that point and then I see a higher plateau. You’re going to have descents off of all of those little ones too. So I think that’s a great point that it it’s, it’s like nobody stays in that place forever.

And, and creating a career, is definitely about, figuring out how to ride it up and enjoy it and ride it down and wait for the next. Opportunity, right? well, I’m not going to keep you. I appreciate it. I agree. And I would suggest people go and read those things because I think they’re spot on. the other one that I like the best, by the way, which is applies to the number one rule in the music scene about your reputation having swing.

Wings, sorry, the reputation having wings. It’s a small industry and this is so true, especially in Canada. Everyone knows everyone. It’s really the golden rule of don’t be a dick. Um, because in our, our [01:06:00] music business and scene is so small. back when I was trying all my hand at this, Same time as you really, the early or mid 2000s, 2010, 2012.

it seemed like everybody knew who each other’s agents were, who the managers were, who the publicists were. Nobody knew who a lawyer was. Nobody knew who to ask. Nobody thought they needed it until maybe they were going to get major label signed. And then I guess I talked to a lawyer. All of that’s really.

Changed, I think, in your presence, on the scene, by the way, Kurt, I think, is, deeply appreciated, even if people don’t know it, yet they, they should understand, like, how important it is to have someone, active and advocating, such as yourself, in, in entertainment law and being available, which kinda, who, who needs to reach out to you?

Where are people at in their career when they need to talk to you?

Kurt Dahl: Yeah. Good question, Glen. I think obviously if you get a contract put in front of you, like that’s an [01:07:00] obvious one, because I’ve had so many artists come to me after they signed a deal and could be a week after it could be a year after. And they’re like, I need to get out of this deal. It’s horrible. I can’t do a lot of work with a signed contract.

I mean, sometimes you get like the silver bullet. You can be lucky. There could be something wrong. You can get out of the deal, but most of the time, no, otherwise system would fall apart if contracts were easy to get out of. Right. So. Come to me before you sign a contract. I think a lot of people think, uh, a common misconception or a common I guess, is that they can’t afford a lawyer.

So why reach out to one? I mean, I would say reach out to me first. If you get a one page deal and it’s super easy and no issues with it, I might not charge anything. That being said, if it’s a 20 record deal, Because it’s an important deal. but I always give a quote, so you’ll, you’ll know ahead of time. and then I guess other than that, I think if you don’t have a contract in front of you, I mean, would say that if [01:08:00] things are happening in your career, whether people are getting interested in you, whether it be. You’re adding team members like a manager or an agent or a whatever, even publicist. Like people are starting to say, Hey, let’s, let’s work together. That’s reach out and just establish a connection with someone like myself. We can have a phone call, get to know each other, whatever. So when the time comes and something’s like urgent, you can just pick up the phone and call me. And I mean, yeah, in general, I think if you’re, if you’re co writing songs with someone, you could use a co writer agreement probably if you’re featured on a recording, like you’re a vocalist or a whatever session player, it might be worthwhile to see what kind of, you know, rights you have to revenues and that sort of stuff.

So, I think if you’re, if you’re watching this and you’ve got questions and think maybe Kurt could help just shoot me an email or message

Glen Erickson: Yeah,

Kurt Dahl: and

Glen Erickson: for sure.

Kurt Dahl: a call. You

Glen Erickson: What would a band agreement cost? Cause I think this is a killer for everybody who ends up in a band that they don’t get a band agreement. And, uh, I think it’s [01:09:00] crucial, like they should have it at the start, right. And everybody doesn’t think about talking to a lawyer until later, but they need a band agreement and they trust the ones they get off the internet somewhere.

Or should they. Should they make that a point? Always.

Kurt Dahl: I mean, I honestly say that the stuff you get on the internet, especially now because you can, you can draft contracts with AI, but the thing is like what you’re paying a good lawyer for is their experience in the industry. So which AI, I mean, it just doesn’t have, I mean the life experience that I have.

Right. So, Every band agreement’s different. It really, you want someone who’s going to draft something that’s tailored to your band, you know, cause you can be rolling stones or Pearl jam would have different band agreements, right? Like the stones. It’s like two people are kind of running, steering the ship Pearl jam.

It’s more all of them, whatever. Right. So. Every band is different. Every band agreement’s different. As far as cost. I mean, I, I always say like, I need to find out what’s the nature of the band and what’s involved. So, [01:10:00] but that’s where I have a phone call for free and then I can send you a quote. You know what I mean?

Glen Erickson: That’s brilliant. I did apply you for some free legal advice anyhow, so I apologize. I lied, but, but I, I appreciate you giving those tips and that advice to people. I think it’s really important, but, uh, most of all, I just appreciate. you Kurt taking the time to kind of unpack your life a little bit for us and, and get a peek in, I think your career is super interesting and probably a million things we could have talked about and, and had so many things to learn from.

So, thank you for taking the time with me and spending the time as well as the, the work you do in the community. And I continue to wish you great success.

Kurt Dahl: Thank you. Glen it was a great, a great discussion, man. Appreciate it.

Glen Erickson: Thanks Kurt. Bye bye.

Hi Lexi. okay, so we’re gonna, talk about episode [01:11:00] six,

alexi: yes.

Glen Erickson: dah, uh, lawyer drummer. Lawyer, drummer, which, he, he dove into a little bit, which was kind of interesting. It’s a little take on it, but, um, yeah.

Kurt Dahl, this is the first, so we’re at number six, right? This is the first time I’ve talked to somebody that I didn’t already have history with.

alexi: True. Yeah, I was gonna mention it was the first person who I didn’t have, not a personal connection with, but I hadn’t, like I. Heard of him as much as everyone else, nor had I like obviously met him or had any relationship or ties to.

Glen Erickson: yeah. I mean, if you kind of go through that all, you’re right. Like a few people, you’ve probably heard their name. I mentioned a lot in different ways, uh, and some of them having a bunch of history with, and other people just, uh, act more actively having done things, with or even I [01:12:00] guess met, in that case.

But yeah, so this was, I was really looking forward to it for that reason and I think it was pretty a great opportunity. I’m really happy. and it, and it’s so funny ’cause I have those. Uh, I wouldn’t call them apprehensions, but I, I had, I don’t know, you know what I mean? Like, the whole thing in my head like, this is gonna be different.

The other ones were easy and I sort of, I, I kind of served myself up a softball with the first handful, uh, of podcasts, which you probably should do. I mean, I think that’s, I should do to get things started. And then this one’s like, okay, this is where I’m actually, you know what I’m saying? So. He, again, just like all the others, he was extremely kind and generous and, uh, very transparent and open in talking, and made it really, really easy for me.

And I really appreciated, uh, all of that about the conversation for sure. I, Did you, um, you know what we didn’t get into about. with him that I wanted to, uh, you probably picked [01:13:00] up on at the end is like, I really thought, okay, we’ll talk about his history and we’ll do a segment just sort of laying the groundwork of how he got to be, who he is and where he is and, and the things that came with that.

And then I thought, I’m gonna spend a good chunk of time on those, uh, 14 things that he had posted in his social media. At the end, um, that were like a, you know, a pretty accurate like, music industry summary from his perspective. Um, and I thought that it would dovetail into the fact that I could ask him a bunch of questions from the legal angle of the music industry that I thought maybe a lot people would wanna know or would expect me to try to like hammer out some free legal advice from him.

But, uh, we ended up talking so long of on. Just his career development and all the things that we left ourselves no time for, for that at the end, which is a little unfortunate. There was a lot there we could have gone, you know? [01:14:00] Yeah. But, um, the biggest one, and I was gonna say, I can’t remember actually off the top of my head right now, if.

We got into it, but, um, he said half the people in the music, amazing, intelligent, talented, thoughtful, generous, kind people in the world. The other half are snakes. Um, I’m lucky to work exclusively with the former. So that was from his posts, which I thought was pretty, I don’t know. It is like, it’s pretty bold and brave because I think a lot of even want to make a sniff of calling people up.

alexi: snakes. Yeah. I mean though, like, I mean obviously he didn’t delve into it, but, he, he was mentioning like, well, no, he was mentioning though, like, um, a number of times during the episode, like not falling into the wrong like, uh, studios and like producers and people who sign you and like. I don’t know.

I feel like the [01:15:00] general theme along that topic was like you can sign with some pretty bad people and like end up working in pretty bad situations because of people, which I mean kind of alludes to that, to that point he makes.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, and I mean, you can tell me what you think from your perspective and sort of the amount of time that you’ve spent in your life so far. Paying attention to, I guess, the perception that the music industry kind of creates, like the mainstream music industry, primarily a hollywoodish version of music of, you know.

Of this story of, yeah, there’s like these awful record companies who want to take advantage, and then the artist is always the person who is maybe the hero of the story who just wants to do the right thing and maybe gets taken advantage. Like that’s an old story that I don’t know whether you that still gets spun or if it looks different.

alexi: I mean, I also think though, like you gotta take into account that [01:16:00] like you are my dad. Like, I think I hear a lot more insight I mean, if anything, more the wonderful good parts than like the horror stories. But not to say that I don’t also, you know, kind of get to hear about that side.

Glen Erickson: There’s a little bias in your interpretation now. So you, you I’ve, I’ve sort of tainted any ability for you to have a completely clear perception.

alexi: take. Yeah. I mean, like, maybe, I think

Glen Erickson: That’s a good point. I.

alexi: you just described is like kind of that the, the, the age old story of like how the music industry is portrayed. Like, I mean that’s kind of accurate, like of how I see it in a sense. I mean, you see it on social media too,

Glen Erickson: Yeah, I think sometimes people in this day and age. I hate, I can’t believe I use that phrase in this day and age. Like if there’s anything that tells anybody what, how old you think you are. Uh, it’s when you use a phrase in this day and age, I think that when I look [01:17:00] around currently, because there’s been obviously so many changes in the music industry, but it’s different the way you look at it when you’ve been in the industry.

I guess it’s just that abil, that inability to have. well for myself to have, uh, uh, an unbiased version of it anymore. And you’re sort of suggesting that by, uh, adjacency, by proximity, you’re not completely clear of having an unbiased or,

alexi: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: or perception of it either. But I do think that for people right now who are looking around, um.

I guess my assumption is that it’s a different story because I know how much has changed in the business, but I guess what’s interesting, yeah, the breakthroughs are similar and different, so I think a lot of people feel like they’re different or how it happens. So it used to happen that somebody had to discover you, [01:18:00] right?

And the person who discovered you had to have the backing. Of a company usually big enough and with enough resources to actually make something happen for you. And that’s what it meant to be discovered. And the decentralization of that is that right now, and I, and that’s kind of a joke, which it currently, which is being discovered, is you finding a way to go viral on some form of social media, right?

So you.

alexi: Like the rules have reversed.

Glen Erickson: Yeah, but the whole thing is actually the same. Like you are looking for a quick method to get fast exposure to millions instead of hundreds of people. You wanna make that big of a jump, and it used to have to be through a gatekeeper. And now it’s almost exclusively. Through these quote unquote organic means.

Yeah. But, but so, but the point he’s making is actually the [01:19:00] same, right? Because before the snakes were those gatekeepers who abused that privilege and took advantage of people, versus the ones who were gatekeepers, who actually. Created beautiful careers for people and gave people opportunities when they saw it really deserved it.

But we always focus on the snakes. So, yeah. But, and now, you know, in the same way though, there’s still a thing where the snakes of the world are the ones who are sitting there being like, I can make you go viral. I can, you know what I mean? Like, I, I can do all the, anyhow, all the same. It’s a different version of a snake who’s playing the exact same game, who’s saying, I can get you to millions of people and they don’t actually have your best interest in mind.

And so being careful of those, I think that was the interesting point to me is like, it feels like everything’s changed, but it’s really the [01:20:00] same. It’s still, still, it’s still the same thing going on. Uh, I mean, real quick, just ’cause I like to tell stories, it makes me think of. a story, and I don’t remember how much I ever told you about this, but one of the biggest opportunities that ever came to fruition in my life in the music industry that I really wanted to happened.

Uh, a couple of, I’m gonna say a couple, maybe a year before Covid. ’cause nobody remembers how much time is anymore.

alexi: Yeah.

Glen Erickson: pandemic. But I think it was maybe only a year. Did I ever tell you about how I got introduced to that? Billionaire in Edmonton here, and his daughter is an aspiring musician in the city, uh, who I knew of.

And then through another friend who he had contacted because he was looking for a way, he, he just thought like he had been exposed to the snakes. Right. So his daughter had been sort of [01:21:00] contacted and, and sort of. I know you used the term, but I don’t like it. Wooed to come out to Toronto and record some demos with some DJs and producers, which is kind of the way certain aspects of the industry work that way.

It’s like, come out here, we’ll we’ll do some recordings and then I’ll see what I can do with those and then maybe we’ll end up working together. And once she went out and once and, and her dad thankfully. Great guy. Was involved, right? And he asked questions and he got involved and and was able to sort of sniff out less than trustworthy people who the deal was never gonna be in her favor if things worked out.

And you know, obviously as a astute business guy, he was very much bothered and he was like, and so his concern was there’s snakes. And so a lot of these. As he would put it, kids, they need a break. You know? They need to be able to not have to go. Uh, [01:22:00] we’ve alluded to it in a couple of these episodes about skipping some steps on the ladder and, and he wanted, well, his big idea, I guess, was to create like a local version of like an American Idol slash local TV show contest.

So it would almost be like you’d get a partnership with local. Tv, like Telus or something, and then we would have people competing for votes from the local audience and, and sort of contest it up. And anyhow, and I was pitching a development program to ’em instead. I was like, I don’t think that really works.

But I had all that experience with the development programs at Peak and the project wilds and stuff. So. so that was probably one of the most interesting times in my life. All the meetings with him, he is a wonderful guy. Um, it didn’t turn out maybe also one of my bigger disappointments ’cause I thought it would’ve been awesome and I would’ve loved to run all of that and run with it.

But, it was a cool relationship and it was [01:23:00] all based on his exposure to the typical six in the industry. But yeah. yeah, but Kurt was a great, Kurt was a great guy. He had all kinds of cool things to say and I could tell like, he does a number of these and he gets asked a lot of the similar questions.

I tried to avoid all the same questions he would normally get, but I, he’s also a guy I could tell, I could talk to for easily another hour about all kinds of things, and he would have so much to say and so many stories and, and stuff. So I appreciated that a lot. so real quick, uh, I would, I need you to remind me again of the artist you played me this morning, and I’ve asked you twice.

You played me a song and you said you just had it shared to you and you shared it to me, and that’s my favorite thing. This goes. So I want you to tell me again. So now we’re sharing it with everybody else.

alexi: So is like, it’s okay. ’cause I put this on my Instagram story, so I can’t even say I’ve been gate keeping it.

Glen Erickson: Oh yeah.

alexi: so it’s true. I put it on my Instagram story with a photo, [01:24:00] but, was Sick Dogs, but the artist was, Hey, comma, nothing. Um, and. I keep mentioning this on the podcast of like the songs that I repeat and I swear I don’t even do it that often, but it keeps coming up.

But I, but here we are. Apparently I’m discovering that I do it more often than I think. but yeah, I had it sent to me by, my partner and then I was like, this is like such a great song. Kind of like threw it on a playlist. Um, forgot about it. For maybe a few months, and then rediscovered it and was like, this is the song that fits like my timeline.

Like right now. Kind of feeling

Glen Erickson: Hmm.

alexi: just click and you’re like, this feels like very, like right now. Maybe that’s just me.

Glen Erickson: Well, I, I don’t know I’ve ever thought about it that way, but I get what you’re saying.

alexi: Sometimes I hear songs and I’m like, yeah, this is like a great song representation of like how I [01:25:00] feel about like. The point in my timeline I’m in right now in my life, like it just clicks in my head and I’m like, yeah.

Glen Erickson: Sense. I don’t know if I’ve thought that thematically of a song for a while, but I know like, just like musically or tonally, it literally just felt like, like it was, I guess I use the term soundtrack because soundtracks are more about how a song makes you feel while a scene is happening. And I definitely feel like there’s soundtrack songs in my life, like, definitely that.

People watching by Sam Fender in the fall. Uh, late fall was that for me. And, uh, I mean, his full album just came out this week too, by the way, and I, and really enjoying it. But yeah, that was a, that was a soundtrack song for me. And then there’s other ones where I’ve never even gotten into like the whole album or their whole discography.

Right. Um. [01:26:00] There’s one, oh dude, I forgot the name. How could I forget the name right off the bat of the band? shoot. I’m gonna have to like, come up with,

alexi: hop

Glen Erickson: oh, I know. It’s really crazy, but it’s a song. Uh, I’m pretty sure it’s called California, but I’m gonna like dig it up here. But it’s definitely like a soundtrack song for me.

So I don’t know, like, I think it’s cool if you found in another song that you’re playing over and over again. I think lots of people have. Soundtrack songs and can totally like, totally relate to that.

alexi: yeah. And it’s not the lyrics either. Like it’s just Yeah, it’s definitely that feeling like, also I put it on my story, with a picture from a night out with a lot of people and two others from that night out used the same song in their stories

Glen Erickson: Oh,

alexi: too.

Glen Erickson: you

alexi: And I

Glen Erickson: such an.

alexi: no, this isn’t me flexing that I put people on.

This is, I was just like, yeah, like it’s just such a like right now song.

Glen Erickson: That’s great.

alexi: fit the energy of the night. So I was like, that was

Glen Erickson: Yeah.[01:27:00]

alexi: Fun. Find

Glen Erickson: The song is called California. I Was right. It’s by Delta Spirit and it like, um, when I made my workouts playlist,

alexi: yes.

Glen Erickson: quite a while ago, I. That was like a song that as soon as I heard it, I’m like, how did I not hear this before? Because you know, you look it up and you’re like, oh, it was released like two years ago previous, or something like that.

And I’m like, how did I miss it? How disappointing. But then it becomes, in that moment, it becomes everything about your life. So I totally get what you’re saying. Yeah.

alexi: It.

Glen Erickson: Yeah. I totally get it, Lex. Um, okay. Okay, well then I’m gonna go and try to remember, Hey, comma shoot, dude, what is my problem today?

alexi: it.

Glen Erickson: Everyone?

Hey everyone. It’s not, Hey comma, everyone.

alexi: No.

Glen Erickson: Hey. Hey, comma, dude. Hey comma. Uh, I’m not gonna [01:28:00] get it. I. Hey, comma. Oh, that makes, oh, that seems so on the nose, actually, when I think about it, but, okay. I’m not gonna write it down because that would make me even older than I am. So I’m gonna go and add it to a list here.

I’m gonna add it to our playlist here. What am I talking about? I’m gonna add it to our almost famous enough playlist on Spotify, and it’ll be there. And then if other people want to hear it. They don’t have to re-listen to the podcast, like I’m gonna have to probably to remember the name. Just kidding.

Okay. Thanks for your time. Appreciate it.

alexi: Okay. Love you. Bye.

Glen Erickson: love you. Bye.