Daria Musk Will Be Inciting ‘Fierce Joy’ At StageOne Gig

By John Voket

FAIRFIELD — While the long and intense winter has been getting the best of a lot of us, Newtown singer-songwriter Daria Musk has used her time wisely hunkering down in her local recording studio since last November. But the long period of sequestering is over, and Musk plans to break out and celebrate the spirit of “fierce joy” that she says permeates her entire new album project headlining a gig at Fairfield Theatre Company’s StageOne on February 19.

And she plans to bring fellow Newtowner and musician Jake Tolson as her opening act.

“I’ve known Jake for awhile because he’s been friends with my brother Sage,” Musk told The Newtown Bee during a recent interview. “So when he was looking for a place to record some demos, we thought it would be fun to do it in our studio. But the minute we heard him, we were blown away by his talent.”

Saying Tolson brings a quality to his songwriting that is “wise beyond his years,” Musk said she has been waiting for an opportunity to help him get a break performing live, and the upcoming Fairfield show seemed a perfect opportunity.

The StageOne set will also be a springboard for Musk to unveil some of her latest work, including the premiere of one of her favorite new songs, called “You Move Me.”

“This song is really the culmination of my musical growth over the years,” she said. “But I really crafted all the new songs to be mini Trojan horses.”

Musk said she “dressed them up like pop songs to get them through the gate,” but once they’re inside she’s hoping they will pop open for listeners to reveal a lot of little nuances they weren’t expecting to hear.

The new project also showcases the broadest range of influences for the young local artist, and her own demos caught the attention of a couple of Grammy-winning studio professionals who both committed to providing some hands-on talent of their own to help Musk take her new material further than ever before.

When it is time for the final mixing and mastering process, first behind the board will be engineer Howie Lindeman, whose work has graced albums from Stevie Wonder and John Lennon.

“I met Howie when I was opening up, coincidentally at StageOne, for Melissa Manchester,” Musk said.

Once the final mix is completed, Musk will then welcome Bob Power for the final mastering.

“Bob’s been around for a long time, standing in the wings watching my progress,” Musk said. “But as soon as he heard a demo of the first cut I recorded for this project he said he wanted to come in and master it.”

 “My material is more refined on this project,” she said. “There’s a little pop and a little rock mixed up with a lot of world beat influence and rhythm, and I worked really hard pulling all those influences together.”

Inspired by a diverse set of predecessors that includes The Police and Paul Simon, Musk said she combined the organic sounds of her guitars, bass and some rhythm instruments, with an almost limitless collection of organic sounds and effects that are part of a musical software system she recently acquired.

“These are all organically generated and computer delivered effects, so we were never limited as to how we could use them in the recording process,” she said. “We have all of the manipulation that the computer allows us, but at the heart, each of these samples is a living organic sound.”

And Musk is still delivering single takes of each song recorded all the way through.

“I know a bunch of artists love to do, like, 20 takes, and then they take the best pieces of each take and weave them all together,” Musk said. “But I like the idea of recording the entire song and then choosing the best overall take. Since I am co-producing the project myself, I’m looking for that special energy instead of the level of perfection you can achieve by piecing together the best of a hundred takes.

“My priority is the magic,” she added.

While the project remains untitled, Musk is thinking about naming it after her blog, “Laughing in the Face of the Lion.”

“You know anyone who is going for their dream is going to face a lot of lions roaring and spitting and trying to discourage them,” she said. “But this album reflects that attitude about the recording industry – and I know it’s going to be tough to succeed, but it’s just something I’ve gotta do.”

And along the way, she is trying to pay back the favors and support she has received by helping others, like Tolson.

“I’m someone who is interested in encouraging others because of the encouragement I’ve gotten,” she said.

Musk’s show at Fairfield Theater Company’s StageOne next weekend is a special pre-release concert and party for the new album, which will be released in the spring of 2011. Check out more of her  music at www.dariamusk.com or at www.facebook.com/dariamusk.

Doors open at 7pm, and the show is open to all ages. Tickets are $12 ($8 for FTC members), $10 for students. Get tickets online at www.FairfieldTheatre.org or by calling the box office at 203-259-1036.