Today we’d like to introduce you to Christian Dorn.
Christian, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’ve loved music and playing the drums from a young age. I started playing the drums in school band in 6th grade and from there I was hooked on music, drums, and percussion in general. I continued playing through high school and in 2010 I went to The University of North Texas where I studied music and business. Music has provided me with some great opportunities, but the best one has been meeting my wife, Kami. She is a music educator and drummer as well, and we met while studying music at UNT. We now have a house with more drums than furniture, and our living room tends to look more like a drum shop, but that’s a problem we are both ok with.
I now work in the Texas Country scene playing with various country acts on the local and national circuit. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some great artists including, Charla Corn, Bart Crow, Abbey Cone, and Zach Coffey. Currently, I am the drummer for Texas country mainstays, Eleven Hundred Springs, and have been with them since January of 2017. Joining Eleven Hundred Springs has been an incredible experience. Being a part of a band that has so much history in Dallas and Fort Worth has been a lot of fun. Texas country music fans are some of the nicest and most helpful people on the planet and I really enjoy getting to meet new people and fans every week.
When I’m not on the road touring I frequently work in recording studios throughout the state. I love getting to help artists and producers bring their ideas to life and create something that will connect with their listeners and fans.
I have the privilege of working at some of the best recording studios in Texas including Fort Worth Sound, SG Studios, Mauldin Productions, and Café Solo Studios. I really believe the DFW area is putting out world class music and these studios are helping put Texas on the map as a music capital.
My obsession with audio, recording, and drums in general, led me to start my own online recording studio, Drum Arsenal Productions, which provides drum and percussion tracks to clients around the world. This was something that started as a hobby and has been growing over the last year. My life and work pretty much all revolve around drums and music in some way. I’m very thankful to be able to do something I love every day, that never gets old.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
I mainly work as a “side man”. I’m a drummer and my job are to support other people’s music and help bring life to the lyrics and songs. I studied jazz in college, but shortly after starting my studies at UNT I began working in the Texas country scene and immediately found a great community of musicians, artists, and producers. Being in musical situations where the lyrics and song are the most important part is what I enjoy most about working with country musicians and singer-songwriters.
I consider my job as a drummer to be in the service industry. I’m there to serve the other musicians on stage, serve the artist or producer’s direction in the recording studio, and ultimately serve the music in any way I can. My art is created by helping other people bring their songs to life and bring their message to their fans and listeners.
Another big part of my musical life is music education. I am an active music educator in the DFW area and I love teaching. Working with students not only makes me a better musician, but it helps me see just how positive the future is for music. It’s great getting to see a young musician play their first song or make a breakthrough on their instrument. I’ve had many fantastic teachers in my life and feel it’s our job as musicians to make sure we pass on what we have learned and to never stop learning ourselves. I’m thankful for educators like Henry Okstel and Jerry Bishop for instilling this in me.
When people see a show, I’m playing or hear a record I’ve played on, I hope they feel something. Music can make us laugh, cry, and feel every emotion in between. In a world where a lot of art is superficial and mass produced, I’m thankful for once in a lifetime musical performance that can help people connect with each other.
The sterotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Working as a musician in 2018 is a challenge even in the best of times. My advice for drummers and musicians would be to say “yes” to as many opportunities as possible and be over-prepared for every gig. My other piece of advice would be to make sure you have a solid online presence. Having an up to date website has allowed me to meet some great people and work on new musical projects both in Dallas and internationally. You can be the greatest musician in the world, but if nobody knows who you are or what you do, it can be difficult to get work.
Relationships are also extremely important. I can trace every gig I’ve ever played back to a handful people. Going out and meeting (and supporting) the other bands, artists, and musicians in the scene is not only a great way to make connections, but you learn a lot and go home with an abundance of inspiration. I am constantly learning from my friends in the Texas music scene. Some of the best musicians in the world are right here in Dallas and Fort Worth, take advantage of that! That is my favorite part about drumming and music in general, one is never done learning and growing. It’s a life-long study and there’s always something to work on and get better at!
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
Records I have played on are available on iTunes, Spotify, Apple music, and everywhere else digital music is available. I try to keep an updated discography of work I’ve done on my website www.christiandornmusic.com.
As far as live shows, I will be playing throughout Texas and the United States this year with Eleven Hundred Springs. Come and say hi at show! I also love keeping up with people on my Instagram, @christiandornmusic. My page is mostly drums, travel, and the occasional photo of my dogs, Nala and Penny.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ChristianDornMusic.com www.DrumArsenalProductions.com
- Phone: 9728962375
- Email: cdorndrums@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christiandornmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christiandornmusic
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdornmusic
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK9QHGY2EdO4KUL8eMkgfZA
Image Credit:
Tamytha Cameron, Purifoy Photography, Patrick Smith and Kami Lujan
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