Meet Dave Pahanish | Songwriter, Artist & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dave Pahanish and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dave, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I started playing music, there was not much thought involved, nor did I conceive it as a “business”. I knew playing music, and more so writing songs was something that I felt drawn to and compelled to do more than anything else. I followed the white rabbit as they say which led me first to street playing in Pittsburgh, Pa and then Los Angeles at 19 years old. I then went to NYC to pursue music and was captivated by the street players in Washington Square Park, taken by the the soul they exuded in the music they played, I wanted what they had. I started learning and performing a lot of the tunes I heard these guys playing, a lot of 60s and 70s folk rock tunes. Shortly thereafter got my first paying gigs in Hoboken, NJ where I was living at the time. An occasional. gig quickly turned into 5 gigs a week. These gigs were my. only income for the next 15 years or so while I honed my songwriting skills and performance as an original artist before moving to Nashville for a publishing contract.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
No considered myself as having a brand. I started out writing songs about my own life and recording music on my 4 track recorder. I set out to find a way to make a living (or live the life) doing what I did. At first, my only goal was to get a record deal and tour, become a famous singer/songwriter…. I spent a lot of years chasing that dream. Never expected that I would find success in Nashville as primarily a writer and then a producer. Ive always been drawn to introspective songwriting that had an element of truth and realness to it, a personal aspect; I. think that by combining this with. pop. sensibility is what set me apart in Nashville 13 years ago. A lot of folks were crafting songs, showing up at specific times to write songs with the idea of making money/ getting songs cut. I was never comfortable with that, writing songs was something I felt I had to do for my own sanity. My efforts went into writing tunes that both moved me emotionally /spiritually as well as having universal appeal.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I could have answered this question better bout 5 years ago, the Nashville I know has significantly changed. A lot of the places I considered the coolest spots have either been shut down or just aren’t what they used to be. Its like a really cool indie band that has gone too commercial. That being said, a lot of great music can be found. Cant go to Nashville without spending some time on Broadway, my favorite places are Laylas Bluegrass Inn ( Home of the Risches) , Robert’s Western World, Doc Hollidays on 2nd ave. A good showcase club is 3rd and Lindsley. Gotta visit The Station Inn for great bluegrass. The 5spot in East Nashville for best Friday night Happy Hour with Tim Carroll, guitar legend. Lots of great restaurants. Great late night diner is The Hermitage Cafe.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
As far as inspiration goes, many things have driven me along the way and many people have helped me on my journey. Some of the things that jump out when I think back are: Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, NYC Street Performers, Joni Mitchell, Neil. Young, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Tom Waits and countless other musical influences.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/davepahanishmusic