Meet dawn Landes | singer songwriter

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

Hi dawn, can you tell us about a book that has had a meaningful impact on you?
I’ve been carrying around a copy of The Liberated Woman’s Songbook for 10+ years, it moved with me from NYC to Nashville to North Carolina. The book is a collection of folk songs about women’s activism published in 1971 at the height of the Women’s Liberation Movement. I was drawn to it because it’s got a ballsy cover, very retro 70’s vibe and really cool photographs and bits of history behind each song. I treated it like an art book for awhile, and it wasn’t until 2022 when Roe fell and I was lamenting the loss of women’s rights (my rights, my daughter’s rights) that I started studying the book. I went looking for solace in it, hoping to find answers from women of the past- what did they sing about during times of struggle? I started learning a song a day and really digging into the stories behind them. I made a timeline of the songs and wrote a script, envisioning the whole thing as a musical revue. I made an album of a few of the songs, reimagining them with my collaborator Josh Kaufman, updating some of the language and music. It’s consumed me for most of the last two years: researching, making costumes, lining up musicians and singers for the shows (we’ve now done it 3 times and there are more performances on the books). It feels important and I’ve invested a ton of time and money into it- like any creative project it’s a little scary… will this make an impact on other people the way it’s impacted me? I can only hope so.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I love songs and stories. I started writing songs and singing them in coffee shops and bars back when I was in high-school. That was 25 years ago and my music has taken me all over the world and supported my life as an artist for a long time. About 10 years ago I started writing my first musical (Row, you can hear it on Audible) and that process really changed the way I think about songs and storytelling on a larger scale. As far as I can tell there’s no rule book to follow to make it as an artist, I’ve just followed my passions and worked hard. Luckily, that’s lead me to some rewarding experiences but not without challenges. There will always be disappointment and doubt but I try to focus on the work and the connection it brings. Songs have changed my life, comforted me, made me cry and made me dance…I can only hope to make a song that someone needs to hear in that moment, that will move them or help them get through a tough time.

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?
Alice Gerrard

Website: www.dawnlandes.com

Instagram: @dawnlandes

Facebook: www.facebook,com/dawnlandes

Youtube: www.youtube.com/FunMachineMusic

Image Credits
The photo of me w the protesters is in front of the Capital Building in Raleigh, NC where I shot my music video for “Hard is the Fortune of All Womankind”. The photo of me onstage with the band is when I performed with the Steep Canyon Rangers. The photo with the piano in the foreground is at soundcheck at The Kennedy Center. The photo with the women in white is from a holiday benefit concert I put together called Sirens of Chatham, we raised money for a local charity.