Being a good guy doesn’t necessarily entail grand gestures, but merely paying attention to the little things – doing the dishes, walking the dog, cooking dinner. Canadian singer-songwriter Dan Moxon catalogues all the ways he fits the bill on his new single “Real Good Guy” – available now.
Taking its cues from easygoing ’70s soul, “Real Good Guy” features tinkling piano, joyful horns, subtle harmonies, and even some exuberant whistling as Dan basks in the reality of being a responsible member of a household. Throughout the song, there’s the sense that Dan isn’t actually trying hard to convince anyone that he’s a good guy, but that he’s instead marvelling at a particular stage of life.
It’s an attitude that fits with the greater theme of Dan’s sophomore album, All My Friends. “As I started writing this album, right before the pandemic, I was struggling with the idea of leaving behind my youth and my 40s being just around the corner. I joked that every time I tried to get a friend to come to a show or meet up, they always had an excuse, or too much work, or couldn’t leave the kids at home and it became quite annoying,” Dan said. “Jump to recording the album three years later in 2022, and now I had a newborn baby girl at home, a labradoodle puppy, a new house, and all of a sudden I was the one who wasn’t going out anymore.”
In other words, Dan had become the “real good guy” he was singing about. “We can all feel a bit of the struggle to get back to our social lives after more than two years of the pandemic,” Moxon said. “But sometimes it’s ok to just sit back on the couch and watch a movie instead.”. All My Friends is an album that captures this conundrum of drifting from young adulthood to real-deal adulthood, and the feeling of leaving friends behind, dealing with the requisite relationship struggles, as well as the challenges of making the time to be together.
Dan is a Vancouver-based singer/songwriter who is best known for fronting the band Bend Sinister, who has released eight albums and toured all over North America and Europe. He’s been performing, singing, and playing piano for more than 20 years, and he also loves cats. Between shows and musical endeavours, Dan restores and sells mid-century modern furniture (check him out on Instagram at @dansvintagefinds).
His single “Real Good Guy” from his album All My Friends is available now.
Name:
Dan Moxon
Genre:
Piano rock/folk/soul
Founded:
2000 is when I started playing solo shows but at the time I’d play acoustic guitar. I then focused mainly on my band Bend Sinister which has released 8 albums since then. My first official solo release was an album called Lounge Singer in 2019.
Latest Single:
Real Good Guy is the album feature track on my new record ALL MY FRIENDS. It’s got a fun jazzy vibe and it’s all about trying to be a real good guy, or maybe about those who think they are when really they are not.
Latest Video:
Favourite musician growing up:
I went thru many stages and was mostly a metalhead in my early days. Metallica was my favourite band and my first big concert where I drove to Vancouver with my brother and went to thunderbird to see them. Honourable mentions – David Bowie, Black Sabbath
Favourite musician now:
It’s cliche but I love Paul Mccartney. I just found two massive volumes of charts for every Beatles song and it’s been a joy to flip through and play/sing so many. I put out a cover 2020 of a song from his first solo album called Every Night.
Guilty pleasure song:
I’m really digging the new Carly Rae Jepson song ‘The Loneliest time’ which also features Rufus Wainright who I recently saw do an amazing orchestra show with the VSO. Though I also get into anything Lizzo or Billy Eilish
Live show ritual:
Whenever the band just before we are on says it’s their last song I head down to the green room and do a semi-half-assed 5m of stretching and warming up my voice with scales. I think these things only really help if you spend more like 20-30m.
Favourite local musician:
I’m really digging Art D’ecco’s tunes who we met years ago when he was in the band TV heart attack was part of a music contest/camp we did in 2009 I think. He reminds me of Iggy Pop or maybe even Bowie at times.
EP or LP?
Always a full-length record if we have the time and money to do so. I find EPs are really annoying as they often get lost in translation on Spotify and streaming platforms when they sometimes show up as a single or not listed in the discography.
Early bird or night owl?
We just had our first baby who is turning one on Dec 24th. I would have said night owl previously but now I’m in bed around 10 pm every night. Luckily she is a good sleeper but still wakes us up around 7 every morning.
Road or studio?
I think the road is getting harder and harder to make money and exposure and the lustre of partying thru the night and crashing on someone’s floor has also worn off. I still love connecting with audiences and playing shows but only when the opportunity is right or the gigs are cool. My goal is to just keep recording and releasing music that I’m passionate about and hope that people take a moment to listen.
Where can we follow you?
You can follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and also visit my website.
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Rapid Fire Vancouver Qs
Favourite local restaurant:
Ubuntu on Fraser street. We used to live around the corner and go all the time.
Favourite street in your city:
Keefer st/china town. So many cool restaurants, vintage shops and things pop up every day.
Favourite park in your city:
Trout lake. This is my go-to with my dog Teddy
Favourite music venue in your city:
Green Auto body. This is a new spot just around the corner from our house and they do awesome outdoor gigs with a view of the city in the background and then inside shows in a cool space. I hope to do my album release here in the new year
Favourite music store in your city:
Zulu is awesome and I hit it whenever I can get over to Kitsilano.
