Deena Goodman

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Interview With Deena Goodman By Chris 7/12/06

Deena Goodman is a fantastic singer songwriter who I
discovered.
I was very impressed with her voice and her tunes
Read on as she has something to say.

Denna
Website
Deena MySpace
Page

1. How did you get into music?

I fell in love with music at a young age, not rock music
per se, rather singers randing from Ella Fitzgerald, Judy
Garland, Billie Holiday and even Barbra Streisand. My only
musical outlet in high school was do perform in musicals. I
moved on to study at the Tisch School of the Arts and
through my life at Tisch I became increasingly more
interested in the art of writing music along with
performing it. Artists that influenced that aspect of my
craft include Carol King, John Prine, Joan Osbourne, Janis
Joplin, The Rolling Stones, Shawn Colvin, Crosby, Stills,
Nash and Young among others. Upon my graduation from
college I was diagnosed with nodules on my vocal folds and
with that was forced to remain silent for about 2 months
when most of my writing came to form. Since getting my
voice back I have continued on the musical path I am on
today.

2. Who were your idols growing up?

Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland for their vocal talents,
Carol King for her skilled writing, Nina Simone- for both.
The Rolling Stones and Janis Joplin for truly rocking out.
My parents for thei dedication.

3. Who were your influences?

Carol King, Patty Griffin, Jackson Brown, all artists
previously mentioned…the city I live in and the people I
love.

4. Are you happy with the responses from the Hard To Get
To EP?

All the response I have received has been excellent, I
would have liked to have had the EP reach more ears, but I
believe as an independent artist, that is often the
case….

5. What have responses been like to your music on the
web?

The web response has been excellent, most reviews have been
great and my itunes sales have been good. I am not sure I
have reached out to all of the web outlets that I could
have, but I reach out to more and more each and every day.
I am also working on a new EP that will allow me to offer
more material to those that I have already had a good
response from.

6. Has the Internet helped with your music?

Yes- particularly MySpace.

7. Do you think tools like MySpace are useful?

Absolutely- a wonderful way to reach out to a network of
people seeking out new music. I have received EXCELLENT
response via MySpace- it is my largest marketing tool next
to my own personal e mail list and cd baby.

8. What is the scene like for the type of music you
play?

There is a great scene of singer songwriters here in
Manhattan. I run a songwriter’s night called the New York
Songwriter’s Circle, a songwriters showcase that has been
in existence for over 15 years, started by singer,
songwriter Tina Shafer. It is an excellent network for
local songwriters to share new material and network with
one another. Other then that, there are clubs all over the
sity where many of my artist friends paly- very often we
will book nights playing together at these various
clubs

9. Has street press and music media/websites helped with
getting your name out their?

I have not really utilized that sort of promo. I use
Myspace as my main website at this point as well, as I feel
its better for touring promo then street teaming and an
easier way to find me then to find my own website.

10. What inspires you when writing music?

My experiences at the time. The city around me. The rythm
of the subway when I ride has, no joke inspired me with
melodies for songs I am working on. Other artists always
add to my inspiration. Words alone inspire me. I love to
connect one word to another to create an image or a phrase
that people will remember. love. or lack there of.

11. Have you had much response from radio?

I have had response from various pod casts and Internet
radio stations.

12. What has been your favorite gig to date?

I have two, both at my favorite venue in town. I opened for
two artists I have huge amounts of respect for- Toby
Lightman and Missy Higgins. Both shows were a blast.

13. Who would you most like to record a song
with?

Van Morrison.

14. Have you had much response from labels regarding
your music?

I have had positive feedback from many label friends, but
have not officially introduced myself to them just yet
😉

15. What are your thoughts on talent shows like
Idol?

I think that, though it seems to be a somewhat cheesy show,
that they actually work with kids who otherwise would not
know how to pursue a dream of theirs, and many of the
contestants have had some real chops on them. It is not the
ideal contest for a writer like myself, but for a singer
who does not mind singing music that is not their own it is
a great way to be discovered if you can handle a host like
Simon).

16. What are some of your favorite musical
artists/bands?

I am a huge Macy Gray fan, Joss Stone, Shawn Colvin, Brandi
Carlile, Patty Griffin, Regina Spektor, Carole King,
Radiohead, Black Crowes, Counting Crows, Chantal Kreviazuk,
Bonnie Raitt, Julie Miller. Older artists include, as I’ve
mentioned: Jackson Brown, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin, Bill
Withers.

17. Do you think Idol is the downfall of the major
label?

I think that overproduced pop music, due to the intense
techniological boom that we began to have a few years ago
led to the downfall of the original and ultra talented
artists- making it easy to create and work with people with
no real talent. I think that free downloading and file
sharing has led to the downfall of the labels. I don’t
think that Idol has led to much wrong in the business, it
is simply another way of creating a path for an artist who
might not otherwise have found it. I don’t necessarily
respect the artists that have come out of it for their
ultimate drive and talent, but I don’t think they have
destroyed the idea of a major label.

18 Who have you has helped you out the most?

I have had help from many people in my life, musically
producer Mike Shimshack probably took me the furthest in my
creative journey. Mostly, however, I would say it is my
parents, with their loving support who have kept me on this
path.

19. Who would you like to do a split EP with?

A contemporary artist I would love to share an EP with
would have to be Brandi Carlile.

20. What next for Deena Goodman?

I will hopefully be playing some shows out of town (I play
primarily here in NYC). I am currently working on getting a
team of people together to help me step this project up to
labels and so on. Immediately and forever I will always
write, listen and learn in order to create more and more
songs that reach people.

Thanks for your time any last words

Thank you so much for your interest in my music and my
happenings. I love what I do and hope to continue to share
it with people!