A Chat with Katie Dauson (11.11.25)
Katie Dauson is an artist who refuses to be boxed into any single genre or style. Returning with her seventh studio album, Dauson City Gold Rush, we chat with Katie Dauson about all things music below.
OSR: Your new album, Dauson City Gold Rush, spans multiple genres. What was the starting vision for this record?
Dauson: It actually started out as a folk album. As usual, it morphed into something completely different as I kept writing new material that kept getting better.
OSR: You wrote all eight tracks yourself. What does the songwriting process look like for you?
Dauson: I have to be inspired first. Then, once I have some words and a tune in my head, I write the words down. After that, I write the chord progression and the melody. I know it’s the opposite of what most people do, but it works for me. I always write the music on an acoustic guitar. Even if I know that it’s going to be an electric guitar song, I figure that if it sounds good on my Martin Travel guitar, then it will sound good on any guitar I choose, acoustic or electric.
OSR: The title track, ‘Gold Rush’, began as a spontaneous jam. How often do these moments shape your albums?
Dauson: This was the first time that actually happened. Usually, I just keep writing songs, and the album will change completely. What happened was, I was feeling bored one day but curious about slide guitar; I had never played it in my life, but I knew that open tunings work well with that style of playing. So, I tuned an electric guitar that I have, where the action is uncomfortable to play on to an open G tuning, grabbed a slide (I own a few) and started sliding on the sixth string over and over again. It turned into a twelve-bar blues sound, and my Dad came into the room I was playing (because he could hear the music downstairs), and told me how great it sounded and that it should go on the album. At first, I wasn’t sure if it would work, but decided to take a chance and agreed to put it in as the title track.
OSR: ‘Scene Stealing Casanova’ turns writer’s block into fun. What inspired that playful perspective?
Dauson: I was listening to Bob Dylan’s album Highway 61 Revisited on vinyl, and after the album was over, I had the opening line of the chorus in my head for ‘Scene Stealing Casanova’. I hadn’t written a song in a little while and was rather frustrated, but I was pleased that at least I had a line in my head that I felt I could work with. The original tune stuck in my head was from that Bob Dylan album, and I knew it wouldn’t be right, so I thought about it for a minute, and finally everything came together for that song.
OSR: ‘Noah’s Rainbow Road’ has Dylan-esque lyricism. How do you approach blending influences while keeping your voice unique?
Dauson: I listen to all kinds of music, and really just write what comes to me. I don’t try to be like anyone else. I wouldn’t want to copy a style so exactly that it sounds just like another artist; I want to be unique.
OSR: How did working with producer James Nickle impact the sound and feel of the album?
Dauson: James is so much fun to work with. I look forward to going into his studio every time I have a song to record. He keeps me relaxed with his humour and brings the best out of me.
OSR: How do you balance personal storytelling with writing songs that resonate universally?
Dauson: I just write what comes to mind; I don’t sit there and try to figure out at the table if my song will have universal appeal. If it does, then great! I’m just a regular person, and that’s what I tend to write about.
OSR: What has been the biggest challenge of being an independent artist?
Dauson: Like every independent artist, I’m not funded by a big corporation, but I own all my music, and I do what I want- nobody tells me what to do, what and how to write, how to dress, etc.
OSR: How has your sound evolved across your seven albums?
Dauson: I just try to do different things, and the best way to do that is listen to as much music from across different genres and eras as possible. I’ve also been adding effects pedals into my guitar sound in the recording studio, so that makes a difference too.
OSR: What advice would you give to young artists trying to break boundaries in their music?
Dauson: The first thing to do is to listen to lots of music. But not today’s music. You have to listen to music from the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s to get a feel for what groundbreaking music really is. And, you can’t just stick to listening to a single genre of music. For example, I listen to everything from jazz to classical to rock to county to folk, and the list goes on. If you don’t know what came before, then you won’t understand music. The other thing I would say is just to be yourself, don’t try to be something you’re not. Oh, and also, read a lot. Especially novels and poetry. You have to be very well-read to be able to write great lyrics. Writing can’t be taught; it has to come from your heart.
Many thanks to Katie Dauson for speaking with us. Find out more about Katie Dauson on her Facebook, Instagram, and Spotify.
