Boston Beats:  State your name, age, and occupation for the record please.

Danielle Miraglia:  Name, Danielle Miraglia.  Age 26.  Occupation: I guess it’s “entertainment.”

 

BB:  How did you get into music? When did you learn to play?

DM:  I started playing guitar when I was thirteen.  I wrote a few songs in high school, just joke songs, that kind of stuff.  Then I went to college and didn’t play very much at that point.  I went to Emerson for creative writing, and I got out and realized that that’s not what I wanted to do.  I wanted to write but I didn’t want to be a novelist, I guess it’s too much work.  So I just ended up writing a lot of songs, and decided to do an open mic.  It happened from there, and then I got addicted to it.  Couldn’t stop. 

 

SONGWRITING & INFLUENCES

BB:  When did you write your first song? 

DM: I wrote songs when I was a kid, just joke songs and things like that.  But the first song I wrote that I actually played on a stage that I wrote was probably 20 or 21, the first one I actually ever performed.  It’s not one that I perform now.

 

BB:  Tell me about your songwriting style.  How does a new song usually come about? 

DM:  I used to write the lyrics first and then add the music, but lately I’ve been doing them both at the same time.  That seems to be working a little better.  Sometimes I’ll have a music part that I’m working on and then start writing lyrics and find some that fit.

 

BB:  What are your musical influences? 

DM:  It’s always been mostly classic rock stuff.  The Beatles.  Bob Dylan.  Joni Mitchell.  Paul Simon.  Prince.  Everything influences me.  It’s hard to say.  I could listen to something new tomorrow and end up writing a song if it inspired me.

 

BB:  What are some of your favorite albums?

DM: Albums that will always be classics to me include Joni Mitchell “Blue,” Bob Dylan “Blonde on Blonde,” Rolling Stones “Let it Bleed,” Beatles “Revolver,” Janis Joplin Box Set, the whole thing.  Those are the ones that come to mind, ones that I could never do without.  Oh, and Prince, “Sign of the Times.”

 

BB:  How would you describe your own style?

DM: I guess it’s a blend of blues and country and rock.

 

 

 

RECORDING

BB:  What has been your experience recording music?

DM:  My last CD was with a friend Dave Franz at a studio called “Underground Sun” in Brighton.  He did that one.  He’s great.  I’m actually going in the studio again pretty soon.  It’s the first time I’ve gone back since this last one.  It’s always just a matter of getting warmed up to it again.  It’s kind of nerve-racking in a way because you know you’re being recorded, and you feel like it has to be perfect, and you have to kinda get yourself out of that mindset and try to not be that way.

 

BB:  Do you prefer the studio or playing out?

DM:  Performing, definitely.

PLAYING OUT

BB:  What makes a good show? 

DM:  A packed room of people, completely quiet and listening.  There’s an energy you get, sometimes you don’t get the energy and sometimes you do.  And you know when you’re getting the energy; it’s an exchange of energy.  It’s what makes you want to perform, to feel the energy coming back to you.

 

BB:  What’s your best show so far?

DM:  Opening for Patti Larkin at the Bull Run in Shirley.  That was an awesome experience. 

 

BB:  What equipment do you use?

DM:  I have a J45 Gibson acoustic guitar, that’s my favorite guitar, my baby.  Right now I’m using a little crate, because it’s easy and portable.  I use a JBL speaker and a Barringer mixer for the bigger rooms, the bar gigs.

BB:  Any pre- or post-show rituals?

DM:  I get really drunk!  No, I’m kidding.  I’m always late, so just getting there on time.

BB:  Do you do any interesting covers?

DM:  I do a cover of Prince “Starfish and Coffee.”  I do a bunch of covers.  It depends on where I’m playing.  If I’m playing in a bar for three or four hours, then I’ll have to draw on a lot of covers, but I refuse to do covers that I don’t like.

 

BB:  Tell me about your audience.  What are your fans like?

DM:  That would be hard to say.  I’ve met such a mix of people.  The people who are my musical friends now are all people I’ve met from playing open mics, and just getting into the scene.  Some of my best friends I’ve met through music.  And also I’ve met great people just being at gigs.

 

THE BOSTON SCENE

BB:  What are some of your favorite places to play?

DM:  I love the Kendall Café, but they’re closing it, it’s so sad.  That was one of my favorites.  I love playing the Burren on Sunday nights. That’s a regular gig.

 

BB:  Who are some of your favorite people to play with?

DM:  Well, Tom Bianchi, he plays bass with me.  Gotta name Tom.  This guy John “Johnny Bravo” Cleaver.  He looks just like the cartoon character Johnny Bravo.  And Chris Harris.  Those are the guys I’m playing with now.

 

BB:  What are your favorite local bands and artists?

DM:  There’re so many.   Tom Bianchi, Kevin So, Lisa Bastoni, Sarah Woolf, Kelly DiKiannon, Jason Gardner, Kyle Shiver, Martin Anderson, Blue Horizon, Seth Horan, Melissa Morris, Shiner.Jones, Liz Debiase, Amusia, Rob Roscigno, Christie Leigh, Cactus Highway, Secret Shoes.  Oh, and Ryan Monbleau, he’s another one, he’s amazing.  I don’t want to miss anybody, but that’s a few.

 

BB:  Have you played much in other cities besides Boston?

DM:  Yeah, I’m starting to do it a little bit more.  I’ve played all over Massachusetts, but I’m touring in October, going down the coast.  North Carolina and back, playing the DC area, Virginia.

 

BB:  How would you compare the music scene in Boston to other cities you’ve played in?

DM:  They’re a lot of places to play here, but the audiences are a little tougher.  I don’t know why.  It seems like it’s harder to get them to pay attention here.  Boston is the best place to start because it’s a tough place to do it.  But there’re also tons of opportunities to play.  Then you go to other places and say, “Oh wow, people are listening to me.” 

 

 

IN CLOSING

BB:  If you could play on stage with anyone alive, who would it be?

DM:  Oh, Prince.  Even though I would be completely intimidated by him, and probably just faint.  And he’s my height, so it would work.  All his dancers are really short, because they can’t be taller than him or it would just look funny.  I don’t have to play anything, I’ll just roll around on the stage.  I’ll just hold onto his leg.  You can put that in print if you want.

 

BB:  If you could be in another profession other than your own, what would it be? 

DM:  A writer for Saturday Night Live. 

 

BB:  What would be your least favorite idea for another profession?

DM: Working in an office in a cubicle, doing what I was doing before.  I was working at the help desk, doing IT work, which wasn’t horrible, but I was out of my element.  I had a bad attitude.  And I used to surf the net all day.  And they promoted me it was weird, because I had a knack for Microsoft Office.  They promoted me to help desk trainer I had some title I couldn’t even pronounce.  I would be putting together help desk manuals, and then I’d write a song about how miserable I was.  Then I’d tell someone to re-boot their computer, which is usually the solution to every problem.  I could go on and on.  And then before that I was a secretary, which I really hated a lot.  Any office job.  I would rather do anything than work in an office again.