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Dan Garland is a travelling musician, searching for vocalists to join an electro-rock group recording with a top producer. He is seeking the D.I.Y approach; building a fanbase from scratch over the internet. In this blog, Dan relates some experiences of working with new musicians as he heads towards the completion of the project's first album.

Sizing up a singer

I'd always been taught that a job interview means a suit, tie and a bag of lies about how much you love the company, with your prepared answers for the inevitable 'what are your strengths' question rolling around your mind, leaving perhaps just enough room for a nervous and forced demeanour, in which you try to sound nice and employable.

Seeing Stars

Last week I remarked to my producer how it was that we'd spent so long looking for singers, without the ideal singer appearing.

Jammin' with Jess

I recently held an audition in Brighton and heard five very good singers. I was glad to see that people actually turned up, as this was the first time I've organised one and I wasn't sure what to expect. I had a good experience with an audition I attended at Guildford's ACM a while ago, so I thought it would be easy to organise my own.

The search for our singer starts here

Last summer, I enjoyed six months of recording at a remote farmhouse in the French countryside. I went over as a novice musician and returned a slightly more accomplished but determined one. I was developing my song-writing talent; trying new methods of working, finding new inspiration and above all taking time-out from the nine-to-five.