Nicole Nighthawk sits down with Australian singer, songwriter and guitar virtuoso Daniel Champagne for a chat about touring, his latest album ‘Trying To Hold The Setting Sun’ and his Cole Clark guitar.
Australian singer, songwriter Daniel Champagne first picked up his instrument of choice as a five-year-old following in the footsteps of a musical father. He began writing songs at 12, training classically throughout his teens and performing solo wherever he could, honing his craft and developing what would become the dynamite live show that he is renowned for today. At 18 he left school, turned professional and hit the road.
The next several years saw him traversing North America, the United Kingdom, Europe, New Zealand and of course, his homeland Australia playing such festivals as California WorldFest, Winnipeg Folk Fest, Vancouver and Mariposa Folk (Canada), Belgium’s Labadoux Festival and Australia’s Woodford, Falls Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival and the legendary Byron Bay Bluesfest. He has toured and shared stages with Jake Shimabukuro, Jesse Cook, Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Richard Shindell, The Ragbirds, The Waifs, Lucinda Williams, Judy Collins, INXS, John Butler, KT Tunstall and Ani DiFranco.
Daniel has accomplished all of this while writing, producing and independently releasing two Eps, Gypsy Moon Volumes 1 and 2, his first long player ‘Pint of Mystery’ (2011) ‘My Own Design’ (2009), ‘Wide Eyed and Open’ (2010), ‘Real Live’ (2012), and ‘The Heartland Hurricanes’ (2014). Fault Lines (2017) is available now and his project, Satellite City EP (2018) is comprised of three singles, Satellite City, Indigo, and The Great Divide, all out now as well as his 2021 album Trying To Hold The Setting Sun’
“Over three years in the making, ‘Trying To Hold The Setting Sun’ was recorded between studios in Nashville, Sydney, Adelaide and Far South New South Wales where I grew up and contains 9 of my most honest and personal songs that sprung out of the whirlwind of a never ending tour that I’ve been on in recent times. On stage I love performing solo, just me, my guitar and a bag of songs that end up being like close friends that you catch up with every night but in the studio this time, I wanted to explore a little more. I loved working with different producers, different musicians, a string section, a choir, old and new friends, all with their own stories and sounds. I’m really proud of what this new album is and incredibly excited to see it fly out into the world!”
Check out Daniel’s tour dates at: https://danielchampagnemusic.com/