Shawn Colvin, Darryl Jones, Jason Ringenberg — three examples of music notables who began their careers in Carbondale.
This month, River to River Community Records draws your attention to a rising musical star, who, unlike those first three artists, is a born-and-raised Carbondale native clearly on his way to fame and fortune.
His name is Dakota Holden. While still lending his talent to local music projects as time permits, the 24-year-old may possibly have outgrown the Southern Illinois scene. After relocating to Nashville, Tennessee, he's now making a name for himself playing pedal steel guitar.
River to River: Where did you go to school?
Dakota Holden: I attended Unity Point Elementary School, then Carbondale Community High School from 2012 to 2016. I graduated from SIU in 2020 with B.A. in Radio, Television and Digital Media.
R2R: How did you learn to play music?
DH: My first instruments were drums and percussion in the Unity Point Concert Band. But at age 13, I started playing guitar and recording songs using ProTools on the computer. At first, picking up the guitar was a very casual thing. I didn’t just pick it up and say, "Yep, this is my thing now."
R2R: Talk about your early bands.
DH: Only a few months after learning guitar, I met Nathan and Brandan Gill in junior high school. I joined their band, "Mr. Swamp Fox," and that's when my musical energy really kicked in. I was surrounded by guys who could play their a---- off, and I wanted to shred, too! The camaraderie and creative companionship really made me passionate for pursuing music and audio engineering. After that, I started saying, "yep, this is my thing now."
In high school, I joined Jazz Band as a guitar player and started my first group with my best bud, Paul Goodin. We were called "Shutting Down the Moon," which was inspired by the Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden. In that band, we explored the Americana genre with accordion, banjo and fiddle.
R2R: What kind of experience did you have in the SIU Radio/TV program?
DH: I was introduced to Todd Herreman, who showed me around the Communications Building and the amazing studio spaces on campus. My spirits were a little dampened when he accepted a position at Syracuse University, but then Jenny Pape took over the audio engineering classes and delivered a killer program. I also started working with Jay Needham in Digital Media. Those three folks — Todd, Jenny and Jay — made for the best experience I could ask for. SIU does a great job providing all the tools and the time to make art and to follow whatever it is you want to pursue. Do I seem like a car salesman yet?
R2R: How did you learn and become proficient on pedal steel guitar?
DH: I was at a bluegrass festival in 2016 and attended a very small workshop with Jerry Douglas, who said he started playing dobro because there were too many guitar players. For that entire weekend, with all the guitarists, mandolinists and banjo pickers on stage, I only saw one pedal steel player. So I sold one of my guitars and some foot pedals, and purchased a single-neck pedal steel. It took another year to figure out the instrument and gain the courage to ask for lessons from Danny Weaver in Cobden. He's the reason why I play today.
R2R: How did you meet Hugh DeNeal?
DH: Toward the end of high school, among other things, I assisted with merch work for Heather Smith and Hugh at MerchOp. That’s when we first started hanging out. Later, he asked me about joining his band "The People vs Hugh DeNeal." I was very new to playing steel, so playing all original music was a good way to discover my place in musical arrangements.
R2R: Talk about "Miss Jenny and the Howdy Boys" and how you came to coproduce their latest record.
DH: It started from an independent study class I had with Jenny. "The Jenny Johnson Band" had recently ended, she had some unrecorded tunes and I wrote a handful of songs that eventually added up to a full 12 tracks. After that, we assembled a full band with Nathan Graham on bass, Kyle Triplett on guitar and banjo and Chad Shaffer on drums. The self-titled album was released in October of 2020.
R2R: What was it like finding your first gig in Nashville?
DH: I've always loved Nashville, the idea of playing there, and it was always my plan to do something in that town. I moved there and started saying 'yes' to every opportunity. My first gig was subbing on pedal steel in the live band for the American Showdown rodeo. A good bud and fantastic guitar player, Nicky V, offered me the job when their primary steel player was out that weekend. He shared the charts and the setlist, and two weeks later I was on a bus headed to Mississippi!
R2R: What are your current Nashville projects?
DH: I had the special opportunity to work with Grammy award-winner Avi Kaplan on his music video for "First Place I Go." I'm also a new addition to a Gospel quartet in the area, which is preparing to hit the road for some travels around the U.S.
But I've also made frequent visits back home for shows with "Miss Jenny and the Howdy Boys" and "The People vs Hugh DeNeal." Last September, I played a Off the Rails show in Carbondale with Hugh and Jason Ringenberg. I've also been working with Matt Garrison and Holly Hurt on a new "Big Hurts" record. We recently did a music video with Moonfield Creative for "To Make Do," and it looks and sounds great!
R2R: What words of wisdom would you offer?
DH: My advice for any musician is — you guessed it — practice! Being a good musician requires deliberately setting aside time to improve your skill set. And when you aren’t actively practicing, be listening and watching. Be social, friendly and know when to step back. That may sound incredibly cliché, but it's true.