Drummer Dale Baker shares insights from recording & performing with platinum artists Sixpence None The Richer to his new solo venture as singer/songwriter with The Maudlin Fee.

Dale performed with my sister, Kelly Brown, & me in Frankly Scarlet prior to his time with Sixpence. So we've got some good stories & laughs for you in this episode! We cover a range from secret crushes - to falling short as human beings - to Dale's dealings with church pastors rockin' six-pack abs. Yeah.

Dale goes deep & shares much about his spiritual journey, his questions & reckoning with ideas around sexual "sin", & the benefits of being a masculine man with soft edges.

Dale is an artist, a dedicated musician, & an all-around beautiful guy. I can't wait for you to hear his new music as The Maudlin Fee in this episode. You're gonna dig it.

SHOW NOTES:
2:52 - Dale talks about songwriting as a new creative venue & realizing the difficulty of being the “front person” in a band. Stretching his creative muscles to learn to play guitar, write, & sing has brought the joy back into music for him.
5:27 - I’ve realized how physical it is to be the drummer in a band as I learn to play them myself!
Successful entertainers work hard to make it look easy.
7:30 - Dale talks about what made him finally get the nerve to do his own project. He shares the urgency brought on by the loss of loved ones, realizing the brevity of time & life.
10:25 - Julia Cameron & The Artist’s Way - discussion of the ways all creative people get shut down by others. It’s never too late to start learning new ways of expressing yourself.
11:47 - Dale talks about the challenge of starting The Maudlin Fee to push through his shyness. He’s getting more & more comfortable with failing in order to get better.
13:02 - I’m always experimenting - combining rock music with meditation because it’s my background, even though it’s not the norm. If I’m feeling it, other people probably are, too.
15:23 - Affirmation is nice, but Dale’s goal is more about joy & the excitement of being alive.
16:31 - Songs that didn’t exist prior to writing. We’re making a difference as we create. From his work with Frankly Scarlet, Sixpence None The Richer, & now The Maudlin Fee, Dale is adding to the creative history of our world. As artists, we all create this rich landscape.
17:41 - Experiencing a friend doing new things, you get to know them in a new way.
18:18 - SONG: Lily of Valley
22:42 - Dale shares the story behind the song & how he can tie the percussion directly to his time playing in Frankly Scarlet with my sister, Kelly, & me. He describes the influence of Jonatha Brooke & talks about his perception of the 16th note pattern “train beat”.
25:06 - Energy of collaboration. Other artists & friends have also had a direct impact on his solo project.  The drummer who recorded "Lily of the Valley" with him was a big influence, pulling him into the world of percussion when he was at the University of North Texas. Dale taught me a lot about playing percussion as well. We’re all more tied to one another than we even realize.
27:54 - Importance of having a great drummer behind you as a front person. Dale has had the experience now, so we laugh about the fact that even he doesn’t always know what to say to another drummer to make it work when it’s not jiving!
30:40 - Dale brought Richard Rohr to my attention & a video on his website about the healing power of rhythm. It turned out that Rohr was highlighting Christine Stevens, my trainer as a Remo Drums HealthRhythms facilitator. Christine said, “Music is the language of diplomacy of the future.” Remo has researched the effects of drumming on the body, as well as its ability to dissipate tension between people.
32:56 - Rohr & men’s initiation rights. Dale talks about Rohr’s series on sexuality & gender. For those who don’t fit the ideals, where do they fit in? Dale has become comfortable with his masculinity,