Tag: Dietrich Strause

Basic Folk – Dietrich Strause

Posted on by Shelby Williamson

Dietrich Strause, raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, was classically trained on trumpet growing up, but the allure of songwriting and performing his own music pulled him into the Americana world. He found his way to the Boston area and into its super collaborative and supportive community.

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On his new album, You And I Must Be Out Of My Mind, Dietrich found himself more in control of the creative process thanks to spending years cultivating his skills at Great North Sound in Parsonsfield, Maine. Under the mentorship of producer Sam Kassirer, he became empowered in his craft by offering up his services as a session player, engineer and studio handyman. The record took several years to record, but due to his experiences with Sam, he was able to see the way that bands made decisions in the studio and how a record takes shape, which all culminated on his latest record.

Dietrich’s known in the Boston area for sitting in on sessions and live shows with people like Rose Cousins, Kris Delmhorst, and Session Americana. He’s built a home and a community there. Now, Dietrich is in the process of moving his base to London, which sounds challenging to do at any time, never mind during a global pandemic. He talks about how it’s been a strange move and how the pandemic has impacted his relationship with touring. Full disclosure: Dietrich is a close pal of mine and one of my favorite hangs. When I spend time with Dietrich, I feel like a little kid: anything is possible and the day is ours. His music gives me that feeling, too. Hope you enjoy getting to know Dietrich and his perfect songs.

Photo Credit: Sam Kassirer

WATCH: Dietrich Strause, “Out of Mind”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Dietrich Strause
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts / London, UK
Song: “Out of Mind”
Album: You and I Must Be Out of My Mind
Release Date: April 29, 2022
Label: Blueblade Records

In Their Words: “‘Out of Mind’ was the the last song I wrote for my new album, You and I Must Be Out Of My Mind, and it became the artistic center for the project. The track went down easy, spacious, and free. Co-produced by Brian Joseph, Shane Leonard, Sam Kassirer and myself, it captured a feeling I have been struggling to express in a song. I have come to see songwriting as a potentially dangerous personal endeavor. Like walking along a beautiful mountain path with a sheer drop on one side. Through songs I have the power to create icons, symbols, and myths about my experience and point of view over the years. I paint a picture that I find alluring. I worry through singing them night after night, that I might start to believe them and see the painting as real. I worry because what ends up in a song comes from that space between my best recollections and my best rhymes. If a detail from my memory doesn’t fit, I can change it until it does and sounds good. My experience of the world and the people around me is far more complex, and I don’t want to live inside myself in such a way.

“Sam Kassirer and I made the video together. He shot the film on a Super 8 camera, capturing the footage at the recording studio where we made the album.” — Dietrich Strause

Photo Credit: Sam Kassirer

LISTEN: Dietrich Strause, “Last Man Standing on the Sun”

Posted on by Editor

Artist: Dietrich Strause
Hometown: Boston, Massachusetts
Song: “Last Man Standing on the Sun”
Album: Last Man Standing on the Sun
Release Date: March 13, 2020

In Their Words: “I once asked my 92-year-old grandfather what he knows now that he wishes he had known when he was my age. He said, ‘I wish I had known that everything is in constant motion and that the fundamental shape of the universe is a wave.’ With that as an impression, I wrote ‘Last Man Standing on the Sun’ looking up at the stars and sky from an island in the middle of a lake, in the middle of the mountains in New Hampshire, thinking about the constant decay and renewal of love, purpose, and nature. I wanted to record this song in particular for this album because it seemed fitting for the constant motion and physical limitations of working on a reel-to-reel tape machine.” — Dietrich Strause

Photo credit: Rose Cousins

3×3: Dietrich Strause on Cold Lips, Coffee Creamer, and the Canadian Disposition

Posted on by Amy Reitnouer

Artist: Dietrich Strause
Hometown: Lancaster, PA (living in Boston)
Latest Album: How Cruel That Hunger Binds
Personal Nicknames (or Rejected Band Names): My friends call me Dieter & Deets; my mother calls me Sneaker; my grandmother calls me Deke; and my uncle called me Deke Dude, when I was a kid.

Which decade do you think of as the "golden age" of music?
If I think about the music I love, it puts the "golden age" sometime between 1955 and 1970. While writing and recording How Cruel That Hunger Binds, I obsessed over Frank Sinatra's In the Wee Small Hours (1955), Harry Belafonte Live at Carnegie Hall (1959), and early Randy Newman records. But I also think of the "golden age" of music more abstractly as the decade starting in high school, spanning until your late 20s. The music you listen to then, through all that angst, learning how to fall in love, getting your heart broken, saying goodbye to childhood friends — through all of that — that's the "golden age" of music.

If you could have a superpower, what would you choose?
I would love to be able to put cream in my coffee without having to deal with the social dynamics of the littler counter at the coffee shop. And if that's not available, I would want to fly.

If you were in a high school marching band, which instrument would you want to play?
I was actually in high school marching band and I played the trumpet. I love the trumpet — but on cold Autumn nights at high school football games, trying to keep your lips warm caused all sorts of extracurricular problems. So I think, if I had to do it again, I would want to play in the pit. I'd want to play the marimba. I think marimba players tend to stay out of trouble. 

What's your go-to road food?
I love pistachios, but I can't eat them when I'm driving. You may say "Sneaker, just buy shelled pistachios and have at it!" Well, it's not that I can't shell the pistachios and drive at the same time. I've developed these skills. I'm allergic to pistachios, so I get an uncomfortably itchy throat and watery eyes. Not ideal for driving, but every once and a while, I'll lay it all on the line. Whenever I pass through Lancaster, a tin of Hammond's Pretzels will make it into the car and last for a month or so.

Who was the best teacher you ever had — and why?
My mother. She's a middle school English teacher. Tough, but fair. She's retiring after this year. She loves traveling and is a logistical wizard. So if anyone out there knows Rick Steves or anyone in his office, email me. Also, I bet she would be really good at tour managing.

What's your favorite TV show?
Seinfeld and Northern Exposure

Boots or sneakers?
Boots, despite my nickname.

Which brothers do you prefer — Avett, Wood, Landreth, or Osborne?
I prefer the Wood Brothers. Those guys really know how to play their instruments. But right now I'm really into the Brother Brothers!

Canada or Mexico?
Canada. Last year, I carved a pumpkin for Canadian Thanksgiving. Canadian superstar Rose Cousins was playing in Boston that night, so I brought it to the club for her. She sang Andrew Gold's "Thank You for Being a Friend" and now I understand the Canadian disposition.