DC Cardwell

Irish-born, Melbourne-based artist DC Cardwell displays exceptional songwriting/performing gifts. He plays all the parts on his brilliantly conceived songs whic

Irish-born, Melbourne-based late bloomer DC Cardwell has gathered devoted fans around the globe with his smart, melodic songs, affecting voice, and skillful, inventive guitar playing. Often referred to as a blend of music icons such as The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Ray Davies, Ron Sexsmith & Neil Young, but influenced by a multitude of music styles, DC likes to describe his music as “Omnipop”. DC is a “triple threat” singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, and he sealed his credentials by taking out BOTH top prizes in the Australian Catapult Song Contest in 2011 with his profoundly moving song “I Am Still The Same”. The home-made video for this song has also gathered plaudits around the world, and, remarkably for a “zero-budget” film, was an official selection of both the Socal and Newport Beach Film Festivals. DC’s distinctive and affecting voice is perfect for his songs which take an honest and often wry look at life, peppered with positivity and redemptive possibility. Combine that with his maddeningly catchy hooks, pop-smart arrangements and melodic lead guitar breaks and you have Beatlesque songs that you will want to hear again and again. Some Hope DC’s self-produced debut album “Some Hope” was released in the US in 2010, and met with glowing reviews internationally. Of the record, Aaron Kupferberg from Powerpopaholic wrote, “DC Cardwell creates a heartfelt gem here, full of wonderful melodic hooks and a Ray Davies styled vocal. The gentle minor chords and harmonies that open “I Am Still The Same” are both brilliant and poignant. “Birthday Present” is another example of solid composition and a revelatory Harrison styled guitar break. Some of the mid-tempo ballads are like magical combinations of both Paul Simon and McCartney. ” Los Angeles & Film Music The success of the album also paved the way for other opportunities abroad. In 2010 noted Hollywood music supervisor/film composer Jaymee Carpenter (The Fighter, Crime After Crime) heard one of his songs (Birthday Present) on a Youtube video and immediately invited DC to L.A. to record six of his songs for use in his film projects. Jaymee’s reaction to DC’s music is worth noting, and is quoted here with permission: “I am seriously blown away by your album. I think it may be the greatest thing I’ve heard in years! I don’t want to freak you out, but I’m drooling over here. You just easily became my favorite ‘new’ artist!” Growing up in Northern Ireland during the Troubles shaped DC’s formative years. In 1988 he emigrated to Vancouver with his wife, gifted singer-songwriter Marjorie Cardwell, and their young son, Joel. In the vibrant alternative milieu of the Pacific Northwest in the early 1990s Marjorie played her own songs in the rock clubs of Vancouver, with DC on lead guitar, described in one review as her “secret weapon”. They moved to Australia in the 1996, along with their second son, Samuel, and settled in Melbourne, widely regarded as Australia’s musical and cultural centre. DC’s Transition While DC had played guitar for Marjorie for many years, soon after arriving in Australia she retired temporarily from music to pursue university studies. So it wasn’t until 2003, as their two boys were growing up and also learning to play, that DC began to sing and write his own songs. DC would spend long hours “jamming with the kids” and, to avoid the dead-end of interminable 12-bar blues workouts, he would take on vocal duties. Initially reluctant to sing lead, he found that he started to strengthen and develop his own voice, and this new development finally allowed his own songwriting experiments to blossom as he could, at last, instantly translate his ideas into sound. In 2011 DC’s song “I Am Still The Same” was selected from over 3000 original song entries Australia wide to win both the Overall Prize and the Judges’ Favourite award in the nationwide Catapult Song Contest. Not only that, but the remarkable video for the song was selected for two US Film Festivals. You can see the stunning, heart-wrenching video for the song here: http://youtu.be/AnTNQGj3yuI

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