Meet Dan Hochman | Singer Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Hochman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
At a certain point in the past few years, I realized that it really wasn’t an option for me not to create art. Anytime I found myself going through a change, challenge, or needing to process emotion, I’d turn to my guitar and start writing. That form of processing has allowed me to get to know deep parts of myself pretty viscerally and that’s helped me create music from an honest place. As any artist will tell you, creating honest art and sharing it with the world takes courage. For me, it challenges me to put my heart on display, and let people wear it for a while. I know that I’m creating meaningful music when I look out into an audience and see someone deeply affected by my songs. That level of connection and impact is part of what keeps me going. It’s also the main reason why I decided to pursue a career as a musician.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My art is the extension of my spirit. It’s the fabric that I use to connect my story to others, and a window into my human experience. Although I try not to box myself into one genre, the medicine of my music starts in the heart. I want my listeners to feel something when they hear my music. I want them to be moved by it, and to realize that we share far more than we may think. To me that’s the power of good music, it calls us to remember that we’re in it together. Through the joy, grief, and complexity of being human. The road hasn’t always been easy for me as an artist, and if I’m being honest it still is challenging. Without the support that I’ve received, I doubt that I would have been able to release the projects that I have. There need to be better systems in place so that artists have the ability to create and be compensated fairly but that’s a different conversation.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a good friend of mine was coming to visit for a week-long trip I’d take them to a few of my favorite spots in Boulder.

There are really so many great places to eat and go for drinks here, but a few that make the top of my list are Supermoon on walnut, they’ve got great live music, cocktails, and Asian-inspired cuisine. I’d also have to take them to my favorite speak easy bar “License no 1, right downstairs from the hotel Boulderado. License 1 has such a great vibe and is definitely a favorite of mine for an evening out.

Another favorite destination of mine is the view from flagstaff mountain, you can take your car all the way up the mountain and see a pretty spectacular sunset if you time it right.

Lastly for my style-minded folk I have to recommend a visit to Rollins barbershop. To me, a good trip is also about feeling good, and this barbershop is by far the best in town.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I feel very fortunate to have received the level of support that I’ve been given over the past few years from my community here in Boulder. It’s an incredibly inspiring feeling to know that I have such great people in my life standing behind me. Thus I’d like to dedicate this shoutout to my wonderful boulder community. Thank you to every one of you who donated to my Kickstart campaign for my second EP Midday Muse, thank you to those of you who continue to share my music with your audience, and to each and every one of you who has shared feedback with me along the way. It’s a bold path to continue to choose music every day, and the folks behind me truly keep me choosing in.

Website: https://www.danhochman.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dan.hochman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danhochmanmusic/

Other: Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/7HtTx1wffqNseAbZ3vYXvO?si=r0cs_iZ3RrKWnVK4tj82Fw

Image Credits
The ones in the hat are taken by the fabulous Shay Munroe