Meet Daniel Pouse: Songwriter, Lyricist, Vocalist & Lead Guitarist of Certain DaZe

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

Hi Daniel, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
When I was a kid, I used to perform at family gatherings. At the time I hadn’t yet picked up a guitar, so I would sing or play the violin. The music I grew up around spanned from Disney music, to classic rock, and classic plays such Westside Story, Jesus Christ Superstar, and others that my mother performed in as a dancer. As long as I can remember I’ve had a love for music and the performing arts. When I would perform for my family, I remember thinking how cool it was to see the joy I could bring people by sharing my passion with them. Seeing everyone gathered together, putting aside family feuds, they would smile, sing along and cheer like mad when it was over. Those performances were my first introduction to the true essence of music, and it stuck with me as I grew older and performed in plays, learned to play the guitar, and started my first rock band. Music has always guided my life, and there was never any question that I would immerse myself in music, and dedicate myself to sharing as much of my music and passion as possible.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It certainly hasn’t been easy! We’ve experienced a lot of bumps in the road, but we are PUMPED to have 2 songs now available for streaming and the release of our debut EP just around the corner. This EP has been a 12 year journey that has seen everything from changes in band members, a run-in with a label, multiple engineers and producers, multi-million dollar studios, and home recordings. The Optimistic View EP, is a culmination of all our experiences and it creates a depth to the music that wouldn’t have been possible without all the opportunities we had to learn and grow along the way. One of the most important lessons was that of perseverance and putting our hearts into everything we do. If our hearts weren’t in it, we would have never been able to keep pushing against the wall of challenges that we faced in pursuit of our goal. Our persistence comes from a necessity for self expression and a desire to forge that experiential and emotional bond that music creates for its listeners. When we share our music, we are attempting to create a space where people feel free to be themselves, and can connect with other people from all different backgrounds under one common interest.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We’re originally from Chicago, but we found a new home when we moved to Colorado. Colorado is such an amazing place because it’s filled with natural beauty, but also has thriving downtowns like Denver, Fort Collins and Boulder where you can meet other creatives and interesting people. When our friends come to visit we like to make sure they get to experience both sides of Colorado. For music, we always enjoy catching a few sets and drinks at the Squire Lounge Open Mic. For a combination of music and natural beauty, nothing beats a concert at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre. If snow is on the ground, loading up the Jeep with the snowboards and heading up to Keystone for a night on the mountainside is a must. If it’s warm and sunny, we’re putting on our swimsuits to go float in Horsetooth Reservoir. And no matter what time of year, Rocky Mountain National Park always manages to make an impression. And somehow we always seem to end up at the Rio swigging margaritas. Colorado has so many amazing places we’re still working on visiting a lot of them ourselves!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to the Pouse family! I’ve been so blessed to have such great support from every one of my family members. My parents have always been my biggest fans, my sisters would bring their friends to come cheer us on and pack our shows, and of course my brother Kyle, percussionist of Certain DaZe, who I’ve been playing music with for the last 16 years. Being surrounded by the family I have has allowed me to become the person I am. Although, if I have to give one particular shoutout, it’s to my grandma, A.K.A. Nanee! While my parents were extremely supportive, they weren’t exactly down with a power rock trio jamming out at full volume in their garage on a constant basis. Nanee graciously invited us to use her basement to rehearse for years with nothing but compliments, despite the excessive noise. She lived in the house directly behind us, and the convenience of having such a welcoming space within a few steps to practice, make mistakes without judgement, and grow as musicians was beyond valuable.

Website: http://certaindaze.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/certaindaze/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/certaindaze
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CertainDaze
Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5ZqKiSSN5ZNQreOKg95SGN?si=hJZnNG87R–_Rsv7DAhFxQ

Image Credits
Stephanie Pouse Ariel Castillo Jacob Wilson