“Big City Country” Interview with Dustin Vye

MAY 29, 2014

New York country artist, Dustin Vye, will be playing tonight at Leftfield in New York City! See what he told Big City Country about his start in country music and how he chose gymnastics over music early on. One thing is for sure, we’re happy he dropped the balance beam act and headed down the country road!

BCC: How did you get into music?

DV: I grew up in a household that had a fond appreciation of various genres of music, ranging from Bach to Mozart to Canadian country music great, Ian Tyson. On the weekends you could often hear my father playing and singing guitar with my mother harmonizing along side him. Both my sister and I took piano lessons at a young age, and when the time came for me to choose between piano and gymnastics, I chose gymnastics! My sister and I, however, would often sing together — she played the guitar and taught me how to harmonize. After competing for Canada’s National Gymnastics Team and sustaining an injury that ended my career, I turned to music–learning to play guitar and songs by my favorite country artists. I was later encouraged to pursue formal training in music which brought me to NYC.

BCC: Who are your musical influences?

DV: There are so many artists in all genres of music that have influenced me in one way or another. From chart toppers to heartfelt, soulful a cappella performances that I hear in the subways of NYC everyday. In the world of country music, I’d have to say country greats Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, and Alison Krauss. When I first began playing the guitar, I was also heavily influenced by, and a big fan of Sheryl Crow’s musical style.

BCC: How would you describe your music?

DV: My music is more to the side of classic country, but I think bridges classic country with a modern contemporary flavor. It’s a mix of fun, up-tempo songs about finding love and one’s self, to ballads about the realities of heart break. It’s reflective of my life experiences and observations of others around me.

BCC: Where do you hope you’ll be with your music career in ten years?

DV: I’d love to have the opportunity to share my music on national radio and other country music outlets such as CMT, as well as share the big stage with great country artists. I look forward to performing on a larger stage so I can take my music to another performance level where the space gives me an opportunity to showcase a little bit of my athletic side. I’d also love to be at a point in my career where I could really give back to the community.

BCC: What do you have coming up musically?

DV: I’ll be performing with my band in NYC this spring and into the fall, and we’ll also perform at the State Fair Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ on June 30th and the New Jersey State Fair in Augusta, NJ on August 3rd. In addition to the recent release of my debut EP, I hope to release a brand new single by the end of the year that I will debut at the fairs this summer.