Best Local Non-Rock CD Release
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40.05% David Todoran / Luck In This Life*
Others with Votes (more than one):
Third Frame / Absorb the Orb
Non-Rock Releases
* On the ballot
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In trying to get ahold of David Todoran to find out what he’d been up to lately, we ended up playing phone tag. I caught up with him after he’d won best non-rock CD release at last Thursday’s Whammy awards. He confessed in addition to working a full-time job and taking two classes, he doesn’t answer his phone messages. Fortunately, we were able to talk a little about Luck In This Life. When accepting the award, Todoran said, “making this album was the best and worst experience of my life.” I asked him to explain what he meant by that. The good part is that he got to meet and work with some of the best musicians in Berlin. Seeing a different culture, particularly one where freedom doesn’t have the same history as it does here. Todoran recorded Luck In This Life, which won Whammy for best local CD release/non-rock, at a place called the Kulturbrauerei, a renovated brewery that has art galleries, theatre and movie spaces. If the Old Crown Brewery in Fort Wayne hadn’t been demolished, some enterprising person could have created the same type of place here. Todoran’s CD reflects the surroundings of the building and the neighborhood it was in. It was released by Todoran’s label, ulfTone, which also released his Solstice in 1998 and and Under My Skin in 2000. He was featured on ulfTunes in 2001, a compilation disc of ulfTone artists. A European tour led him to meet Dziuk Kuche, a Berlin-based band, and he collaborated with that group on Luck In This Life. “It was the best experience I could have had,” said Todoran, shortly after accepting his award. And when the CD was released, “we got the best press I’ve ever gotten,” he added. However, hard times are everywhere, and that includes the recording industry. Trying to make a sustainable living from one’s art is difficult, even if one is successful. A fellow ulfTone label mate, Jesse Harris, knows that firsthand. Harris, who wrote “Don’t Know Why,” recorded and made famous by Norah Jones, told Todoran, “You can win a Grammy, but you still can’t sell records.” For a true artist, it’s not necessarily about making lots of money, or any money, from artistic effort. The reward comes from creating something the artist and others can appreciate. And obviously, people, both here and in Europe, appreciate Todoran’s efforts. “Writing the songs was one of the best experiences I’ve had,” he said. “Every time I do it, it gets a little better.” Luck In This Life was different from his last two albums, he said. Under My Skin and Solstice were “very roots oriented,” said Todoran. Luck In This Life “still was Delta blues-influenced, but it was produced in a different way. I was experimenting with different sounds I hadn’t used in the last two albums.” And it worked, since Todoran’s fans thought he had the best local CD. By the way, he’s very happy people think so highly of his work. “I feel amazed when I look at the real young talent in Fort Wayne. I’m amazed I’m still being recognized for what I do,” he said. “It’s very satisfying.” |
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