Calan Mai – DREAM TOUR

In this Dream Tour segment, the folk rock, Calan Mai, reveals who he would want on his ultimate tour lineup. You can check out their picks, after the break.

My dream tour would probably consist of Bon Iver and Sharon Van Etten. I say this because both artists have built and sustained a community of like-minded musicians within their orbit. They are signed to Jagjaguwar—a label that seems as open to growth and change as the artists they sign. So, in the dream world of this tour, I’d probably be signed to Jagjaguwar as well. I mean, why not? It’s my dream, leave me alone. As I continue my career as a solo artist, I value collaboration more and more. Writing and performing alone is, in many ways, isolating because the buck stops at you. What you bring to the stage is what you get back from the audience. I respect any artist who is willing to expand the realm of their on-stage responsibility to others. I also envy it—the sense of community, the notion of sharing the spotlight, the camaraderie that comes with being in the same boat.

I discovered Sharon Van Etten through Bon Iver’s live cover of ‘Love More’—a song that absolutely flawed me the first time I heard it. But what really stood out was the support Justin Vernon was giving his peer by putting his spin on such a personal track. I just think it’s special when artists prop each other up. There’s so much hate flying around these days, you don’t have to look far to find it. The online world is a mess of attention seekers, pseudo controversy and purveyors of ‘shock and awe’. The world of music is no exception. All I want is to be surrounded by support—to recognize the talents of others and see myself as part of that, however, I slot into it.

This tour would probably involve some very intimate shows played across the US. I’d be happy enough just opening for them, getting to see the country and meeting people from all walks of life. When I was younger, I yearned for the spotlight because I wanted the attention. I suppose I still do in some ways, otherwise, I wouldn’t be a performer. But at the heart of it, what I really want is to feel like I’m part of something. To sing not just for myself, not just for others, but with others. That’s what these artists represent to me.

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