Review Fix Exclusive: Dawson Rutledge Talks Goals In Music And More

Review Fix chats with 19-year-old old Canadian singer/songwriter Dawson Rutledge, who discusses his career and goals in music. Taking Folk Music to a new level, Rutledge’s penchant for both solid lyrics and musicianship make him someone to keep an eye on.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Dawson Rutledge: I have always had a passion for music and I got involved in music at a very young age, being part of school bands and choral groups since elementary school. I have been playing guitar since I was about 10 and singing since I was 8 or 9 years old. It was only in high school that I started writing my own songs and recording them. The music program in my high school was magnificent, our teacher (Evan Bueckert) has won multiple awards for teaching excellence nationwide. It was just a great environment that consumed most of my time in high school. Since then I’ve only grown to love writing, recording, and performing so much more.

Review Fix: How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you?

Rutledge: My sound is sort of a modern twist on folk music. I have always loved listening to music that is different from the norm and I think that shines through in some aspects of my songs. I would describe it as easy-listening and mellow, yet intriguing and entrancing as well.

Review Fix: What’s your creative process like?

Rutledge: My creative process varies depending on what I’m trying to accomplish. Most of the time my songs come in pieces and they build slowly bit by bit. Typically I’ll have a chord progression on guitar and be really into the way it sounds and I’ll feel the need to write lyrics, the song just builds from there. I crave isolation when writing something, I like to be in my own little space consumed by my thoughts. My lyrics are very momentary and often are written within a couple of hours. I feel that if I don’t write down what I’m feeling in the moment my emotions are stirring, I’ll miss out on the opportunity to truly capture what I am feeling on paper.

Review Fix: Why should someone listen to your tunes?

Rutledge: Someone should listen to my tunes if they want to delve into the mind of Dawson Rutledge while listening to music that is fresh and entertaining. The majority of my songs are written about experiences and emotions I’ve felt over the past 2 years and I carry them all very close in my heart. The fastest way to know what I am like as a person is to listen to my music, they are very personal. I know that when I am listening to music I like to be transported into the world or mind of whoever I am listening to and try to understand what they are singing about, etc. I want listeners, like myself, to listen to my story and hopefully relate to my music and feel as though they have become a part of my life for the duration of the album.

Review Fix: What are your end goals in music?

Rutledge: I currently don’t have an ‘end goal’ for music. There are many things I’d like to accomplish in my career as a musician but nothing that I would consider an ‘end goal.’ I like to think that music is timeless and once you find your passion to write and perform, that passion stays with you for life. So for now I am living in the moment and taking every opportunity I am presented with!

Review Fix: What’s next?

Rutledge: Next is releasing and hopefully touring my album and performing shows. I am always writing new songs and even though this album has taken a while to complete, I can’t wait to get back in a studio and record more of my songs!

Photo by Shervin Lainezz

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14230 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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