Socialising, eating and sleeping are a big part of most teenagers’ everyday lives, but for 19-year old Daniel McBride it’s a common occurrence to go long periods without anything except, well, music. The numerous hours he spends alone in his home studio writing, recording and producing are now paying off – soon this self-confessed perfectionist will have played numerous festivals and shows all over Europe, before he is even 20.
After playing drums in his successful high school band Bandicoot, McBride realised how much he wanted to have complete control over his music and creative processes. Thus his solo project, Sheep, Dog & Wolf was born.
“I love music created by one person because its a really honest reflection, free from influence,” he says about his art.
Released in 2011, the Sheep, Dog & Wolf debut EP ‘Ablutophobia shows the beginnings of McBrides experimentation. The self-produced EP is filled with clever instrumentation and harmony, layered vocals and tasteful lyrics. An incredible musician, he played every instrument on the EP, even teaching himself the euphonium and cello, so he could craft the songs exactly as he wanted them.
‘Ablutnophobia’ featured on the Music Alliance Pact and it wasn’t long before McBride was enjoying attention from around the world. The EP featured on Munich radio, was on The Guardian newspaper blog and Sheep, Dog & Wolf was described as a ‘rare pearl’ in Italian Vogue.
McBride has since been focusing on his composition studies at Victoria University – whilst suffering from RSI (from playing instruments for over six hours a day).
He returned to his solo project this year to produce his debut album ‘Egospect’, which is to be released late August, and shows remarkable development in his songwriting and production. Each song has a distinct atmosphere, a blend of crafted orchestral lines, luscious harmonies with ingenious balance between delicate melodies and thick horn and string sections that play within his complex rhythms. McBride’s lyrics are honest and poignant, fitting his musical fusion of jazz, classical and rock in a satisfying way.
Sheep, Dog & Wolf is now signed to Lil Chief Records and has been booked by Konzertbuero Hugsam (who book acts such as Sigur Ros) to play shows and festivals around Europe this September. He will be playing with talented drummer Eddie Crawshaw. McBride himself uses a program enabling him to do live harmonies and plays multiple instruments using loops, pedals and effects.
www.sheepdogandwolf.com
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