With
the fast pace growth of Wilmington and surrounding coastal
communities over the years, it’s become more and more difficult to
find the people and the places that made this area so special. Back
then, many of us living here were directly tied to the ocean and its
salt air, and to the beach and its sand and surf for a living, as
well as recreation. Singer/songwriter and native Wilmingtonian
Daniel Parish reminds me a lot of the folks during those days. Not
shy about hard work and with a love for nature, family and friends,
Daniel’s life has been a journey full of critical “turning points”
that have enabled him to follow his heart and continue to perform
his music.
He had no idea how old he was. It was an
outdoor family gathering with aunts, uncles and cousins. You know,
the ones with all that good southern food and drink. A five-year-old
Daniel Parish heard the sound of an acoustic guitar. “When I looked
around I saw my mom singing and playing her Yamaha,” he recalls. “I
remember it as a magical feeling, seeing her play and hearing that
guitar.” Some years later, recalling his mom playing guitar, Daniel
looked for it and found it buried in the back of a closet.
As a teenager, Daniel would get together
with his friends and jam. “We were teenagers trying to stay out of
trouble-- just having fun,” he admits. But it was on an old keyboard
that his relationship started with songwriting. “I banged on those
keys, creating sounds that reflected the way I was feeling inside,”
he says. From that moment on Daniel’s experiences were able to be
expressed through his music.
At the age of seventeen, Daniel’s father
Paul came to him and said, “Come on, you’re going to an open mic.”
“Dad goes on in first while we waited outside,” Daniel remembers.
“He just wanted to talk it over with the owner and let them know we
were just coming in to play-- not to drink. After all, we were
underage.” Ever since that night, Daniel was hooked. “We played
three original songs that night,” he recalls. “The crowd loved it
and I loved the feeling of giving them something they truly
enjoyed.” It was at this open mic that Daniel met and began a
mentoring relationship with Annette Warner. He continues,
“Annette helped me to get more gigs and gain exposure right from the
very beginning. Hearing her compliment my ability increased my
confidence level. I credit her with giving me my beginning. Her
encouragement came at a time when I really needed it. I was out
there living those experiences in my songs, getting myself into some
trouble here and there and getting my heart broken. She kept me
focused on the music.”
Daniel has lived in Wilmington his entire
life and writes and sings songs from this unique perspective. “I
live here and my heart is here,” he states. And despite the growth
and influx of new residents, Daniel still feels a part of his world.
He continues, “Well, like I said....my heart is here, my family is
here, and although there has been a lot of growth in recent years my
‘little piece of heaven’ has not changed much. Let’s face it,
people want to live in beautiful places -- I certainly can’t fault
them for that. I love it here and can see why everyone else does
too. I love to hunt, fish and surf. As far as the coastal lifestyle
goes, I couldn’t have it any other way.” On his 2006 CD, Too Much,
words and music of that coastal lifestyle abounds. It’s all about
loving, living and growing up on the Carolina coast…….the good times
and the heartbreaks.
As the summer of 2008 unfolds, it will be
hard not to find Daniel playing around town. At the present time, he
feels he has a solid core of musicians around him. “I am happy to be
working with three of the finest musicians around: Dave Meyer
on bass, drummer Mykel Barbee and Wesley Wayman Sayer
on lead guitar,” he states. As a solo, duo or full band, Daniel
enjoys it all.
