Jamison Dick is used to selling out shows in major metropolis’, but at home, in Chilliwack he’s lucky if he gets a few dozen.
In a way, he likes it that way.
“It’s really nice to have home be home, to not have to be working all the time,” he said. “And I love playing a small room, talking to people individually after a show, reaching my audience on a more intimate level.”
Dick, 27, is headlining this weekend’s Where the Forest Songs Are music festival on Island 22 with his one-man electro-pop band Teen Daze.
Dick, who lived in Rosedale until he was 13 before moving to Manitoba, and then returning again in his early 20s, has been growing an impressive fan base in the United States and across Europe.
His band’s Facebook page has over 21,000 followers, and when he plays shows in places like New York City, San Francisco, Stockholm, Sweden, he has large crowds clamoring to see him.
All by happenstance.
When Dick started college, music was an easy outlet for procrastination from his studies.
He played in bands, dabbled in home recording, set up a small studio in his apartment and made music for his friends. It was just a hobby.
But when he uploaded his songs online, within one month he was fielding email inquiries from different management companies.
“It was a matter of being in the right place at the right time,” he said.
“My music isn’t mainstream, it’s more niche, it attracts a crowd that’s more invested in discovering new bands, new music. And I think places like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco have more of a scene that’s interested in the type of music I do.”
Dick describes his music as being rooted in pop, but more rough around the edges than mainstream pop music. Being a one-man show, he samples his songs with various electronics.
“Every show is different and unique,” he said. “It depends on the crowd, if they’re energetic, I’ll play more upbeat dance music, but if they’re more low-key, chill, relaxed, I’ll accommodate them too.”
This will be the second time Dick has played the Chilliwack festival.
“Getting to share this, what I do, with the people in my life, it’s an amazing feeling,” he said.
Where the Forest Songs Are is an all-ages show featuring several young, up-and-coming bands. The festival is on Saturday, Sept. 7 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Tickets are $20 or a family for $45. Children 12 and under are free.
For more information visit the website www.wheretheforestsongsare.tumblr.com
