KC Soundcheck is KCUR's spotlight for Kansas City musicians on the rise, as heard on Up To Date. Who should we interview next? Send us a text at 816-601-4777.
For Daniel Gum, music has always been a way to express big feelings.
"I got my first guitar in fourth grade. And then after a lot of toiling away and trying to play the D chord and all that, (I) started writing songs," he told KCUR's Up To Date.
"That's when I realized it was a way to express myself. I have three older siblings. We're all boys, and so it was a way to kind of express myself in more of a hidden way."
Gum's new album "The Great Conjunction," named after the astronomical phenomenon that makes Jupiter and Saturn appear close together in the sky, explores the impacts of familial turmoil.
His introspective lyrics and evocative instrumentation are reminiscent of Elliot Smith and Sufjan Stevens. The songs are personal, but Gum leaves room for others to resonate with his words.
"There's a degree of mystery with songwriting where it's like, if I can leave enough space for people to fill in the gaps and to try to kind of experience things the way I'm laying it out, I think it's much more rich and can survive multiple listens," he said.
Gum will play an album release show celebrating "The Great Conjunction" Friday, Feb. 21 at The Ship.
- Daniel Gum, musician
