Dancing Dog Studio

02/19/2022

Always a pleasure working with Wil Alston!
Look for his new single You and Me soon.

02/04/2022

Final Mix adjustments and Mastering for the CH4 project here at DD studios. It's been a huge benefit to be able to work with Brian Hunter, recording engineer with Swallow Hill Music. HIs wisdom and talents have been essential - Many many thanks!

11/20/2019

Just finished up Wil’s new recording and just in time for Thanksgiving! Come see him at Live at Jacks Friday, Nov 22 5:30. Truly my privilege to work with such a talent!

11/08/2019

Recording with The Bernards, an up an-and -coming duet. Beautiful work on the upright bass and vocals!

06/13/2019

My privilege to be working again with the talented Wil Alston on his latest single, Shine. To be released this Friday. He plays Live At Jacks.

04/01/2019

Log on to Dancing Dog Website at

Interview with Wil Alston Posted on April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 by Chris Sheffer | No Comments Wil Alston describes his music as the “intersection of jazz, gospel, and soul music.” Born in North Carolina, Alston grew up mostly in Washington, D.C. before moving to Denver, where he formed his band,...

04/01/2019

Dancing Dog Studios interviewed Alston recently to catch up with him and check in on some of his recent musical projects:

Wil Alston describes his music as the “intersection of jazz, gospel, and soul music.” Born in North Carolina, Alston grew up mostly in Washington, D.C. before moving to Denver, where he formed his band, the Wil Alston Group. Outside of music, he’s been active in local politics, having worked for both former Colorado Governor Bill Ritter and Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. In 2011, he even ran for political office himself, and he remains active in the Denver political scene.
He also laid down the vocal tracks for his first album, Introducing Wil Alston, here at the Dancing Dog. Since then, he’s been working on a new single, which he hopes to release in April, and a second album, which he hopes to release in May. We tracked him down to talk about his upcoming projects. Our conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Dancing Dog: First, could you talk a bit about how you got started in music?
Wil Alston: I grew up around music. We were a churchgoing family, and so the music of the church was always present. I didn’t really start singing myself until I probably got into more middle school, high school and started singing in church choirs. Didn’t really start taking singing seriously until I got here in Colorado after college. It kept calling me and so I started back singing in church here in Denver and then that led to singing backup to a couple of lead vocalists here in town. Then probably around 2013, I broke off and started my own band.
DD: For your first album, you worked with a lot of musicians around the world to lay down the instrumental tracks. What was that process like?
WA: I got introduced to this music community through the app Fiverr and through that community, you basically put out a post to say “Hey, I’m working on this type of a tune, it’s more of a jazz thing, I need piano, bass.” On this continent I had a drummer in Salt Lake City, had a saxophone player in Baltimore, had a double bass player in Indianapolis. Then I had acoustic guitar in Barcelona and some piano work done in Madrid. And so those folks, when they say, “Hey let me take a whack at your piano line,” it’s with disregard to geography. You’re just working with a piano player.
DD: Do you think you’ll ever do something similar again?
WA: Absolutely. I’m working on my second CD and I’ll take the same approach where I’ll put my concepts out to folks. This time I have a little better handle, so I’ll start out with the cats that I worked with last time and they’ll send stuff back and we’ll tweak and work, and if I don’t like it, we’ll go reach out to some other guys. I’m pretty much done writing lyrics, so I’m really starting to build music for the lyrics right now.
DD: What can you tell is about your new single?
WA: The second CD is called The Long Way Around, and it’s really this idea that, as you progress through life there are all these different occurrences that can bump you off your path. You might have a dream or a destination set, but then it gets delayed or redirected or slowed down or just stopped completely. This first single coming out is called “Shine,” and it’s about when haters come for you, you can’t afford to be engaging them. You just gotta keep doing what you do and just shine.
DD: You’ve written love songs, and you’ve written songs about Five Points. Where do you draw inspiration?
WA: I’m a storyteller, and I hope that’s what comes across in most of my songs, but it’s mostly about my own personal life and the lives of the people around me. For example, one of the songs on the next CD is called “Political Season.” It talks about how politicians say this, and they say that, and they don’t always pay attention to what’s happening, and if you’re not careful, what happens politically can slow you down or redirect you from something you’re trying to pursue just because of the nature of politics. It’s a little personal for me since I’m still involved in politics, and so a lot of the political figures around me, this is as much about telling some of their stories as it is about telling my own.

Purchase Alston’s first album, Introducing Wil Alston on CD Baby, Amazon, or his website: www.wilsgroove.com

Wil He will be playing next in the Artists for Hancock benefit on March 31 at the Soiled Dove, and you can also catch him at Jazz at Jack’s on May 17 and in the 2019 Five Points Jazz Festival on May 18.

01/22/2019

Okay, its been a long, long time – way too long. So, I’ve called in the professionals. My recently hired Blog writer, Anna Sheffer is going to keep me in line. And yes, she does have a familial way of doing that! These posts will regularly appear on the Dancing Dog Studio website at www.dancingdogrecording.com Please visit the website, and / or comment here if you wish.
So to kick things off, here is something we all can relate to as song writers. Cheers!

The top three things songwriters wish we had

Onscreen and in the media, writing music seems almost mystifyingly easy. In movies like A Star Is Born, musicians seem to dream up perfect melodies on the spot, and this can make sitting down to write your own music seem impossible without inherent talent. But in reality, songwriting is a lot of hard work, and it requires dedication, perseverance, and the right set of tools to make something truly great. Whether you’re working on your first song or your hundredth, you probably have some ideas about what could make the process easier.

1. Time
Most songwriters don’t just write music. Day jobs, chores, family commitments, practice, and other hobbies can make it hard to schedule a session at your writing desk. No matter how passionate you are, the dirty dishes in the sink must be washed before you can draft the chorus on your next piece. With all of life’s other responsibilities, taking the time to work on your music can seem daunting—or even impossible. That’s why there’s no better gift for the songwriter in your life than an hour or two just for composing.

2. The right gear
When you’re struggling to think of a catchy hook or a creative chorus, being able to hear your own ideas can make all the difference. There’s also nothing more terrifying than the thought of losing all the progress you’ve made, which is why it’s helpful to have access to equipment like a high-quality recorder and microphone. Other songwriters might prefer even fancier gadgets, like songwriting software with built-in metronomes and playback features. These materials can help streamline the songwriting process and make it easier to take your vision from paper to the recording studio.

3. A good space
It’s not enough to have the ability and equipment to write a song. You also need a room to do it—ideally a quiet one with good acoustics. While not everyone can afford a fully sound-proofed studio, it’s still hard to concentrate if you’re dealing with the distractions and background noises of everyday life. And if you’re not feeling ready to show off your latest chorus, having a space exclusively dedicated to creating music can help put you more at ease. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy—a computer in a spare bedroom or unused home office will do just fine.