Only two decades into life, Waukesha, Wisconsin-born singer/songwriter Derek Sallmann was a finalist in 2015 for "Best Acoustic Musician" by prestigious weekly "Shepherd Express" in their "Best of Milwaukee" poll, and was the 3rd Place Winner at 2013's "Waukesha Idol" in the "High School" category. Now, the 21 year old, who started playing guitar at 13 when he found his dad's green Guild guitar on his bed and asked him to teach him some chords, is getting ready to release his debut album, "All Seasons", this Friday, 11/4.
The record was mixed, engineered, recorded, and produced by Tony Schueller of Anton Music Productions in Lannon, WI, and mastered by Justin Perkins of Mystery Room Mastering. Derek says, "It took about one year to finish recording and we reached a point in early 2016 where we could have been done, but decided to keep working to make everything stronger, and I am so glad that we did. Each song has its own color, and feel, and each one is honest and catchy." "All Seasons" includes the song "Storm", which is the first song Derek ever wrote that he liked, and he says it's about "finding your way back home after a one-sided relationship." The title track was the first song he recorded, which originally began as a slow acoustic piece and turned into a rockin' story about "finding people who will stand by your side for the long-term."Here's a link to download "When I See You":
https://soundcloud.com/user-57123311/when-i-see-you/s-R73Ov
You can check out the video for "When I See You" here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkCZN0H41rk
Growing up in Waukesha, he listened to his dad's band practices, and was excited to come home from school and play the guitar. A few years later, he began writing songs and started performing live. In 2014, he played 107 shows, and has played the popular Summerfest the past three years, as well as the Wisconsin State Fair.
From the age of 13, Derek knew that he was destined to make music. and his songwriting career stemmed out of his need to create. Derek says, "I painted and drew a lot as a kid (I won a gold key in the Scholastic Art Awards and had my self-portrait featured at the Milwaukee Art Museum in high school) and enjoyed reading and writing. I feel like songwriting is just another way to paint, but in addition, writing clears my head at the same time."
Now, eight years later, Derek is ready to release the honest, pure, songs on "All Seasons".
https://www.facebook.com/dcsallmann/
https://www.youtube.com/user/dereksallmann
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