Daily Inspiration: Meet Dylan Streight

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dylan Streight.

Hi Dylan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started playing music when I was about 5. My Grandma was a piano teacher and she taught me many of the early songs I learned. I don’t know how seriously I really took it back then. I think I was more interested in being a pro baseball player at that point haha! Sports weren’t really my thing though. Around 11 I started getting really into guitar and drums. Played a lot of rock stuff Hendrix, Nirvana, Zeppelin, Beatles etc. you get the idea. I got really obsessed with music from middle school through high school. Listened to just about anything I could get my hands on, listened to my ipod instead of lectures, played my guitar and sang from the time I went home to the time I went to bed, played in churches and a punk band on the weekends. By the time I turned 18 I was regularly playing at bars around Columbus Ohio which taught me a lot.

I moved to Denver in 2012 and went to school at the University of Colorado Denver for music. I met a ton of people who I still play with today including Elyse and learned a ton about music throughout the experience. I released a solo EP in 2018 and played around with that for a while. Around 2022 I was looking for a project that would force me to learn more Jazz and had played with a Elyse a few times. We clicked musically when we played together and eventually formed Jeanette//Streight.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Yes of course! Music is not a very straight and narrow path to take. I think there are two big obstacles that many musicians face: How can I make enough money to live doing this, and am I even fucking good at this? Finding a way to live doing it for a lot us, myself included, means a lot of diversification in your skills. Playing at churches, and teaching have been the only reliable paychecks for a while now which is great but took a while to build. My first year teaching on my own I regularly had only $5 in my bank account. We gig fairly regularly but it can be hard to rely on especially during dry periods. I think now I’m in a more stable financial position than I have been in a long time.

Then the mental game of doubt in your ability can be debilitating and I think its something most musicians or probably any one in an arts field experiences. It’s something you have to push through. Spending less time on social media helps haha!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a musician first and foremost. I love to create and learn anything and everything about music. I think with Jeanette//Streight we specialize in creating an intimate environment musically. We want people to feel comfortable at our shows and try to get rid of a lot of the nonsense pretentiousness often associated with Jazz especially. I’m very proud of the songs we’ve written. I think they balance an emotive openness and creativity. The songs themselves don’t stray too far away from conventional songwriting but have just enough weirdness that keeps me excited.

In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
Obviously AI is the big thing right now. Will musicians even be necessary soon if AI artists are already becoming popular? I think it’s unfortunately here to stay and there’s not much we can do to stop it. I do think that there’s a big movement coming of things that are more handcrafted in the arts in general. People will want more things made by humans as a retaliation of something more sterile. Being unique creatively will be even more of an asset than it already is in the near future.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.jeanettestreight.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanettestreightmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeanettestreightmusic/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@JeanetteStreightMusic

Image Credits
Jake Henderson
Amber Griggs
Lynette Sage