Kat Harlton
Photos provided via PR team
Ottawa-based country artist and military veteran Dallas Alexander, recently released his new single “Child Of This Land,” on August 16th via all streaming platforms.
“Child Of This Land” is a soul-stirring ballad about Dallas’ rough-and-tumble backwoods upbringing, having been raised on a Fishing Lake Metis settlement in Northern Alberta. It was written by Dallas Alexander, produced by Dallas, Gord Bamford and Johnny Gasparic, and recorded at MCC Studio in Calgary, AB.
Dallas is also looking forward to opening for beloved country star Gord Bamford on his “Canadian Dirt Tour,” kicking off this September with stops across Eastern Canada. Additionally, he will be playing shows in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico at the Way Down Here Festival on October 7-11th and in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico at the Bamford Bash from January 6-13, 2023.
Dallas recently retired from an impressive 17-year career with the Canadian Armed Forces as a sniper in the Special Operations unit (JTF2). He played a crucial role in leading the team to breaking the world record for the longest confirmed kill shot in military history at an astounding distance of 3.540 meters.
A veteran now, Dallas is focused on realizing his lifelong passion for music, serving up a unique sound for today’s listeners. He released his debut album Adios Amigo – Live at Bowies in 2022, which tells tales of his history in the military, his childhood and life as a husband and father. The album has added to Dallas’ over 30K total career streams to date that are continuing to grow.
These days, Dallas is also creating a buzz in the heart of country music, Nashville, TN. He is collaborating with some of today’s biggest names in the industry and crafting lyrics during jam sessions alongside acclaimed writers and performers. Many of these talented individuals will be featured on Dallas’s upcoming album, including Buddy Owens, Justin Lantz, Blue Foley, and Trick Savage, among others.
I had the opportunity to chat with Dallas about his musical journey so far, his new single, and what’s next.
Kat: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your music journey so far?
Dallas: My name is Dallas Alexander. I grew up in Alberta in a small indigenous community called Fishing Lake Metis Settlement. I love the outdoors, sports and music. I served just under 17yrs in the military and recently retired to learn to write songs and perform. I was inspired to start writing and playing by the tragic loss of my brother actually. He was a musical guy, played in bands and had a basement studio. We spoke about someday recording a song together and I just never really learned to play or write, so we never got around to it. When I died it was like a fire was lit. What was I waiting for? Ya know. So since then I’ve been gettin after it as much as I can. Learning to write songs, using writing as therapy, learning to play the guitar ect.
Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration behind your new single “Child Of This Land”?
Dallas: I wrote “Child of this land” in Nashville, TN. I was actually back in my room alone after a co-writing session and had this idea come up. It kinda just flowed out when I got in the headspace. It’s very much about life growing up on a Métis Settlement. It’s from the collective perspective, but also my own. It’s about the community and also about that feeling of not fitting in… not knowing where you belong sorta.
Kat: What do you hope fans take from the track?
Dallas: I hope they find a place where this song fits into their life. My favourite music fits into my life in places where it enhances those moments. This song I could see fitting into a windows down backroad cruise, or some time being spent outdoors reflecting.
Kat: What do you find is the most challenging part of your creative process?
Dallas: I find the most difficult part to be carving out time to be intentional with songwriting. It’s a crazy business as I’m learning and it’s easy to get sucked into doing all kinds of things in the “business “ and not give enough time to the creative work.
Kat: What has been a career highlight for you so far? What have you learned along the way?
Dallas: Oh I’ve had a bunch so far. My first bar show, my first writers round in Nashville, my first festival, playing the Horseshoe Tavern, my first studio album. The highlights just keep comin! I’ve learned (more through life than the music journey) to truly appreciate all the things… I think it could be easy to focus on “making it” without even defining what that means. I play my songs to people that want to hear them, we connect through music… I’ve made it. So all the shows, travel, meetings, writes, struggles, it’s all part of it. I love it all.
Kat: What else are you currently working on now, and what can fans expect from you for the remainder of this year?
Dallas: So I’m currently spending a lot of time building a team that works for what my goals are in this business. I’m working on new songs… always and I’m excited to start releasing these songs on this (my first ever) studio album. I’m playing shows and trying to meet as many good people as possible. I’m super excited that for the fall, we will be opening for Gord Bamford and his band on the second part of their Canadian Dirt Tour. So many good things on the go!
Connect with Dallas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamdallasalexander