Anchored in Asbury: Dana Why

Welcome to Anchored in Asbury, a monthly music interview podcast that revolves around the rich musical culture of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Each month, host Bill Bodkin (editor-in-chief of ThePopBreak.com) talks with musicians, promoters, and people behind the scenes about their journeys in the music industry and how Asbury Park has been and is such a vital part of it. The podcast is hosted by Bill Bodkin, editor-in-chief of ThePopBreak.com, who not only has covered the Asbury Park music scene for 19 years but produced and sponsored live shows throughout the city for the past decade. Hot off the release of his new record The Lyre, Dana Why is February’s guest on Anchored in Asbury. Dana talks to Bill about the multi-year creation of the record – which is a rich, deep, and emotional story. Dana Why talks about how his musical roots from childhood to his days with Static Sex and Grasser, to performing with Yawn Mower and Little Hag, and listening to The Wrens’ The Meadowlands helped him develop his wildly unique maximalist, genre-spanning/genre-defying sound.  He also gets very deep about the emotional work that went into the record and how it helped him process heartbreak, depression, anxiety and how making the record centered him -- especially since the record was created during the Trump presidency and COVID. Dana talks about his evolution as an instrumentalist, producer, engineer and singer as well as a frontman for a live performing band. You can follow Dana Why on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube, and make sure to check out his original music on Spotify or Apple Music!