Clayton Bellamy is celebrating the release of "Everyone's a Dreamer" and a new charity project.
Clayton Bellamy has just released his third solo album called Everyone’s a Dreamer. A veteran of the Canadian country world, Bellamy‘s latest effort combines his charity work and music into one entity.
When asked about Everyone’s a Dreamer, Bellamy says, “Doing this record for me was a lot more work. I found my groove creatively as a solo artist. [With my solo music], I can delve into different topics and characters and move outside of the lines a little bit more.”
Bellamy is of course referencing his previous membership in the country-rock supergroup the Road Hammers. The Road Hammers featured fellow Canuck country artists Jason McCoy and Chris Byrne. The Road Hammers called it quits in 2010.
“If there’s fan out that love the songs I wrote and sang with the Road Hammers, and they’re definitely going to like the songs I write on a Clayton Bellamy record,” Bellamy says. It’s true, the fun vibe of the Road Hammers is still with Bellamy‘s music. Everyone’s a Dreamer is packed with optimistic, upbeat songs that showcase Bellamy‘s talent.
Bellamy says his favourite song on the album is “Drop ‘er in Low.” Available only as a bonus track to digital downloads of Everyone’s a Dreamer, “Drop ‘er in Low” is one of the few love songs in Bellamy’s catalog. “I’m not great at writing love songs, I think I’m better at expressing other emotions,” says Bellamy. ”There’s not enough songs that mention the fact that love is hard work. Sometimes you just have to put ‘er in low gear and push on through the hard stuff to get to the other side where the good stuff is.”
Everyone’s a Dreamer‘s promotional video includes a guest appearance from Inuit NHL hockey player Jordin Tootoo. Both Tootoo and Bellamy share a mutual friend in fiddler David Pichette of Emerson Drive. The Everyone’s a Dreamer promotional video is meant to introduce fans to another side of Bellamy‘s latest release.
“We use the video to not only promote the song but also promote the Everyone’s a Dreamer project. We took the project to 16 different schools in Alberta this past spring,” says Bellamy.
The Everyone’s a Dreamer project is a speaking tour that Bellamy uses to teach school-aged children about following their dreams and achieving their goals. ”I didn’t want the Everyone’s a Dreamer album to be just another thing I had to sell. I wanted to be the change I wanted to see in the world, y’know?,” says Bellamy. Being the change he wants to see in the world is influenced by his favourite Mahatma Gandhi quote.
“Out of the blue I got a call to do an alumni speech in my hometown [of Bonnyville, Alberta]. It went over like gangbusters. I got together with a few teachers after the event and we put together a program based on my story and tools that kids can use to figure out their dream, make a plan and work towards accomplishing their goals,” Bellamy says.
The Everyone’s a Dreamer project teaches kids that, ”You can’t just say ‘yeah, I wanna be this.’ You have to know how to do it.” Bellamy makes sure to stress the importance of hard work and goal-setting on the road to living out dreams.
“I’m really trying to grow Everyone’s a Dreamer into a national program. I’d love to go across the country and speak to kids about following their dreams and finding their passion in life,” says Bellamy.
He also says that, “Being a dad now, definitely I want to inspire my own kids to do what they love and change the world. That’s how we change it, one person at a time. It’s not broad strokes. Every person has to be motivated to want to make a little bit of change.”
This summer, the Clayton Bellamy Band will be touring across Canada and performing at three major country music festivals. The Clayton Bellamy Band will be appearing at the Big Valley Jamboree in Camrose, Alberta, Countryfest in Dauphin, Manitoba and Saugeen Summer Nights in Harriston, Ontario.
When Bellamy is touring as a solo performer, he says that “There’s extra pressure, but also, I can do whatever I want. There’s no borders to sound like this or look like that. If I wanna break down and do an acoustic set, I can. If I want to do some rockers, I can too. [Being a solo artist] allows me a bit more freedom, I think.”
Also, Bellamy does a webcast on the 29th of every month where fans can interact in a live webchat with him. Bellamy’s next webcast happens on April 29th at 6 p.m. CST/7 p.m. EST on stickam.com.
For more information on Clayton Bellamy tour dates and the Everyone’s a Dreamer project, check out his official website.
-2012, radiowrangler
