Plug In Stereo (Trevor Dahl) backstage at the Prince Music Theater on January 19, 2014. Photo copyright 2014 Danielle Speiss.
Getting Plugged In To Plug In Stereo
by Ali Speiss and Sami Speiss
You never know where an artist is going to get their stage name, but Trevor Dahl was right on track when he became Plug In Stereo. It sounds like a band name, but for the most part it is the vehicle for Dahl to get his own music out there.
This is rather important, because he’s already become a well-respected songwriter who has an impressive resume which includes co-writing the song “Truly, Madly, Deeply.” That song was sung by a very popular band that you may have heard of, some British guys who call themselves One Direction.
Still as cool as it may be to get a flashy credit like that, Dahl wanted the opportunity to record his own tunes to feature his singing and playing. The first salvo in that rising artist attack is his recently-released debut EP A Little Peace.
A Little Piece gives you a sampler of some very catchy tunes will take up residence in your head. (We mean that in a good way). Plug In Stereo is already making waves with his buoyant first single, “To Be Wanted,” which features a vocal assist by Megan and Liz.
We caught up with Dahl backstage at a recent acoustic show he did with Cody Simpson in Philadelphia.
How did you get the name Plug in Stereo?
I started on the internet. I was going by my name Trevor Dahl in the beginning. My influences at the time have been doing monikers and stage names instead. I thought it was a cool idea. I was 16 at the time, so I did it for fun. I haven’t changed it. I just stuck with it ever since.
Who are your influences now?
Well, The Beatles have always been a big influence for me. I have always been a fan since I was little. I used to listen to them all the time. John Mayer has become a really big influence for me. Haim is a really big influence for me right now. Ed Sheeran, he’s really great. A lot of different stuff. Whatever I’m feeling that week.
How was working with Megan and Liz?
It was great! They’re very, very sweet. They’re really nice girls. That just happened organically. I wrote the song with my two friends – Morgan Taylor Reed and Shine Douglas. After a while we had the song done. We were looking for a way to change the song up and give it a different dynamic. I had known Megan and Liz because I had played with [them] a year before in Nashville. So we hit them up and asked them if they wanted to do it. They liked the song, so I flew to Nashville and hung out with them for a few hours and recorded the vocal. It was great. It was nice!
What do your friends and family back home think of all your successes?
They think it’s great! A lot of my friends come on tour with me. I have a close little niche of friends. Like my camera guy dude, Jared, is my good friend – I have known him since first grade. My brother plays bass and percussion with me. My sister comes out with us sometimes. I have been friends with my tour manager since eighth grade. So it’s all just keep it in the family.
How did you get to write a song for One Direction?
That happened by chance. I wrote the song for me and ended up not wanting to use it. It sat around for a while. I thought it was a great song, but I didn’t think it worked for my style or where I wanted it to go. So it sat around for about four months. Then I got an email saying that they wanted to use it. I was like: absolutely! I would love if they used it.
How did they find out about your song? Did you put it out there?
Whenever I write a song and I don’t want to use it for myself, I pitch it to my publishing company. They pitch it to different artists and whatever. So they heard the song and liked it. They were looking for some acoustic-style songs, so it worked out really well. It was awesome.
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