Dean Young Perspective on Carnival Ride

A singer, songwriter and musician.
I have been involved with music to some degree or another since I was a young child.
I have recorded and released music to radio since 2016 and since 2018, I perform in an Eagles tribute band called Epic Eagles. 
And I'm a husband and a father to two incredible kids, an avid outdoorsman and a Taxidermist!

As far back as I can remember.
My Dad Bazil was a country singer/musician and at one point a radio host with his brother Walter. He was always singing and playing and learning new material.
My Mom sang in the church choir and she had a great ear for high harmonies. My sister Maureen sings and plays guitar and piano as well. Dad always had a recorder going too and would try and get us to sing for him.
Quite a few of my Uncles and Aunts were musicians. We just grew up around music I guess.
I fell asleep many nights to kitchen parties and band rehearsals!

I don't know that it was a conscious decision to become an artist.
I started performing as a child and then with my Dad in his country band and around the local music circuit with various rock bands as a teenager/young adult. It was a plus that I could sing and play drums.
I started "writing" songs in my twenties and recorded a few with my good friend Adam Wallington.
The next album that I recorded was "Young Country" at Bobby Lalonde's studio in VanKleek Hill ON. It was a family project suggested by my Dad while I was visiting him at his cottage in Quebec for a few days. We recorded it in a day with my Dad, sister Maureen, cousin Dougie Trineer, myself and Bobby. I took songs we'd grown up listening to Dad play and put my own spin on them. It was pretty cool to have that opportunity with them and a great memory.
My next project was D'n'R unplugged with Rob Robbins. We re-recorded a few of his own co-writes and then did a couple of co-writes ourselves (Entangled and Division of Love)
Then I got a bit more serious with my writing and had another country album (Makin' A Life) produced mainly by Jason Barry of Barrytone Studios; two songs on that album were produced by Dean Malton.
Carnival Ride was the second song released off of the album.

I think I was 12 or 13 when I started working for the Rich family as kind of a grounds keeper I guess.
That was kind of cool, I "met" Robert Duvall when his dog ran over to me.
Later I worked in the Rich Products of Canada factory where my Dad was the Plant Manager.
I worked there for about 23 years while playing music most weekends.
Around 2006 I made the decision to leave that and work at music full time.
I'm also a Taxidermist

Country, Country-Pop, Neotraditional Country

That would actually be this one!
It's a perfect example of how a song can evolve. Carnival Ride was originally inspired while traveling to a gig and I saw some graffiti on an overpass where someone had spray painted "imagine". 
Starting out with the title "Imagination", the song grew from imagining a new relationship where two people are falling in love.
While I was recording the demo with Adam Wallington of IceboX Studios & Production in Crystal Beach, ON the "feel" of the song was changing to more of a carnival vibe.
So I re-wrote the entire song while we were building the tracks and it became "Carnival Ride".
I got stuck at one point during that night and Adam gave me a few words to help it along.
They were, "throw your hands up high" like you would on a ride!
He didn't want writing credit but I felt it really helped the hook of the song so I insisted and gave him 20% writing credit. 
In 2020 Adam was diagnosed with ALS. Sadly he passed away January 24th 2021 at the age of 46.
I'm honoured to have him with me on this. 

*Interestingly, Crystal Beach is historically known for Crystal Beach Amusement Park, which occupied waterfront land within Crystal Beach from 1888 until the park's closure in 1989.