Dawson Hollow Visits Oklahoma Christian

Dawson Hollow, an indie-folk-rock band consisting of five siblings, came to play during Oklahoma Christian University’s Family Weekend on Friday. The Talon spoke with two of the five members, Ben Link and Rachel Link Starnes, to discuss what Dawson Hollow is all about. 

Ben Link, lead singer and guitarist for the band, said he and his siblings knew they wanted to form a band ever since they were young because of the constant music surrounding them.

“Our mom is a music teacher, so we grew up to love music,” Link said. “Getting to play and make music together made us think about doing it long-term. I think early on we knew we loved it and wanted to turn it into a full-time career.”

Rachel, the oldest of the five, said her biggest inspiration is other musicians the siblings have heard over the years. 

“Just growing up listening to music, it was in us and around us always,” Starnes said. “We’ve also been to lots of concerts, which has been really inspirational to us.” 

Starnes said her advice to fellow musicians is to take time to both be creative and practical. 

“Take time for the creative side of it as well as the business side of it,” Starnes said. “You have to have both if you’re going to pursue it.” 

Link said to find someone who shares your goals and will grow with you. 

“Find your team; it could be one person, or it could build into a huge team,” Link said. “Finding people who have the same core goal as you and who want you to win is huge.”

When asked which song of the band was his favorite, Link named one they spent time developing.

“We have a song called Summer Snow,” Link said. “We took a lot of time with that song to experiment, develop, try wacky things, and it kinda became our frankenstein.” 

For Starnes, her favorite song was one her brother wrote, which became sentimental to her.

“For me, it’s one of the song’s Ben wrote called A Thousand Miles, and it will probably always be one of my favorites,” Starnes said. 

Link said the band’s bond is what separates Dawson Hollow from others. 

“We have a song called Boomerang which we just released. We love to create songs with multiple layers. It’s all about having a bond, and no matter what we do, we’ll always end up coming back to each other,” Link said. “I think our bond is what really separates our music from other people. Because of those experiences and bringing goodwill to the table, our band is full of sibling synergy.” 

Link said the band’s long-term goal is to play at bigger venues in the future. 

“Specific goals would be to play at RedRocks, Jimmy Fallon and Madison Square Garden,” Link said. “The big goal would be doing worldwide tours.”

Dawson Hollow will be releasing new music on Spotify, Apple Music and other streaming services this Friday, Sept. 22. For more information about the band and their story, you can visit their website here.