Fish In A Birdcage
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Fish in a Birdcage is the musical project of Dustan Townsend (also known as Dustan Everett Townsend), a young, illustrious and passionate musical virtuoso based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, though he's also been based out of Victoria, British Columbia. Originally from Red Deer, Alberta, Townsend has been playing music since he was two years old. He recalls hearing his mother playing the piano when he was growing up and being moved to the power of the instrument, and for many of his younger years he suffered from insomnia where his mind would only allow him to sleep if he could complete a song from start to finish.
Most of the tracks are comprised of one musician: Dusty Townsend, a talented cellist and singer, with many (if not all) of his tracks featuring cello to some degree. He hauls a guitar, cello, banjo, accordion, washboard, belt of harmonicas, and a shoebourine almost everywhere he goes. His musical style spans modern Renaissance, electronica to folk strings, encompassing genres including Singer-Songwriter, Chamber Pop, Contemporary Folk, Folk Pop, and Indie Folk.
Townsend worked professionally as a limo driver and would surprise his clients with layers of talent by serenading them, often creating up close and personal concerts, until he discovered the cello and decided that he wanted to be a musician exclusively. He embarked on a two-year-long busking and street performing adventure around Europe, progressing through playing as much as possible from basements and rooftops to the streets of Calgary. The idea behind "fish in a birdcage" is that the fish is an able-bodied creature with the potential to "fly" just not in that environment, which Townsend relates to personally as an artist confined or caged into a place where he cannot "fly" or live up to his full potential. In 2024, Nettwerk announced the signing of Fish in a Birdcage, and Townsend released his new album "Mentors" on December 20.