interview by Jorge Perezchica
photography courtesy of Michael Hernandez
Dani Meza’s journey to his latest album is extraordinary. Having survived two strokes and an aneurysm, his triumphant return to music is a testament to resilience, creativity, and collaboration. Now, after a long recovery, Dani has embraced a new approach to songwriting—one that reflects his personal evolution and a deeper connection to his craft. With a renewed sense of patience and purpose, Dani describes how these life-altering experiences have reshaped his perspective, allowing him to savor the process rather than rush to the finish line.
In the Coachella Magazine interview, Dani opens up about the challenges he faced during his recovery, including the physical adaptations he had to make to continue playing music, such as designing a custom guitar strap to accommodate his limitations. Yet, through these obstacles, he found new strengths, focusing on the emotion and conviction behind his music rather than striving for technical perfection.
As Dani prepares to release his new album, “I Planted, Apollos Watered, But God Kept Making It Grow,” he reflects on the collaborative nature of his work, likening each song to a scene in a movie. This concept weaves through the album, creating a cohesive narrative that invites listeners to find their own interpretations while connecting deeply with Dani’s personal and artistic journey.
Coachella Magazine was recently invited to a private listening party hosted by Dani Meza, where a small group of us had the chance to experience his entire album on vinyl, released under his band name “The CrushedVelvets.” Listening to the music in a collective setting was a unique experience—almost meditative. As the soulful, mellow melodies filled the room, I closed my eyes and let the sound transport me into a dreamlike world. Each note seemed to paint a picture in my mind, immersing me in the layered depth of Dani’s music in a way that felt both intimate and transcendent.
Read on for the Coachella Magazine interview.
Personal Journey and Health:
Coachella Magazine: Your journey to releasing this album after surviving two strokes and an aneurysm is incredibly inspiring. How have these life-altering experiences shaped your approach to music and creativity?
DANI MEZA: Thank you, I’m glad it is inspiring. I have now learned to take my time with songwriting and life. I savor the motions of writing a new song and living in the process. I try not to get to the end too fast. I let the songs and music finish when they naturally feel finished. I enjoy the journey.
CM: You designed a special guitar strap to accommodate your physical limitations. How has this innovative approach impacted your live performances and relationship with your instrument?
DANI MEZA: The strap was made out of necessity. My left shoulder can’t have weight on it, so I needed something to distribute the weight more evenly and something that still allowed me to play. I now can move around freely on stage and pace around when I’m writing with it on. It’s one less thing to worry about and I don’t physically feel as tired afterwards.
CM: After such a long recovery, what was the most challenging part of returning to music? What drove you to keep creating during that period?
DANI MEZA: The most challenging thing was being confident in the new changes I had to make. To be happy with the new way I sing and the corresponding new style of music. I now concentrate more on the delivery and the conviction behind my music. I find it much more powerful than what it was before. As for what kept me creating, it is the same reason as when I started – an unknown feeling of needing to do it. I have to create and write. It is second nature to me. I can’t turn it off. I’ve tried.
Creative Process and Evolution:
CM: The title of your album, “I Planted, Apollos Watered, But God Kept Making It Grow,” feels deeply symbolic. Can you share what this title means to you and how it reflects the themes of the album?
DANI MEZA: There are many meanings to the title. For a listener, I intend for it to mean one thing before you listen to the album and something different after. As for what it means to me, I’m acknowledging that I didn’t do anything alone. I may have written the songs, but that was just the seed. The musicians in the studio added what they heard and felt and then the listeners interpret it how they will and share their experience with it out in the world. It goes through many minds and hands before it is complete. I can’t take credit for it alone.
CM: Your recording process was primarily live, capturing spontaneous moments. What inspired this method, and how do you feel it enhances the emotion and authenticity of the album?
DANI MEZA: I am heavily influenced by recordings from the 50s and 60s. In those times they were limited by technology to 4 or 6 tracks on each song so they recorded as much as they could live. Since those recordings hugely inspired me, I tried to capture the same feeling in the performance and not dwell on the technology before or after. Recording this way also captures the sound of the instruments as they are heard in the studio and the interplay between musicians in the room.
CM: You’ve mentioned wanting to capture the tenderness of artists like Minnie Riperton and Roberta Flack. How did you approach this balance of vulnerability and strength in your music?
DANI MEZA: I got over myself. I was open to sharing my internal dialogue and things that I think most people are too self-conscious to verbalize and explore in a mature way. Those two artists are known to not be afraid of saying what they wanted or needed.
Collaboration and Influences:
CM: You’ve worked with a roster of collaborators on this album. What was it like bringing such a talented collective of musicians together? Did any specific moments in the studio stand out to you?
DANI MEZA: It was a dream. So many amazing artists in their own right who were happy to play on this recording. I really remember the looseness of the sessions. No pressure, no overthinking. We would go over the song once, then hit record. It was always the first take that we ended up keeping, even if there was some talking or instrument warm-up that you could hear before the song. We kept these moments on the record.
CM: Chris Schlarb, your producer, noted that you’re always looking to try something new. What new challenges or techniques did you explore with this album that differed from your previous work?
DANI MEZA: I came into this album with the intent of capturing things as raw as possible and keeping it that way throughout the mixing stage. I wanted the moment captured. Chris always has a new piece of gear or some device he is trying to test, and I’m always happy to be the lab rat. Nothing special happens if you don’t try something new. To me, if it sounds good, it is good no matter how it is recorded. I can’t tell what piece of gear we used, mics, amps, etc. All that changes each time I go in.
CM: Your sound draws inspiration from classic artists like Marvin Gaye and Serge Gainsbourg. How do you blend these influences with your own modern touch to create something fresh and timeless?
DANI MEZA: I use those artists as templates. Not necessarily for their sound but for the mood they capture with their music. That’s what inspires me most about them. So when I go in, I record moods. That’s why my recordings sound like my own music or like something you can’t put your finger on. I’m not trying to mimic an era or a genre.
Themes and Message:
CM: You’ve spoken about writing songs with depth, like Leonard Cohen and Serge Gainsbourg. What message or feeling do you hope listeners take away from this album?
DANI MEZA: That intimacy does not have to be sexual. Sometimes the mundane things can be more intimate than that.
CM: The album seems to reflect a balance between reverence for the past and a forward-looking perspective. How do you see your music evolving in the future, and what excites you most about what’s ahead?
DANI MEZA: The album is a perfect appetizer of what’s to come. The evolution of the music is largely due to the different musicians I get to share the studio with along with the track or album concepts and moods that inspire the instrumentation. The instrument choices are specific to capture the imagery.
CM: At your private listening party, you mentioned that every song on the album is like a scene in a movie. How do these scenes, or songs, connect to form a cohesive narrative, and if the album were a movie, what would that movie be about?
DANI MEZA: Each song has certain words or phrases that link to the idea or scene of the next song that follows or a song or two down the line. Sometimes it is not the words but the instruments that paint the scenery. A lot of this album has to do with the five senses. That is as far as I will explain it without giving too much away. I want the listeners to make their own interpretations.
Visual and Live Experience:
CM: You collaborated with photographer Michael Hernandez for the visual elements of this release. How important is the visual aspect of your music to you, and how does it complement the sound of the album?
DANI MEZA: We eat with our eyes first. I wanted to capture the mood and sound of the album with the visual elements. I wanted the cover to make sense once the music is heard. This is leisure music, music you sit and listen to.
CM: The official release show for the album is happening in your hometown of Indio. How significant is it for you to celebrate this release in the place where it all started, and what can fans expect from the live performance?
DANI MEZA: I started here and I wanted to make it a point to deliver the goods to the locals first. I always like emphasizing that the live show will not be a reproduction of what is heard on the album. I change musicians and instrumentation for each show to deliver a whole new experience every time. I let the musicians decide what they play within the structure of the songs. This allows for freedom and spontaneous playing for the best performance from each musician. It keeps it from getting stale on stage. Plus, you never know who might be the next special guest.
The CrushedVelvets: I Planted, Apollos Watered, But God Kept Making It Grow
Release Date: Saturday, October 19th
For more information visit
thecrushedvelvets.bandcamp.com and follow the band on Instagram @thecrushedvelvets, Youtube @thecrushedvelvets321, Apple Music, and Spotify.