Utah music profile: The Generalist 

• Jason Webb
• The Generalist

Dopamine is an essential chemical in the squishy mass of flesh we call the brain. As humans, we're always trying to find ways to increase production of this crucial component, but it's not always easy. For local singer/songwriter Danny Washing, this theme fueled his latest album in his most recent project, The Generalist, where he opened up about some tough subjects but ultimately created one of his most valued bodies of work.

"The album title actually came much sooner to the release than a lot of the songs," Washing shared. "I was thinking about our culture as a society, and how much dopamine drives so many of our decisions, and we're always looking for that next fix, that dopamine hit."

Chasing Dopamine beautifully blends themes of what Washing described above, but also the highs and lows of his own journey over the last decade. Moving from state to state, losing beloved friends and finding the beauty in nature all contribute to The Generalists' debut album.

"The New Gilded Age (Brad's Song)" is an especially punchy song that will have you reeling; it's a deep dive into the tragedy of losing a loved one, but at the same time offers a feeling of hopefulness, especially in the song's instrumentation. "It's about a drummer that I had back in Kentucky that was going to move out west, and we were going to start a band together," Washing said. "This was going to be our album together. It was the album that we were working on. These were our songs."

The "Brad" of the song's subtitle ultimately died of suicide, making it difficult for Washing to want to continue with the album. "It was really hard to get back into the studio after that, just a lot of memories coming back," he said. "But it was very cathartic when I finally did get it out, and I had this feeling that he was looking down and just happy that it was out. That song got some really positive reception that first night that I had premiered it, and I felt like we were able to close that chapter. I think he'd be proud of the album. I think he would've enjoyed what we've been able to do, but I wish that he could be a part of it."

Chasing Dopamine was written and recorded entirely by Washing as he was looking for dopamine hits of his own. "Each song is therapy for me. Me writing out the lyrics, getting the songs and putting it all together," he said. "When it's fully recorded, it feels like a monument to a hardship in my life that I was able to go through and make something positive and constructive out of a negative situation. I felt like I was looking for that next hit, and along the journey, I found a lot of things that gave me beautiful dopamine hits that really got me ecstatic. But it is a dragon that we are constantly chasing, and you have to be careful with that. It's kind of a cautionary tale to not be looking for that next hit, but at the same time living your life in a way that is worth living."

While Chasing Dopamine was solely created by Washing, he was able to recruit new members into the band for live shows, which are going to be ramping up as the year goes on. Washing does acoustic versions of his songs at live shows all the time, but it's not exactly how they're supposed to sound, so he's always felt like something was missing while playing live. Bringing on a bassist and drummer helps bring things to life and making Washing's vision more complete.

"We're just figuring out how we are going to jam together live and create a unique experience for people who have never heard the album," he said. "I'm very proud of what they've been able to add and how the songs are sounding."

The year promises to be an exciting one for The Generalist as live shows ramp up, and new music gets in the works. "We're just happy to get out there, share our stories, share our music, and just hopefully it'll touch a lot of people, and people can relate to them and get inspired by them, or just love jamming to them," Washing said. "This is therapy for me. And if it means something to someone else, that's awesome. That means the world to me if it can resonate with other people."

If you want to catch The Generalist, there are a few opportunities coming up. Washing is doing an acoustic set at Shades Brewing on Thursday, March 16, then two full band shows on Thursday, April 6 at The DLC and Ice Haus on Saturday, May 27.