Uncommon Ground ^ Derek See

Derek See
With his solo debut, Derek See takes a sharp left musical turn from what is his norm.

"It's definitely a departure from anything that I've done in the past," he said. "As far as original music,
the bands that I've been in have always leaned more toward underground rock or garage rock. What I'm
doing now is mostly acoustic-based."

After spending his childhood living just outside of Los Angeles, See moved to the region when he was
in high school, graduating from Lake Central High School in St. John. Reared in a musical household --
his mother also is a singer and songwriter and his stepfather is a musician -- See was weaned on '60's
rock and pop as a child before discovering punk as a teenager. He also got his first major taste of
acoustic music while working at a record store in his teens.

A guitarist since he was a child, See began writing songs when he was a teen.

"There really wasn't much deciding," he said. "It was always around me. It seemed kind of logical. Music,
I think, kind of chose me."

Over the years, See was without a doubt one of the hardest-working musicians in Northwest Indiana. Derek had
immersed himself in the region's music community, before re-locating to the San Francisco area in 2005.

For his solo album, See drew on a variety of acoustic and acoustic-minded
artists, ranging from the Kinks to Nick Drake to Robyn Hitchcock to Elliot Smith, to name just a slight few.

"Their music is so personal, it's so timeless," he said of the above-mentioned songsmiths. "To me, it's
interesting because it's like looking into someone's diary. It's very vulnerable, and musically, its
melodies are very, very strong. There's something about an acoustic singer and songwriter that's
always been appealing to me."

See began recording the 11 tracks that will make up his first solo set at a friend's home studio in Crown
Point in November 2003. He finished recording the album in May 2004.

A new album is in the works and is due out in the spring of 2006.