At 51, folk/dark folk singer/songwriter Don de Leaumont shows it’s never too late to dream big. With over 30 years of performing music and sharing the stage with such acts as Amigo the Devil, Mike Glabicki (Rusted Root), The Avett Brothers, and Kevn Kinney (Drivin’ N’ Cryin’), Don’s new album, Dancing on My Father’s Grave and Other Stories, is his most ambitious work.  Don pulled from folk, dark folk, and Americana artists such as Marissa Nadler, Emma Ruth Rundle, Kevn Kinney, and Nick Drake to name a few. With Dancing on My Father’s Grave and Other Stories, Don has created an album that is his most focused, darkest, and personal music yet.

Dancing on My Father’s Grave and Other Stories isn’t a conceptual album. Still, the songs revolve around the complicated but spiritual connection to his hometown of New Orleans, a city known for its culture and dark and haunting folklore. Dancing on My Father’s Grave and Other Stories touches on themes like conflict, mysticism, traditional folklore, and new spins on some of the folklore that has made New Orleans a curiosity of many for over 300 years.

Folk/dark folk artist Marissa Nadler played an essential role in this journey, offering inspiration and mentoring.   Don explains, “Marissa came along when I needed it the most. She offered guidance, inspiration, and tough love… She pushed me to work outside my comfort zone and challenge myself as a songwriter, player, and singer. Marissa was a big part of this journey, and her guidance pushed me to make this album what it is.”

Talking about how personal the album is, Don shares, “Dancing on My Father’s Grave and Other Stories is by far the proudest I have ever been about an album. It comes from a place so far down inside of me that I wouldn’t have dared go to in the past… facing those emotions, stories, and life experiences head-on and putting them into music.” He feels that connecting with listeners is what matters most: “I believe that this is an album that people will connect with.  Even if only one person finds something in these songs that makes them feel see, heard, or felt, then that is what the definition of success to me.