Why Dan Deacon never wants to leave Baltimore

Baltimore has shaped Dan Deacon in ways that feel inseparable from his music.

The electronic musician first gained attention in 2006 with his debut album, Spiderman of the Rings. It’s a joyful record that reflects the ecstatic energy of the DIY scene that Deacon was heavily involved in at the time.

After the record’s success, the calls started coming in, luring Deacon to New York or Los Angeles.

“Why on Earth would I do that?” he says. “The only reason that this record was what it was is because I’m [in Baltimore]. Why would I kill the goose that lays golden eggs? Why would I cut down the bean stalk and run?”

So he stayed, and over the past 20 years, Deacon has become one of the city’s best-known musical exports. For our latest Sense of Place trip to Baltimore, we sat down with Deacon at one of his favorite places in the city, the Harbor Wetland on the National Aquarium campus.

He praises the city as a safe haven for musicians, where affordability, isolation from media and a strong sense of community can help creativity thrive. Deacon also talks about his work as a composer, which started when Francis Ford Coppola asked him to score one of his movies.

This episode of World Cafe was produced and edited by Kimberly Junod.  Our digital producer is Miguel Perez. World Cafe‘s engineer is Chris Williams. Our programming and booking coordinator is Chelsea Johnson and our line producer is Will Loftus.