by Zach Manzi
Daley Posey, a cellist turned classical and electric bassist, is a Nu Deco star. An original member of Nu Deco, he actually knows CEO & Co-Artistic Director Sam Hyken from high school in Morristown, NJ. Following graduation, Dale went on to study classical bass at West Virginia University, which set him on a path that eventually led to Miami. Dale is one of the busiest musicians I know. When I sat down with him recently, he told me he really doesn’t sleep too much––despite really needing it––because he believes so strongly in all the work he’s doing, on stage, in the classroom, and at home. He recently told me the whole story of his journey, including a seemingly out-of-the-blue chance to audition for and tour with Ricky Martin.
ZM: Hey Dale, I’ve heard little bits and pieces of your musical history, and I’m curious how that unfolded. I know you do a lot of things, and I’d especially like to know your history as a bassist.
DP: Alright, where do I begin? I, as with many musicians, started playing in elementary school, and I started off on cello. I didn’t start to play the bass until high school because the orchestra I was in had three cellos and no bass, so that’s when I picked it up. I was self-taught. When I moved to New Jersey around that time, I thought I was going to play basketball. I played music, but it was just a fun thing I did. When I realized basketball wasn’t happening, I waited until maybe December or January of my senior year to start taking private lessons, a few weeks away from my first college audition.
ZM: That’s hilarious.
DP: Yeah! It’s funny; my high school had a bunch of great musicians, but despite being self-taught, I still felt like a big fish in a little pond. Anyway, I auditioned at West Virginia and got a full ride for classical bass, and I studied both classical and jazz there. Then, I came down to University of Miami for grad school for jazz pedagogy, and I just had odd jobs. I was playing bass in cover bands and all that, and to be honest, I was kind of over it. I wanted to leave South Florida. I told everybody if I’d known my career would be playing in cover bands, I would not have done this. Then, I got married. I went from being single, waiting tables at Chili’s, and playing in wedding bands, to being married with two kids. So, I wanted a little bit better, a little more stability. That’s when I started teaching. We moved up north, I taught and still gigged a little bit, but I lost all of my gigs in South Florida when we moved. Then, my relationship ended up falling apart. Around that time, which was maybe 2010, I was in New Jersey visiting my parents for Christmas when I got a text from a buddy of mine, a drummer, who had gotten wind that Ricky Martin was holding auditions for bass in South Florida. He didn’t have any other details. He said, “dude you need to get on that audition.”
ZM: Were you still gigging in that time, or was it kind of like you just needed to get yourself together when you found out about it?
DP: It was a really dark time for me. I had moved from Port Saint Lucie down to Broward and could not get a gig. Nobody would hire me to play. I couldn’t even get a job at Target. I got in touch with Ricky’s management through a friend and finally got contacted two days before the audition. I had the audition, and by Thursday, I got a phone call saying I got the gig. Talk about highs and lows, I was rock bottom and then all of a sudden about to be touring with Ricky Martin. We toured all of 2011, and it was a great time. It got me out of the dumps. It was also eye-opening because I spent a lot of time away from family. I missed my kids. After tour, I knew I had kind of hit my ceiling in South Florida as far as touring was concerned because he found all of his musicians here. There was really no other artist that was based out of Miami. I had to make a choice about whether I wanted to move and keep riding the wave of being a touring musician or be close to family. So I chose the latter, and here we are.
ZM: To back up a little bit, you and Sam [Hyken] were in school together, was it high school?
DP: Yeah, I want to say my senior year was his freshman year.
ZM: So did you know each other when you were there?
DP: Yeah, I was his drum major in marching band! He had his braces and everything. I love Sam to death, and I loved him them. He was super talented and knew he was. I just remember his attitude––he was like, I’m gonna do this and that. He had this swagger about him.
ZM: So what happened, you each went off and did your lives, and he ended up in Miami asking you to be a part of this Nu Deco project? How did that happen?
DP: That’s exactly how it happened. I went to school and then he went off to Juilliard. I’d heard he got back down to Miami, that he was at New World Symphony, but we had been out of touch for over ten years. I was done touring, working at Miami-Dade College, and I get this Facebook message from him. He said he heard I was back in town and asked if I wanted to be part of this project. I was like, okay, why not? Honestly, I didn’t think anything of it. I was pretty much done playing at that time––I was teaching, and my current wife walked into my life at that time. I was like, I don’t want to tour, I gotta stay put. So, I was teaching, and a friend hired me to play in a cover band. Then my first kid with my current wife was born, and I was trying to get a job teaching in the school district. I basically stopped playing.
ZM: In the beginning, when you weren’t thinking much of it, what kept you coming back? It sounds like you were kind of done.
DP: Well, I knew that there was a void in South Florida for this ensemble. What Sam and Jacomo [Bairos] were doing–it was needed. For me, it wasn’t boring covers, they were covers that were reimagined. It wasn’t the same stuff night after night. And Nu Deco is a family. I remember in the beginning, Jacomo was saying, “We have a band.” They always wanted to have that family vibe about it. Everybody is gonna do their part to make sure what we are going to portray to our audience is at the top level and have fun at the same time. I was like, this is why I became a musician, this is why I do what I do.
ZM: We are super glad you’ve stuck around. I’m remembering that you’re an original member of this group. Have you had a favorite moment or show, one that sticks out in your mind right now?
DP: Man, there’s been some great moments. Hm. I gotta say, I think my favorite show out of all of them was the Angélique Kidjo show at the Bandshell. I think that concert was amazing. I remember walking away from that thinking to myself, if she called me to go on tour, I would have a really hard time saying no. Her vibe and style of music, everything about it, that would be a really fun time. I think Jacob Collier is a close second. The experience with him was amazing. They’ve all been great.
ZM: Well, thank you for taking the time to talk.
DP: No problem, man! Thank you. I’m not usually one who likes to talk about myself.
ZM: You did a great job talking about yourself. Have a great day, Dale.
DP: Talk to you soon.