Making Art Work
Meet Dan Price
Editor's note: There has been ongoing conversation in Northeast Ohio about artist support in recent years but little examination how artists support themselves on a day-to-day basis. Through this series, ideastream highlights a sampling of area artists and the various ways they make their finances work.
Dan Price of North Collinwood is a well-known figure within Cleveland’s indie-music scene as the drummer for bands like Herzog, The Cross Brothers and Megachurch.
Dan Price [Megachurch]
Dan Price [Megachurch]
While his music career is a break-even situation, the 40-year-old and his wife Suzanne are busy making a living with their business – Suzuran Photography.
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
That business makes up nearly 90 percent of the Price’s income with the rest coming from Dan’s part-time job teaching percussion at the Music Settlement along with occasional rentals of his recording studio.
When they wanted to start a family last year, Dan leaned on his connections in the local music scene to make adopting their son, Eliot, a reality.
ideastream’s in-depth local reporting is made possible by donations from supporters like you.
Join us as a Member now.
ideastream.org/donate
A Passion for Percussion
“I cut my teeth as a rock and roll drummer, which is still a big part of my life.”
Growing up in Seven Hills, Price’s older brothers played guitar and bass. So as early as 10 years old, he was taking drum lessons. Soon he was backing his brothers on classic rock covers.
“I cut my teeth as a rock and roll drummer, which is still a big part of my life,” he said. “That was what cemented my love of music at that early age just jamming with my brothers.”
Today he is drumming in area bands, mostly with Herzog, but it does not turn a profit.
Herzog [Dan Price]
Herzog [Dan Price]
“Herzog is fortunate enough to have a label that supports us so we don’t have to put a lot of money into the band,” he said. “But we also don’t make a lot of money because the label has to get [its] share.”
Herzog "Music Was the Language from When I Mattered" 2019 [Dark Current Productions]
Despite not providing dollars, Herzog along with The Cross Brothers and Megachurch offer a different benefit for the new dad – a social life.
Megachurch at the Rock Hall 2010 [Stella Groove]
“Those guys are all like brothers to me. So when I go to band practice that’s one of the few times I’m actually able to be social,” he said.
The Cross Brothers [Dan Price]
The Cross Brothers [Dan Price]
During the school year Price has about 13 to 14 percussion students at the Music Settlement, which takes up about 10 hours a week.
“I’m basically only getting paid there when I have a student,” he said. “So any kind of extra work - and this is pretty standard for any music school - you’re not really getting paid for.”
Dan Price playing marimba at Music Settlement [Dan Price}
Dan Price playing marimba at Music Settlement [Dan Price}
He’s one of only two percussion instructors at the Music Settlement.
“I’m trying to make the department grow and trying to help push it into gaining more students and maybe do a percussion ensemble there,” he said.
Focusing on Photography
“When I met my wife Suzanne we figured out photography was a way to earn a living.”
While music was a large part of his early life, it was during and after college that Price developed an interest in photography.
“I never really honed the skill because it’s an expensive hobby. So music was where my focus was,” he said.
It’s said “love conquers all,” and Price fell in love with a professional photographer.
“When I met my wife Suzanne we figured out photography was a way to earn a living,” he said.
She had gone to school for photography and was in the process of starting her own business around the time they met.
“I encouraged her to do that and just by the two of us being around each other and there being a camera around I started shooting again, and she showed me a lot of what I know about photography,” Price said.
In 2012 the two married and began Suzuran Photography later that same year. The newlyweds’ business soon focused on other people getting married.
Wedding photography became their main source of business, and they discovered it helps to have two photographers. Dan generally begins with the groom and his family while Suzanne starts off with the bride and her bridal party.
“We meet up for the ceremony and then the rest of the day we spend together,” he said. “Suzanne and I have a really great relationship.”
He realized that in the world of wedding photography having a solid marriage is good for business.
“We have a loving relationship, and I think people like being around that on their wedding day,” he said. “They see us as a calming presence.”
Suzanne handles most of the business side of things, especially now that Dan’s busy taking care of their son.
“As far as editing photos and dealing with clients that mostly falls on Suzanne’s shoulders,” he said.
The Price’s shoot about 25-30 weddings a year with summer being the busiest time. The winter months can be tough on their young family.
“We have to save during the fruitful warm months and try to hunker down in the winter and not spend a lot of money on what we don’t need,” he said.
Health care is another challenge.
“We have insurance through COSE, which we’ve had for about seven years,” he said. “It’s more than our mortgage to pay for our health care with the two of us and our son. But you’ve got to have it."
Suzanne Price [Dan Price]
Suzanne Price [Dan Price]
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
[Suzuran Photography]
Family First
“That night felt like our wedding night. It was so overwhelmingly awesome to have the Cleveland art and music community back us up. We wouldn’t have been able to adopt our son if that hadn’t happened.”
When Dan and Suzanne decided to adopt, they realized the process was an expensive proposition that they couldn’t afford on what they were making with their photography business.
Dan and Suzanne Price [Courtney Burns]
Dan and Suzanne Price [Courtney Burns]
So they picked up more weddings and began to save.
“Last year, because we were saving up for the adoption, we kind of overworked ourselves and did closer to 40 [weddings] which was a lot,” he said.
They’d sometimes shoot as many as three weddings in a single weekend.
“I don’t think I’ll ever do three again because that’s a long, long weekend of being on your feet,” he said.
But the extra wedding money still wasn’t enough for the adoption, so Dan got creative by calling on his musician friends.
Suzanne + Dan Adoption Benefit Show at The Happy Dog
Suzanne + Dan Adoption Benefit Show at The Happy Dog
“We put together a benefit show that we had at the Happy Dog last year,” he said. “The three bands that I’m in played, and we had a bunch of people donate prizes.”
Organizing the concert themselves, Dan went to his bandmates in each group.
“They were all gung-ho about doing it,” he said. “They were all very supportive through the whole process.”
The Cross Brothers performing at Happy Dog November 9, 2018 for Suzanne + Dan Adoption Benefit show [platypus4eva]
It was stressful as the benefit approached. Dan worried about doing a show unlike anything he’d done before.
“Playing a show as a drummer can really take a lot out of you. But playing three? I was nervous,” he said. “The month leading up to the show I practiced maybe more than I have in 20 years just trying to get ready physically.”
They packed the Happy Dog that night and the benefit was a huge success.
“That night felt like our wedding night. It was so overwhelmingly awesome to have the Cleveland art and music community back us up,” he said. “We wouldn’t have been able to adopt our son if that hadn’t happened.”
Suzanne, Sagan (the dog,) Eliot, Hoshi (the dog) and Dan Price [Naida Gazdick]
Suzanne, Sagan (the dog,) Eliot, Hoshi (the dog) and Dan Price [Naida Gazdick]
Musical Mission
“I wish people were more into exploring the local music scene than maybe they are.”
When asked what he does, Price says he’s a photographer and a musician. His hometown makes it easier to do both.
“One of the great things about being in Cleveland as an artist is that you can do it. You can do it without the need of a lot of money, because Cleveland is still a relatively cheap place to live,” he said.
Between the photography and music his days are flexible, which is the life he’s always wanted.
“I could never really thrive in a desk job, which was one of the reasons that this made sense for me with the life I’m living,” he said.
He can see himself doing this for decades to come.
“It’s always been a part of my life and always will be a part of my life - to be the aging hipster at the Happy Dog playing a show at 55,” he said. “I’m fine with that.”
While he loves the local music scene, Price does wish more Clevelanders shared his passion.
“Cleveland is known as a rock and roll city right? But I think there’s a lot of people who wear the guitar shirts or whatever and don’t necessarily know any of the bands from here or what the actual music community is like here,” he said. “I wish people were more into exploring the local music scene than maybe they are.”
Photographing weddings with his wife, caring for his son and making music are what matter most to Price.
“I don’t feel like I have a choice to be honest. I mean that in the best possible way. The love I have for the things I do keeps me going, it keeps me sane. If I stopped making music today I think in six months I’d be a very depressed person. I think the same is true for photography,” he said.
![Dan Price in his Cleveland studio [ideastream]](./assets/ParZheFJ5l/img_7559-2560x1920.jpeg)
![Dan Price Cleveland studio with various audio cables. [ideastream]](./assets/zb8sfTrpvq/img_7536-2560x1920.jpeg)
![Dan Price in his Cleveland studio behind a mixing board. [ideastream]](./assets/Mie3P8PCly/img_7568-2560x1920.jpeg)
![Dan Price Cleveland studio looking down on drums. [ideastream]](./assets/0HoDhaD60V/img_7552-2560x1920.jpeg)
“It’s always been a part of my life and always will be a part of my life - to be the aging hipster at the Happy Dog playing a show at 55. I’m fine with that.”
