Dan Cable’s Intimate Interviews With Musicians Have Made Him One of the Most Successful Podcasters in Portland

What is dan cable presents? In a nutshell, it’s a “program”. So says the tagline of Portland music podcaster Dan Cable. Dan Cable asks guests to end each episode with this declaration, a shoutout to Cable’s grandfather for pronouncing the show that way.

Cable clarified with a laugh that, as you can tell from his pronunciation, his grandfather wasn’t from the Midwest. “He’s from California. It must be a generational thing,” he says. WW.

Cable is friendly, funny, and strives to make sure each interview is well-researched, but has no agenda. “I have a really vivid memory that I can always remember things with certainty,” he says. “Well, be silly. Sometimes I wish my memory wasn’t so solid. But it’s convenient.”

A “stupid good” memory and constant curiosity are part of what draws out the kind of storytelling that happens in cable shows. He points to a 2020 interview (episode 235) he did with Softkill’s Tobias Grave, in which Grave opened up about his own substance abuse history and some of his motivations for recovery.

“At some point I was like, ‘Hey, this means a lot to me,'” says Cable. He told Grave that he had a close friend who died of a heroin overdose. Cable did not disclose any information prior to going into the interview. It was just an epiphany, but this episode ended up being one of his most moving shows.

“Not every episode is like that, that’s what I enjoy,” he says. “Some episodes are really goofy and fun and have a lot of laughs, but other episodes get really heavy. So if [the guests] I will do my best to be able to jump in that water too, because it will be vulnerable. “

Cable is wary of overshadowing anyone’s story by intervening too much in the episode. But the beauty of his hosting style is that it creates space for the humanity and connection that comes from conversations during filming.

Cable says the research process begins by asking yourself, “What do I want to know about this person?” He refers to episode 328 where he interviewed musician and street performer Johnny Franco, who immigrated to Portland from Brazil with his brother Dom.

Cable thinks every Franco performance is great, whether at a venue or on a street corner. So he entered the conversation hoping to break the art of busking. “to me, [busking] It’s a very simple thing, but it’s probably even an annoyance you’ll encounter while walking all day,” says Cable.

He added, “Really understanding his mentality behind it completely changed my thought process.” He creates a soundtrack for people’s days with Franco busking, how to navigate those who are not in the mood to listen to his music, and how to play for those who are not in the mood to hear his music. I found myself learning how to do it and perfecting it.

Since starting in 2016, dan cable presents New episodes are released every week. As Cable’s audience and sponsorships continue to grow, his goals remain the same. It is about promoting both up-and-coming and established artists across genres, always with curiosity and excitement.

Cable cites podcasters like Marc Maron and Pete Holmes, and their openness encourages guests to look in directions they wouldn’t normally look. “You think everyone comes out with something different, right?” he says. “I’m just trying to find common ground and places to connect with them.”

listen: dan cable presents Episodes stream on dancablepresents.com.