Playing To Nobody (And Sometimes Everybody)

Playing To Nobody (And Sometimes Everybody)

By Dominic DeLaney

One man, one guitar, and a rail pass through the chaos, charm, and community of the DIY music world.

In Playing To Nobody (And Sometimes Everybody), singer-songwriter Dominic DeLaney chronicles a raw, unfiltered journey through North America’s indie music scene-armed with nothing but a guitar, a backpack full of merch, and a stubborn belief that Amtrak and art can still take you where you need to go.

Told in vivid, city-by-city chapters, this memoir captures the triumphs and trials of touring on a shoestring: from dive bars and basements to late-night living room shows, from border-crossing blunders to unexpected friendships forged in train station lobbies. Along the way, Dominic dodges disaster (including a near 10-year prison sentence in Canada), plays to crowds of three (and one goat), and wrestles with the emotional and financial toll of chasing a dream in a world that often doesn’t seem to care.

Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, Playing To Nobody is a celebration of the resilience of independent artists, the strange beauty of the in-between, and the music that somehow keeps going-one train, one town, one song at a time.

Perfect for fans of DIY culture, travel writing, and scrappy dream-chasing.