Loren Weisman Interview

Loren Weisman, an accomplished national music producer and drummer based in Seattle, Washington, has worked on 300+ albums, numerous television, film, video game and radio productions, in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Seattle, and other cities. He is the founder of Brain Grenade Entertainment LLC, and the author of Freedom Solutions Recording Plan. His book, currently pending publication, The Artist’s Guide for Success in the Music Business will help independent musicians achieve self sufficient and sustainable success.

March 2009 Interview

Q: Welcome! Please tell us, how did you get started as a musician and a writer?

LW: I started beating on pots and pans when I was little. I was given cello and trombone lessons in elementary school, and began playing drums in my early teens. After a couple years of self-instruction, I took lessons from various music teachers and attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts for a few semesters.

I’ve always had a strong interest in writing. On January 1, 2008 I started writing music information and advice blogs for musicians. I have much to share and I receive a lot of enjoyment from writing the blogs and from receiving feedback from musicians.

Q: Have you always been interested in music and writing?

LW: I’ve always loved music and had childhood dreams of becoming a musician. I was more interesting in reading than in writing until this last year.

Q: How do you keep your creative juices flowing?

LW: I try to write each day. Whether it’s an article about a specific topic or an idea that I want to develop, I strive to devote at least fifteen minutes five days every week to writing. Most days I write for a much longer period of time, but even when I’m not overly inspired, I write. The physical act of writing often gives me inspiration and new ideas to expand upon.

Q: Do you have any projects you’d like to tell us about?

LW: I’ve completed a book, The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business and I’ve recently signed with Doe Coover Agency. I now have a wonderful agent working to secure a good publisher.

My book comprehensively addresses specific subjects and concerns serious musicians should be aware of. The book provides ideas, suggestions, and advice that empowers musicians with knowledge and optimizes their ability to become successful in the music industry.

I’ve worked in the music industry for over a decade and I am a musician who has experienced success. I know first hand the pitfalls that are out there and the many challenges musicians face. My book is a practical guide that leads musicians from production and performance to publicity marketing and long-term career building. I share my hard learned lessons with fellow musicians because I would have greatly benefited from such a book as The Artist’s Guide to Success in the Music Business at the beginning on my music career.

Additionally, I’m in the process of starting a nonprofit organization that will help musicians and creative artists build sustainable careers. Many young (and not so young) creative artists fall victim to the “millionaire rock star” pipedream. Yes, some do hit the big time but for most musicians becoming a “millionaire rock star” is not a realistic aspiration. I want to help musicians develop a reliable career that will eventually allow them to quit their day job even if it does not provide them sky high fame.

Q: What is something you wish other creative artists understood?

LW: It is not how much I work toward my objectives or my dreams in a given day; it is my steady determination to do small things every single day that helps me achieve my goals. Many people become overwhelmed and paralyzed by the huge amount of work they attempt to tackle all at once. Break work into manageable amounts; address it in parts that collectively make up a whole. By doing a reasonable amount each day we can achieve much and can feel satisfaction of accomplishment throughout the entire process.

Q: What are some of the challenges and obstacles you faced during your career?

LW: I took risks early on that made things much harder than they had to be. The upside is that those mistakes gave me the experience I needed to write my book. My greatest challenge was facing the temptations that plague the music industry and then learning how to not become entrapped by them. Admittedly, making the decision to take a moral approach to the music business can impact opportunities. I’ve walked the low road and the high road and I’ve learned that the many rewards of doing right outweigh the alternatives. A lot of musicians steal creative ideas and material, and they deliberately damage one another. That wasn’t for me. I want to be a man who respects himself when he looks in the mirror, and musician who respected his own art.

Q: What is the most rewarding aspect of your career?

LW: The most rewarding thing for me is seeing the artists that I counsel or musically produce begin to realize and to trust that there are positive and wise paths available that will lead them to their dreams.

Q: What inspires you?

LW: My belief that creative artists can learn to effectively manage their careers, and become educated about the options and avenues that will provide success. I’m greatly inspired by music across a wide spectrum of genres. Books excite me and make me think, and some take me away from everything. I have a strong hope that the music industry can change for the better. I intend to be part of that constructive change.

Q: How do you manage your time when you are working on more than one project?

LW: I have an intense schedule, being organized is key to everything for me. I plan a couple of days ahead. I choose which project or piece of work I will focus on each day, which needs my attention next. It can be a balancing act.

Q: What do you do to relax and to just have fun?

LW: I enjoy sports, especially the Boston Red Sox. I like walking around the city of Seattle. I go to the gym for exercise. I’m a big fan of comedy; I enjoy comedians and humorous movies.

Q: What is the number one thing you would like to tell new creative artists?

LW: Find time each day to work on your projects. Whether it is five minutes or five hours, give some time each day. Even if you only have a few minutes to spare, give your projects those few minutes. The time will add up, it will lead you to realizing your dream. If you don’t work to make your dreams come true, who will?

Q: Do you have a support system?

LW: My fiancée Alicia is an amazing support to me as well as my family and friends. I call family and friends when I’m on the road. Communicating and brainstorming my ideas with them means a lot to me.

Q: If, at the age you are today, you could spend a day with you at age seven, what would you take back in time, what would you say, what would you do?

LW: I wouldn’t want to change any good or bad experience I’ve had in my life. I’ve endured my share of hard times, but I wouldn’t trade or alter anything. My experiences have shaped and strengthened me; my journey has brought me to this place.

Q: When you feel creatively blocked what do you do to get yourself back into the creative flow? When your muse is napping what do you do to wake him/her up?

LW: I often go for a walk or work on a different project to try to get things going again. Perhaps I will decide a set amount of time that I will work, and then write free style, allowing my thoughts to flow.

Q: How do you recharge your creativity?

LW: I give myself time to get away from work. I love animals, visiting aquariums and zoos recharges my energies.

Q: What is your greatest inspiration?

LW: My dream of what the music industry can become inspires me a great deal. Artists who can see beyond their egos encourage me too.

Q: What makes you smile?

LW: My best friend who is also the love of my life. Alicia helps me build a wonderful life outside of music and she encourages my music and my writing.

Q: What advice can you offer to a creative artist who is struggling with their inner critic?

LW: Wrestle with your inner critic, give him/her a damn good fight. Find ways to defeat the criticisms. The more you learn, the more you will understand. Become skilled at dealing with your inner critic without losing your confidence, use the lessons to help you when you are offering your projects to others. Many people will pass on your work or outright reject it. For a number of reasons they will be the people that your work isn’t right for. So what? Keep trying.

Q: Many artistic people struggle to develop a routine that allows them time for their creative work. What advice can you give that will help them develop a balance between work and social life?

LW: I’ve had this dilemma. I have learned that I simply must schedule time off just like I schedule work time. Turn off the computer and the cell phone, walk away from both. Don’t work in your bedroom, ever. If you don’t allow time for a social life you will neglect yourself and your loved ones. Inspiration thrives on reflection, if you don’t give yourself time for reflection your inspiration will dull. I enjoy writing in a coffee shop or a bar, and then put my writing away and enjoy a cup of coffee or a drink. I know that may sound kind of nuts, but it works for me. It provides a bit of social activity (talking with waiters, bartenders, and other customers) with my work. Also, it can be a valuable opportunity to network.

Q: What creative individuals do you admire?

LW: David Sedaris, Paul McCartney, the late Frank Zappa, Sting, Augusten Burroughs, Quincy Jones, and many other people that believe in, and follow, their dreams.

Q: What is your favorite first sentence in a book?

LW: “Where’s Papa going with that ax?” said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast."
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.

Q: Are you listening to music as you answer these questions? If yes, what are you listening to?

LW: No, its morning. I rarely listen to music when I begin my day. I may have talk radio or the news on. Fusion or jazz is usually the first music I listen to after I get a few emails written.

Q: If you only had one more day to live what would you do with the 24 hours?

LW: I would make love with Alicia and then walk on the beach. Next, Alicia and I would check into a nice hotel room with a fabulous view of the sea. We’d eat incredible food and drink amazing wine. Last, I would cradle her in my arms and die a happy man.

Q: What traits, if any, do you think that creative people have as compared to people who are not creative?

LW: I believe that creative people often have more courage. Also, learning to nurture one’s creativity effectively is a valuable trait. It takes a lot determination to go after dreams that are associated with the creative arts.

Q: When do you feel most energized?

LW: Late morning is when I shift into high gear for my writing. Late afternoon is when I’m most energized musically.

Q: Can you see your finished project before you start it?

LW: No. With music and writing much evolves in the process of creating. I never see my finished products until I’m near completion.

Q: What book are you reading right now?

LW: The Promethius Deception, a spy thriller written by Robert Ludlum. The compelling story engrosses me.

Q: What is the last movie you watched?

LW: Burn After Reading by Joel and Ethan Coen.

Q: What is the favorite question you were ever asked and what was your answer?

LW: During a radio interview, I was asked a series of complex music questions and then the host concluded with, “What did you have for breakfast this morning?” The question threw me. I don’t remember every interview I’ve done but I’ll never forget that one. I admitted the truth, Chinese food from the previous night’s dinner.

Q: What is the best advice you’ve ever been given?

LW: As you press forward to your dream, along the way you will fail at something. Decide to fail at something else, not at your dream. This has been good advice for me. We must learn from our mistakes and try to not make the same ones repeatedly. As we move toward our dreams we must not bang our heads against the wall of the same problems, and we must be determined to not fail.

Q: Your famous last words, will you share with us a piece of advice, a favorite quote, a tip, whatever you wish?

LW: "The secret of success is to do common things uncommonly well." -- John D. Rockefeller