Every person is different when it comes to this. I know some people who have trained for years to become a musician and it just doesn’t click, and I know people who can pick up any instrument and play it like they’ve known it their whole life.
1. Tell Us More About Your Background and Journey.
I am an independent singer/songwriter, music producer, and live/studio musician based in the United States. Throughout the years I have played in many different types of both cover music and original bands, as well as many solo gigs. I’ve learned to play many instruments including guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, mandolin, dobro, ukulele, as well as singing and electronic beat production.
2. When did you first decide you wanted to pursue music and how did you start?
My story begins in about 2009. I was a young kid that dreamed about things like becoming a power ranger. The closest musical experience I had at the time would be Veggie Tales and the Wiggles. One night, my dad found an old DVD/CD combo of the band KISS that he bought, which was his favorite band growing up. We listened to that CD all the way home from our trip and I was blown away. I ended up taking them from him and listening to them all day long, asking him for more old CDs. This was my first real introduction to music, and I never turned back.
From there I begged my parents for a guitar. They thought I would get one and eventually become bored with it. After a few months, I was learning how to play songs off of YouTube, and quickly got signed up for guitar lessons. 12 years later, I still find myself learning new things and never get bored playing.
3. Who is your favorite artist and why?
Without a doubt, it would be the Beatles. I have never experienced another band where every member was as talented of a singer and songwriter as them. They were revolutionary at the time, and they experimented with the bounds of what music was capable of. The classic sound still stands out today, you can see the effect they had on the world as a whole to this day. A few other artists I’m inspired by are Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, and Blink 182.
4. Can you throw some light on opportunities one gets as a singer?
It all varies by person in my experience. I have had some great opportunities to play and sing for many different events. Whether it’s something small like singing the national anthem for my school or something big like opening up for 80’s superstar Pat Benatar, many cool things have been presented to me.
Aside from that, learning to sing opens up a lot of potential gigs for people. If you are someone who is considering becoming a session musician, learning to sing would be one of the most beneficial things you can do. Having someone to sing harmonies and background parts is so helpful.
5. Is format training required or can one train themselves purely based on talent?
Every person is different when it comes to this. I know some people who have trained for years to become a musician and it just doesn’t click, and I know people who can pick up any instrument and play it like they’ve known it their whole life. Regardless of whether you’re the best musician or not, my advice is to play as much as you can and go for it. It all comes down to how good you want to be at something. If you tell yourself you’re going to be the best and train for it, then you will.
6. What piece of advice would you like to give to future and aspiring artists?
Never give up. No matter what anyone tells you, don’t stop living out your dreams. Play every day as much as you can. Never let yourself get tired of doing your favorite thing in the world. When you get burnt out on learning something, try learning a different method of playing. Open yourself to as many genres and opportunities as you can. The more versatile of an artist you are, the better you will be.
7. Which is your favorite book and why?
Mine would be “It’s A Long Story, My Life” by Willie Nelson. I love reading autobiographies and non-fiction in general. His life story is an incredibly interesting one for anyone to read. For being one of the biggest country stars the world has ever seen, he is incredibly humble and gives a lot of insight into the music scene.
- Trystan Grisham (Singer & Multi-instrumentalist )
Trystan is an independent singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. He is most known as a genre-fluidd solo artist, and as one half of the alternative hip hop duo callmelonely. Combining a unique blend of sounds and themes, his music has led him to the opportunities of performing at Burlington Steamboat Days, Nauvoo Grape Festival, the Burlington Memorial Auditorium, the Iowa State Fair, and Fort Madison Riverfest, as well as sharing the stage with the likes of Pat Benatar, Halestorm, Royal Bliss, Bobaflex, Jake McVey, American Hitmen, Skid Row, Gary Allen, Slaughter, Like A Storm, 38 Special, Jerad Weeks, and many others.
Trystan Began his musical journey at the age of 9 by begging his parents for an electric guitar. After a few years of lessons, he began playing his first shows as a bassist, guitarist, drummer, and front man in various rock, pop, and country cover and original bands based out of Southeast Iowa. This persistence of live performance led to an energetic stage show and a respectable work ethic.
His first independent solo release Let Me Bloom has seen positive feedback, and a cult following. A cohesive blend of dream pop, swampy southern rock, and modern country notes led to a unique end product, serving as a strong opening effort. Following singles, I’M AN ADDICT and Cure were also met with positive reviews. I’M AN ADDICT was featured in the short film Candy Addict (2018) starring actor, filmmaker, tik-toker, and producer Reace Thorne of Yuzoogle Productions, amassing thousands of channel views. Following this release, Cure was released in 2019. The song was featured on Juno and the Echo Dog’s Interstellar Radio Blog as “Song of the Week”.
- Interviewed By Pratibha Sahani
){kind=link}
Social