What made me want to do music for a living were all the 80s hair bands and all their rambunctiousness. I was captivated by the attitude, the lifestyle, and the music. Being on the cusp of Millennial and Zoomer, the radio growing up was 90s grunge and 2000s pop/rap, which provided me with diverse tastes and influences early on. My mom was all about 2000s pop whereas my dad was 80s hair band heavy metal. The music of bands like Mötley Crüe, Van Halen, and Dokken showed me how ripping guitars should be. Pop music influenced my songwriting and structuring of music. Growing up in South Florida, there was a massive influence of Caribbean and Latin culture as well as beach and board sport counter-culture. The cultural influences of growing up is something that resonates with me. The Caribbean culture exposed me to Island Reggae and Afrobeat. Latin culture exposed me to my favorite forms of Jazz; Bossa Nova and Samba. The beach culture was Cali Reggae, Indie Alt, and Festival EDM (what a mix). The board sport counter-culture was essentially a Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack on repeat. The combination of all these elements have influenced what I do for a living and the creative evolution that is constantly occurring. My heroes and role models have changed drastically, and I think that’s just a part of maturity. I’ll be 27 the beginning of August and am able to look at things a bit differently now. My heroes in adolescence were hard rock’n’rollers (like Slash and Randy Rhoads) and wild board shredders (like Tony Alva, Chris Ward). As I’ve matured, those influences have still been a big part of who I am. Through navigating adulthood, I have adjusted my perspective on the rebellion and angst that was formerly a big part of it. My influences now reflect who I’ve become through all these experiences. Heroes such as Nikolai Tesla or Socrates were innovative and inspire me to continue to be as well.

2.) If you could compare yourself to an already established artist, who would that be and why? If you don’t like to compare yourself, then music-wise, what separates you from other musicians?

3 established artists that I would compare myself to are James Brown, Prince, and Johnny Depp. I compare myself to James Brown in the aspect that he always had the best musicians surrounding him and was very strict when it came to professionalism as well as onstage errors. Outside of his personal life, the way that he ran a band is why everyone knows James Brown. I compare myself to Prince in the aspect of how he independently operated and owned everything. He was very educated and involved in all creative realms as well as everything business. I compare myself to Johnny Depp in the aspect that he was a musician who became an actor. The ability to transition to another part of the umbrella of entertainment as seamlessly as he did, might be piracy.

I would state the main adversity is trust. It becomes difficult to trust in a profession when increasingly more individuals are taking advantage of an artist. In a position where you are the creator with a product that can be sold, predatory people want to capitalize on that product and essentially make you one as well. What I have learned from being on the creator end of it is that most people want to take advantage of you and most people aren’t prepared for that. The way I previously dealt with it was through escapism and self-destruction because it still entertained and promoted the product I became because of others’ perception of me. I deal with it now in a healthier manner that started when I started observing how I deal with things. This year I made a New Year’s resolution to not consume alcohol for the year, and have remained true to that until 2025. Through this experience, I have learned moderation as well as how to be involved without destroying myself in and for the animal known as the entertainment industry.

4.) How do you prepare yourself to write certain songs? What is your song-writing and recording process?

My song writing and recording process is very sporadic and spontaneous. Sometimes it starts by playing a guitar or bass riff while watching Rick and Morty, other times it’s a software drummer playing a beat to jam to, and there are times that it starts with the lyrics. The process is always different and changing when it comes to the formulation of songs. With the new Free Mace album coming out 7/19/2024 called “Better off Bitter,” there were times I went back to a song after I thought it was finished to add a little extra guitar or ambience, and maybe it’s perfectionism or possibly experimentalism. My process always starts with guitar over a software drummer in Logic Pro. From there, I just record raw guitar and start to structure the general song. Sometimes I’ll record another guitar and bass to further help get a feel for the direction of where the song will be. From there, I transfer the audio to Avid Pro Tools and start doing the other recordings, edits, and light mixing along the way. Many times, I open Propellerhead Reason via ReWire on an Aux Track in Pro Tools to design and apply synthesis or drum samples to a song. After all the recordings, I go right into mix mode. My favorite plugins during this phase are Waves H-Delay and J37, Izotope Vinyl, and Soundtoys FilterFreak, just to name a few. I always send my completed mix to someone to master to get fresh ears on my work.

5.) Unfortunately the music industry is full of talented individuals who just don’t get any recognition for their talent and/or hard work. What do you plan to do to make sure you stand out and get noticed? Would you rather be on a major label or would you rather stay independent? Why or why not? In regards to the music industry itself, do you think that the traditional music industry model as we know it is dead?

One of the main things that I get recognized for is my authenticity. This can either be positive or negative recognition and I’ve learned you must be able to handle both sides of it in a positive manner, regardless of circumstances. I believe by being true to yourself and one’s identity is important, regardless of if you are misunderstood or judged. Authenticity by nature is a genuine approach. I will remain independent for as long as possible. Whether it is music or cinema, creative entrepreneurship is a life and a job. Although I choose independence, I still enjoy the engine of collaboration. I am very grateful for the positive mentors and peers that are involved in my life and the vision that all those individuals bring to art.

6.) Are you able to make a living with your music? If so, how were you able to attain a career doing what you love? If not, what do you do in order to fund your music career? What advice would give to someone who’s interested in pursuing a career in music?

Making a living with music is difficult and slowly gets easier the more one perseveres. It begins with cheap beers and ramen noodles, while setting up the foundation for where you want to be down the road. It gets tough, but maintaining that determination is better than wasting time by quitting. Dedicate as much time as possible to your career when you’re starting out, so that you can establish music to promote on a larger scale. Then just promote the hell out of it to everyone you meet, business cards and stickers help. Remember to practice self-love and not self-destruction and to create solitude out of isolating circumstances.

7.) How do you think the internet and social media affected the music industry and how musicians are able to market themselves? Social media is obviously an extremely important element in today’s world, especially when it comes to business, branding, marketing, etc. With that being said, do you think an artist will be able to survive in today’s music industry if they’re not social media savvy?

The internet and social media completed changed marketing in entertainment. These technologies have opened an unprecedented form of international communication, allowing everyone to be seen. As many things in the modern world, there’s pros and cons. The pros are that everyone in the world can share ideas and information, even views contrary to ones where an individual is currently located. The cons are, well, not everyone has a beneficial contribution or good intention. You can navigate through this as an artist by not being too attached to these platforms. Today, more so than ever, we compare ourselves to others and it becomes a toxic way of living. I believe that by being able to separate the aspects of technology that are detrimental to daily life, life becomes a lot less dramatic and problematic. The internet is an excellent tool for education and social media is an excellent source of awareness, but don’t allow them to be your sole sources for those things.

8.) Artists who try to make music for the general public and make more money are usually seen as “sell-outs.” Do you see it that way and if so, what do you plan to do to make sure your music stays true to your brand and make a good living at the same time without having to “sell out”?

I believe there is a healthy balance between artistry and capitalism and that when it leans more on one side or the other, it is problematic. Artists create art to express a part of them, not always to be recognized for doing so. When artists are recognized for their perceived talent, that is when every artist asks themselves “Do I take the next step?” This is the defining moment for most people. It truly comes down to if one can take a risk, knowing that it’s 50/50 for success and failure. When taking that risk, that is when capitalism becomes involved. Now you must start dealing with finances, marketing, and brand identity. Many consumers refer to “selling out” as bands that change their brand identity radically for more revenue or when corporate labels define that identity for you. Understanding that, I still enjoy bands that one would consider did that. I believe that art is always evolving and the main separation of “selling out” is did one evolve independently or did someone tell them to evolve.

9.) Professionally, where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

5 years from now I see myself in Appalachia involved in ecotourism, applied sciences, sustainable agriculture, homesteading, and woodsman type things. I will continue pursuing my passions and will remain involved in music, art, and cinema until I can no longer create. I see myself maintaining creative independence, while personally settling down. I’m currently enrolled in college obtaining 2 Bachelor degrees, so 5 years from now, you may have to call me Doctor.