We recently connected with Rafe Carlson and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Rafe with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
This isn’t a question I get a lot, because most people focus on your successes, and what they see on social media. Years of work behind the scenes usually goes unnoticed, especially in the entertainment industry. I’ve had the privilege of being able to watch close friends of mine become “overnight success stories” in Nashville- and it always seems like they came out of nowhere, when in reality, it took 7,8,9 years of diligence and hard work to “make it”. My Grandfather had 9 children after returning from World War 2. They were dirt poor. He spent his life as a carpenter, among other things, finding ways to put food on the table by any means necessary. He was the strongest man I’d ever met. He stormed the beaches of Normandy, opened the gates of Dachau, one of the worst concentration camps in Europe, and fought in the Battle of the Bulge, before returning home and raising a giant family. I have cousins and second cousins who’s names I forget. There is no one in my family that takes the easy way out. We are the descendants of Vikings, conquerors of the Seas, heroes of battle, carpenters, and soldiers. Hard work isn’t a decision we make, or a conscious effort. It runs in the blood.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In 2021 I threw my hat over the fence, so to speak, by quitting my job I’d had since graduating high school, and deciding to be a country music singer- having never played a show or really sang in front of anyone. I grew up on country music. My mom was in a series of bands in the 80’s, and I had spent my young life watching my older cousins play everything from Waylon to the Stones in their bands in our hometown of Duluth, MN. Today, I get to share the stage with my 2 older cousins that inspired me to get into music. There’s nothing to me that’s more fulfilling than that. This weekend we’ll be playing for thousands of people at a festival with Trace Adkins, Chris Janson, and several more. People are coming up every weekend and wanting to take pictures and get autographs from my cousins Steve and Dave. That’s what makes this whole thing worth it for me.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I’m still learning as I go, and constantly make mistakes and misjudgments. However, there are some skills that I’ve found to help separate you from the pack, so to speak, and get you started in the right direction. Firstly, (and without this nothing else matters), you need to take full responsibility for everything that happens to you. To me and the people I surround myself with, that goes without saying, but I’m still blown away when I watch the news, or look at what’s going on in the world, by how many people are at the effect, and not the cause. There’s nothing more liberating than the realization that you’re in total control.
Second, I think is the ability to understand, and effectively work with people. I’ve only worked sales jobs my whole life, and being a self-managed country artist is by far the most challenging sales job I’ve had. Other people have the money. Other people make the decisions. Other people always have something you need, and if you’re incapable of demonstrating value and effecting communicating with those people, you won’t get what you want or need. The degree to which you are incapable of properly working with people is the degree to which other people will control your life.
Last, I think is to have something bigger than temptation. Whether that is God, your purpose in life, a mission you’re on, fitness, family, whatever it is, you have to have a “why” so to speak, or you’ll end up trapped by addictions, employers, pop culture, distractions… the list goes on.
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
Only in the last year, my band and I have come together and played some really great shows. I had been playing solo shows, and writing and recording music in Nashville for awhile, but as my following grew in the Midwest, I started piecing together a killer band. Our Summer tour began in May, and has consisted of opening for acts like Jon Pardi, Sawyer Brown, Trace Adkins, Chris Janson, John Michael Montgomery, and so many more. Along with fairs, festivals, and opening for other national acts, we’ve headlined and been featured on several large events in our region. The biggest area of improvement for me in the past year has been really learning how to tour, and getting experience on the road, and playing the caliber of shows I’d only ever dreamed of playing. Any given weekend this Summer we’ve gotten the opportunity to play for thousands of people, and being on stage like that is my favorite part of my job. I know soon I’ll have to get back to Nashville to finish up in the studio, write music, and make TikTok videos, or whatever I’m supposed to do, but being on tour with a band like this has been incredible, and we’re already looking forward to getting back on the road in 2024.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.rafecarlson.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/rafecarlson
- Facebook: Www.Facebook.com/rafecarlsonofficial
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@Rafecarlsonmusic
