Meet Seawall Prophet

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Seawall Prophet. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Seawall below.

Seawall , so great to have you with us and thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts with the community. So, let’s jump into something that stops so many people from going after their dreams – haters, nay-sayers, etc. We’d love to hear about how you dealt with that and persisted on your path.
In my opinion writing and recording music is easy… releasing the music is the difficult part. Not so much because of distribution hurdles (which are challenging), but because of the barrage of criticism that each work will inevitably receive. No one sees the countless hours, cost, or emotional drain of creating and recording just one song from scratch, just to be met with comments like “you should have done this differently”, “I don’t like that part”, “why did you do this here”, or flat out “the song just isn’t good enough”. I am constantly submitting my music for live performances or licensing placements, so just about every day I receive rejection emails and negative feedback. But, every now and again an email comes through raving about my songs, or maybe accepting my band into a festival. It’s these small victories that I try to hold on to. I try to keep in mind that music taste is subjective and that people’s opinions do not always reflect truth (including my own). I would be lying if I said the criticisms don’t bother me, but so far I’ve been able to brush them off and push forward. I have to remind myself why I play music in the first place and hold on to the many compliments that I do receive. I’m going to keep trusting my instincts and take everything else with a grain of salt. There’s only one option in my mind and that is to keep moving forward, wherever it takes me.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
My name is Aaron Markland and I am an Award-Winning Singer/Songwriter, U.S. Air Force Veteran, Retired AFD Firefighter, and self-proclaimed Soul Surfer born and raised in San Diego, California [Ocean Beach]. I perform under the name Seawall Prophet solo acoustic, duo acoustic with my long-time friend Jake Franks, and with my full band (AJ Price, Chris Price, Steve Cunningham Robert Vaughn and Chris Julian). The music of Seawall Prophet is an amalgam of my diverse musical history rooted in So-Cal beach culture which showcases a unique blend of Blues, Funk, Rock, Punk, Reggae, and Acoustic Roots. I have written, produced, and recorded six full-length albums and many more singles to date, with songs featured both in documentaries series and movies. I am currently focused on the licensing aspect of the music business and am currently pitching my original song catalogue for placements in film and television. If you want to keep up to date on my touring schedule or any other new, go to: SeawallProphet.com

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Discipline, Persistence, and Patience. When you’re just starting out in anything, the first thing you need is discipline. It takes 10,000 hours of grinding behind the scenes before you’re truly proficient at anything. If your pursuit is worth it, the road will be challenging and you’ll need persistence to overcome the barrage of obstacles and criticism. Finally you’ll need patience. Empires are not built overnight, but if you keep grinding day in and day out, eventually the pieces will come together and you’ll be able to marvel at the fruits of your own labor.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I would love to partner with music supervisors to place my songs in film and television. I also perform regularly solo acoustic, duo acoustic, and as a full band, so if you or anyone you know is looking for music in these regards, don’t hesitate to reach out to:

[email protected]

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Alan Hess, Troy White

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