We’re looking forward to introducing you to Aaron Kusterer. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Aaron, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
This generally happens when I’m working on a client project and super immersed in trying to get it “just right.” I tend to be a perfectionist and it’s magnified tenfold when I really dig what I’m working on and I keep thinking “well if I do this … and then this … it will be awesome!” But that can really get me into trouble, because at the end of the day–I have to serve the client and do what is best for them. What usually pulls me out of that time vortex is simply getting out of the house. It allows for some perspective and time away from what I’m looking at or working on. Going for a run or driving for a bit is really soothing for me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Well, my name is Aaron Kusterer and I’m a guitarist, producer, and mix engineer. I assist in helping artists achieve their vision musically–be it on stage as a player/music director, or in the studio as a producer and mix engineer. For me, it all centers around being of service to the artist and their songs. In the past couple of years, I’ve been bouncing between the studio and the stage quite often. One such unique studio project involved taking a book author’s vision of having song lyrics in his book turned into a reality so the reader can “read along” and “hear” the song they are reading about. I thought this was a really cool and unique idea! The book series is called “The Rings of Jeffrey” and target audience is middle school-aged kids. On the live/stage side, I’ve been working a fair amount for country artist, Annie Bosko as her guitarist. It’s a fun and wild ride to play her music across the US!
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Definitely my marriage. A spouse often acts as a mirror in a relationship–for better or worse. Luckily, my wife and I have been married for 11 years and going strong!! But it hasn’t been without it’s challenges–and some big ones at that. With my line of work, it requires a lot of balance and there have been quite a few times where I “thought” I was doing all the right things in achieving/maintaining that balance–coming home after the gigs instead of going out with the guys, making breakfast after being up half the night on a gig, etc. Those things are really the bare minimum though and it took me a while to realize that. I started seeing things in my wife that I didn’t understand and what I slowly realized is that they were ultimately reflections of me, but not the good kind. I was acting more like “I wanna be a rockstar with a girlfriend” and far less like “a husband who happens to be a professional musician”. It has taken me a long time to come to terms with those things and it’s still a work in progress but it has brought us closer together in many ways. I’ve had to put in a lot of work because honestly … the music industry will ebb and flow but regardless, I ALWAYS want her there–and that required a perspective shift on my part.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I could fill an encyclopedia with things I’d tell my younger self but …. to keep it brief: rejection will happen, get used to it. You will hear “no” more than you’ll ever hear “yes.” Your ability to stay the course regardless and continue growing and evolving–despite the “no”–will be paramount to success.
I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Is the public version of you the real you?
As much as I’m able to make it so. Being real requires vulnerability and it isn’t something that comes super easy for me … who knows why. I think I hesitate to allow my extreme nerdiness bleed into my public life but it’s something I’m working on. I’ve always been a serious person when it comes to music. Too much so probably, particularly in my younger years. My parents used to describe me as “intense” (probably still do). I care deeply about the work but also care deeply about the treatment of people and making sure folks are taken care of in bands that I manage. So, in that way … the public version is 100% the real me for sure. What you see is what you get.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
I would probably stop music-full time and be as close to family (my wife, eventual kids) as much as possible. I love music but the people in our lives are to be cherished and time goes by SO FAST, especially while hustling along in the music industry. No fan, social media following, screaming crowd–will care about you like your family. That time is precious and you can’t get it back once it’s gone.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aaronkusterer.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronkusterer/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aaron.kusterer/
- Other: https://akstudioproductions.com/
https://www.stompinthunderband.com/
Image Credits
Lexi W.
Petey K.
Hailey-Ana
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