Brandt Parke of Tacoma on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Brandt Parke and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Brandt, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Walk a few miles while listening to music

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Brandt Parke, and I am a session musician and performer from Seattle, Washington. I am active in multiple projects, including:

-Mister Master (hard rock/grunge/blues/psychedelia)
-Emergency Brake (grunge/sludge rock duo)
-The Meghanne Storey Project (acoustic folk/soft rock)
-Silent D (solo project)

I’ve been obsessed with music from an early age, and started playing instruments when I was 13 years old. My goal as a musician/creative has always been to be as active as possible, as knowledgeable as possible, and experienced as possible. And, it’s always so much fun, which is extremely important. I’m grateful to be busy!

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What was your earliest memory of feeling powerful?
I do not remember the exact moment, but it was when I became pretty dialed in and proficient with the guitar. I’ve spent many hours learning and practicing over the years, and I am proud of that, and all of that really paid off when I first felt that sense of power. Like, I had accomplished something and had made it mine. I’ve always wanted to sound like me, regardless of my many influences, and I believe I’ve accomplished that. And it is definitely a powerful feeling, and a feeling of power. In a way, it makes me who I am as a musician.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
That is a great question! I would say suffering has taught me to never give up and always strive for the better/healthier situation. Otherwise, you will continue to suffer. If you fight back when you’re suffering, things will get better. It might take some time, which is why you can never quit and/or give up. Suffering has also taught me what’s important in life; the things that make me happy and feel fulfilled. It’s important to see and acknowledge those things, and focus on them and never let them go.

Also, suffering has taught me that asking for help is ok, and sometimes we need it. I really enjoy being independent and doing everything on my own, but we all need help sometimes.

Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Continuing to be a creative, learning, and being a musician.

Music is my main source of creativity, but I also love to cook and get creative with food. I read, write, and travel as much as I can to learn about more ways that I can be creative. Whether is playing an instrument, trying a new recipe, traveling to a new place, or reading a new book, I am always looking for cool new ways to add and progress my creative outlets.

Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Absolutely. There isn’t any feeling that is more gratifying or satisfying than making yourself proud and fulfilled. It doesn’t require any outside input, but just knowing that you did something great for yourself and you feeling happy about it. That could be a song I wrote, a new dish a made and loved, a cool place I traveled to by myself, etc. It is nice to receive positive outside attention, but will never be equivalent to the positive attention that you give yourself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @silentdmusic
• Facebook: Brandt Parke
• Other: Personal Instagram (Brandt Parke)- @silentdmusic
  Mister Master Instagram- @jellyfishin4
  Emergency Brake Instagram- @ebrakeband
  Meghanne Storey Project Instagram- @meghannestorey

  Mister Master Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/album/4BcxMs3SG1EBlLGbVwCuN2?si=DNZXL_b8TRuIrRktELLYyw

  Silent D Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/18Zq5wlUHhvyXnvXnwkRon?si=cYMIU2D2QW6BBK4bW70Y8A

  Emergency Brake Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/6vNeKae1f5h0J7O42bjiU4?si=LULTxFnhQBSe-FJ0TD8GPQ

  Meghanne Storey Spotify- https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Ie2ubOFHWkm6UHC1H4aGN?si=NHc85LFJTwuGHv13oX9oQA

Image Credits
@john.watkins_photography
@_fly_away_with-mel