We recently had the chance to connect with Ted Wulfers and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ted, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
What makes me lose track of time and find myself?? Music…every time all the time. The irony is when creating and writing music, you are shaping time and controlling it. You design and follow the meter, you move the feel, you place the groove and you build something that a listener will spend their time in and hopefully get lost in it as well. That’s the magic.
But yeah….when I really get a fresh idea and moment of inspiritation, I’ll chase it and finish it and hopefully record all of it or most of it to the best of my abilities. Some of my most successful songs have been written and recorded very quickly…often at the very same time. And I’ll lose myself. I really won’t think about anything else besides finishing and shaping the song and getting as much as it recorded as possible. So much so that I won’t eat or sleep until it’s done. I’ll forget about food and be up for a day or a day and a half. I’m the same way with clients when producing them. I’m there to focus on their music and get the job done and will often be “on” with them for 12 – 20 hour days. I had a recent health scare and doctors told me to set a timer when I’m working in the studio to have small meals or fresh snacks to keep healthy. To be honest, it’s annoying and it breaks my flow a little bit, but I’d rather be around a bit longer to keep makin’ the music so I groan and go have an apple and take a 5 min break. When you combine a strong work ethic with a true love of the work along with some of the legends and mentors I grew up working with and learning from, it’s a tough habit to break of not being truly joyful in losing yourself in the music and the work. I take pride in losing track of time and coming up with an amazing result. You find yourself learning from yourself, learning from the music and find yourself tired with an amazing mix that nobody on earth has heard but for you and the people working on it and the sun’s coming up and the birds are chirping and you take one last listen and smile and say…. damn… that’s why we do this. Get lost in time, learn how to shape it and you’ll find yourself every time.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Well, my name is Ted Wulfers and I’m a musician. I grew up in the Chicago area but the Los Angeles are has been my home for the last two decades. I’m a recording artist, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, engineer, composer, photographer and film-maker polymath. As an artist, I’ve written close to two thousand songs in the Rock ‘n Roll, Pop, Folk, Jam, Roots, Ukulele and Classical genres and have released 12 studio albums, 3 EPs, 1 Official Record Store Day Vinyl Single and I plan on releasing albums 13 and 14 in the upcoming year. My song “Find Some Peace (Acoustic)” is the closing credits song for the award winning and much beloved film Abbys List: A Dogumentary which recently received the honor of being in the running for the Academy Award for Best Documentary and is streaming everywhere now but had a very successful run in AMC Theaters earlier this year. Fingers crossed for this amazing film and its Oscar run. This was some very exciting news to get the other week. A few years ago, my song “The Cubs Won It All In 2016” went into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and was a Record Store Day release. In 2020, my song “The Ghosts” was featured in American Songwriter magazine. In 2011, my song “Here We Go” was all over the radio and climbed into the to 40 charts in several markets. My song “San Luis Obispo (Take It SLO)” is considered by many the “un-official official song” of San Luis Obispo, California. My song “Thoughts & Prayers” went viral in 2018 and the song was studied in many college courses. My music has been featured in Rolling Stone, Spin, American Songwriter, Ukulele Magazine, Billboard, Mix Magazine, Sports Illustrated and has been broadcast on ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, FOX, The Hallmark Channel and many other networks as well as radio stations around the globe. I have written, scored and performed the music for several award winning films as well as produced dozens of singles and albums for other artists at my southern California recording studio, 663 Sound.
I’ve been playing piano since I was 3 and have taught myself 25+ other instruments. On the daily, you’ll find me playing electric guitars, acoustic guitars, bass, piano, hammond organ, accordion, pedal steel, lap steel, ukulele, classical guitar, electric sitar, dobro, mandolin, Irish bouzouki, drums, percussion, banjo, harmonica, cello and many more.
I have also toured extensively throughout the United States and Europe with some years in my career including 150-200 performances a year. Since the pandemic, my touring has slowed a bit and I’ve been a very busy bee in the studio working on several albums worth of material for my upcoming releases, scoring music for films and producing numerous other artists’ singles and albums.
The will be lots of new releases in my world coming soon that I’m very excited about and I’m looking forward to performing the new material live at upcoming tour dates.
What makes my music interesting/special/unique/or anything else? It’s 100% authentic from the heart and real. I write what I feel and see and what I see through other people. I’ve been blessed with a like that’s been anything but normal and have enjoyed some interesting adventures in this journey. Those ingredients make for great stories and songwriting from the brutally honest, to the lovingly real or the quirky ethereal.
I play real instruments and I make my own samples. I get production and film composing calls from artists and directors who are looking for real instruments and not some the fake sounds from sample libraries. Those occasionally do have a role, but I prefer making own sounds, noises and recordings.
Authenticity is rarer and rarer in this artificial world and I’m proud to fly the flag of authenticity and to be as 100% honest and real as possible in my art.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who taught you the most about work?
I’ve been honored and blessed with many great mentors and role models throughout my life. Some of them are sadly no longer with us and so many of them come to mind in terms of bestowing the appeal of work ethic into me…. but to answer your question of who taught me the most about work? But, I have to honestly say……me.
My music does not get written or recorded unless I put the work in to make it happen. One of my shows does not happen unless I’m there to play and sing the songs. One of my photos doesn’t happen on its own…I have to be there to capture the moment. When an artist asks me to produce their song and play many instruments on their track to build a band sound for them, that track does not get made on its own without me putting in the work.
I guess being self-employed for a majority of my life has not only highlighted the necessary self-reliance and self dependability but it’s enforced that notion and made it even more critical
The work doesn’t get done without the blood, sweat, tears and joy that go into make it. People rely too much on pre-sets and programs and the easy route. I’ve found that in making art, the longer route is always not only the best route to take but the most gratifying at the end.
My Dad was one of the hardest working people I’ve ever met and he instilled a drive into me. I used to be a pretty good baseball player as a boy and was looked at by some scouts/teams. I worked with Cal Ripken Sr. who always said “practice doesn’t make perfect….perfect practice makes perfect.” Things I learned from Richard Dodd who I’ve made many records with. Chris Shepard and Davey Rieley come to mind who I’ve made many records with. My good friend and mentor Robert Scovill has taught me about work. Some of my famous rock star friends have taught me about what it takes to get to the mountain and stay there.
But at the end of the day, if you don’t pick up the pen, or the instrument, or the camera, or the shovel or the pick axe or the pots and pans, the work isn’t going to get done. Some may long for an autonomous world. Not I. I enjoy the work and realize it doesn’t get done…unless I do it and put in the time. I’m seeing a theme for these questions hahaha.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In full… never. A few times perhaps but I’ve been making music for 43-44 of my 46 years, writing music for 35 of those 46 and doing this professionally for 26 years. I’m a lifer so giving up has never been an option for me.
A life in the arts is a blessing and a curse…it is a feast and a famine where your soul is always nourished by the everlasting joy of inspiration and creativity. Some people really relate to that and bask in it and others cannot relate to any of that at all.
As artists, we all get into ruts or see some really great work go unappreciated or unable to find success. But a phrase my clients and friends hear me say often is…. “we need to keep making the cookies.” Some cookies are gobbled up and loved. Some cookies are untouched while others are hated. Either way, you gotta keep making the cookies. There are really rough months….really rough years even. But you gotta keep makin’ the cookies.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
Fads and foundational shifts are a funny thing and the older you get, you really start to realize the notion of “the cycle wheel.” In are youth, we roll our eyes when an older person mentions the trend or fad coming back and that everything is always cyclical….but they’re right. It is haha.
I remember producing an album for another artist….this was probably 2009 – 2013ish when the ipod commercials were really a thing and they really wanted their song that we were working on to sound EXACTLY LIKE THE song in the commercial. I reminded them that once that “ipod” song had become a hit, it was already dated and was probably recorded a year or two or six months before anyone heard it meaning in chasing that sound, you’re already dating yourself.
That’s where I’ve always done my best to make work that sounds timeless. A really great song/recording should sound like the past, present and future all at once. It’s really hard to do but it’s something to strive for. Some of my favorite songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s sound like they were recorded TOMORROW instead of decades ago. That’s what makes them great.
I’ve also reminded a lot of my clients as well as myself that it takes a long time to learn to sound like yourself. When we all start, we are all influenced and we are all derivative. Learning to learn from that, grow out of that and become your own artist is the key and the trick to a successful career.
Chasing what is popular this very moment can be fun in the short term but will toss you in the box of obscelecence quickly. Whereas reading the leaves and riding the waves of real foundational shifts will help your work remain timeless for longer…especially if you are the momentum or cause of that foundational shift
Be yourself as much as you can be. There’s only one of you and there’s a billion fads. Be yourself…. at least that’s my preference and what works for me.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
When I was in college, at 18 and 19 years old, I took on a job as musician at the university Dance Department performing music for the various dance classes or composing music for their various showcases and dance recitals. I learned so much from this work. The classes I performed music or composed music for were for modern dance, tap dance, ballet, Irish dance and world dance. Then one day, I showed up late for one of the tap dance classes. There was a famous tap dancer in residence teaching the dancers about tap. Her name was Brenda Bufalino. And I showed up late.
“YOU’RE LATE” screamed Mrs. Bufalino. I’d not met her yet and was getting my guitar plugged into the amplifier but I acknowledged her remark and apologized for being late…even though my 18/19 year old, young know it all, budding rock star don’t fuck with me attitude really didn’t care that I was late…but my politeness shone through and I apologized.
“NO… YOU’RE LATE… YOU CAN’T START PLAYING YET” screamed Brenda. The scolding grew and she then asked the girls to STOP dancing so she could scold me some more.
Brenda was a legend in her field and during this scolding yelled at me that the last musician she worked with who was as late as I was was Dizzy Gillespie. She meant that as a dig, but that dig gave me a pride she’d never realize. Can ya dig it?
So I started playing and she screamed for me to stop. Then finally concluded her lesson.
“You weren’t just late….your lack of presence meant there was no music and the dance continued. I’m making you wait until it’s your actual time to resume the performance.”
I was never late to another dance class and I was always right on the beat. I learned a lot about music and life from Brenda Bufalino. I always wondered if Dizzy Gillespie did as well.
I can’t express to a non creative what a joy it is to start a day with nothing and then create, make, build, shape and mold something that might possibly change your life or be a huge part of someone else’s life down the line. There is a respect and joy for that craft that I hold in the deepest depths of my soul, heart and mind. In touring, the travel can be a drag….but showtime never is….and writing, recording, making art never is. There is a grind to every craft but I can happily say and admit how lucky I am that I’m zip a skip a dee do da tap dancing to work EVERY time I pick up one of my instruments or flip the switches of my studio to turn it on or walk onto a stage with an audience. If you don’t love it… you’re in the wrong business.
Get yourself some tap shoes…..even if you’re late. One day you’ll look back and realize you were exactly right on time.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.tedwulfers.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tedwulfers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TedWulfersMusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TedWulfersMusic/videos
- Other: https://tedwulfers.bandcamp.com/music
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
