Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Richard Philbrick. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Richard, we’re so appreciative of you taking the time to share your nuggets of wisdom with our community. One of the topics we think is most important for folks looking to level up their lives is building up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Can you share how you developed your confidence?
Finding my confidence has been one of those journeys that, in the moment, feels like it never ends, and then I have this almost out of body look in the mirror that helps bring things into perspective. It can come from all kinds of different places, self reflection being the main catalyst. Sometimes I will catch myself in a moment of doubt and actively talk my self through it, and then there are times my friends, the ones who really know me, step in and make sure I’m ok. They will see it even before I’m fully aware of whats happening. Those moments of self doubt are always a challenge cause they will quickly humble you. The one that always catches me off guard is when someone says anything about how they admire my confidence. There’s almost a moment I feel I have to apologize, because I feel like I’ve lied to them. The best way I can describe it is, to quote Buzz Lightyear (at the end of Toy Story) “This isn’t flying, this is falling with style”.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Well dear reader, if you ask my friends, they will tell you I do too much. Truth be told, they are correct and I have no room to say otherwise. Between being a full time employee making , what some may say is “sacrilegious”, celebrity prayer candles for Illuminidol, a husband (shout out to my truly amazing wife Jasmine, and our dogs Gwen and Bucky), playing bass in Micajah, and all of that while being in King Bunny.
My joy and passion is my band King Bunny. I truly am (and I do mean this, even though it is used to the point of being drained of its importance) “blessed” to be able to work with such amazing talent. We started as a 3 piece, Pete (Lead Guitar), Yasi (or Bunny as she loved to be known as, on Vocals), and myself on rhythm and vocals. The 3 of us started this odd lil project after some previous false starts, and a pandemic put a halt to us for a while. It wasn’t until I had a nasty car accident that left me with a broken collar bone that I called Pete and Bunny and told them we needed to start playing together again (a broken bone, an ambulance ride, and some strong painkillers will make you thirst for life in way you don’t expect). So once I was on the mend and could hold a guitar again, we started working on these songs we had tucked away. We were so preoccupied with finishing these songs, that when we did our first open mic at Kick-Butt Coffee, we didn’t even think of a band name until the guy doing the sign up sheet asked us. I looked at Bunny, and said “My old stage name is King Richard, how about we combine our names and go by King Bunny tonight?” We had fully intended on going by a different name (Pete kept suggesting names constantly) but after people started remembering us and our name, there was no changing it. We started going to every open mic we could find in town: The Water Tank, Anderson Mill Pub, Cherrywood Coffee, Opa! and Buzzmill were our regular spots. I love that I still see people who remember us from those days.
We quickly realized that as much fun as the acoustic set up was, that we wanted to be a full band. Tommy Phelan, knew Pete from a cover band they had, and came to see us at a house show. He made it very clear he wanted to be our drummer, and after some interim bass players, we found Naomi Barnes and she was such a perfect fit for us. Things were looking great.
Unfortunately, life has a way of interjecting other plans. Bunny had to step away due to obligations on the east coast. I loved writing with her, and crafting this vision together. It tore me up when she told us the news. Thankfully, after talking with Naomi, she was interested in stepping into lead vocals. She is a force of nature, and injected a different energy that is this infectious. It has been a joy seeing her take this mantle and make it her own. I honestly don’t know where we would be without her. On that note, I want to thank all of my bandmates for making this a reality, they are what makes this band and there is no one else I’d rather be doing this with.
Since then, we have been playing shows every month, and just had our first show at The Far Out Lounge, and Friendly Rio Market, which were milestone moments for sure! Coming up we are playing at Delilah’s Front Porch Nov 8th and Captain Quacks on Dec 5th. Be sure to keep up with all our shows and goings-on at @kingbunnyatx on Instagram!
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I wish this was like a video game or D&D, I could just roll out my skill tree for you and go “There, thats it, those are my strengths and this is the head of the dragon I slayed to get it”. I have been thinking about this quite a lot lately. “Why am I wired the way I am?” Don’t worry I’m not going to sell anyone a book or a TedTalk (if people even care about those things anymore). For me, what I have found evident in my being is this: Perseverance, Responsibility, and the importance of Love/Empathy. I know it probably sounds like I picked a Sunday school answer, and I wouldn’t judge you for rolling your eyes.
I dropped out of college so I could move to Austin and pursue music. Sure that was over 13 yrs ago now, but better late than never. At any point I could have just stopped trying, sometimes I did, but that desire and need for music and to create wouldn’t let me go.
Responsibility is a fun one…right? It’s the one you get drilled in constantly as a kid ,and one of life’s jokes is that it never goes away. For those who know me this isn’t surprising to hear, but I struggle with anxiety and depression, and as I have gotten older I have learned how to live with and handle it. It doesn’t go away, and some days are really, really bad. I’ve had to learn how to manage it. I love and appreciate all the support I get from my wife and loved ones, but my mental health is my responsibility. I’m not perfect, and it still is an ongoing journey. I encourage anyone, and everyone, to explore what that can look like for you.
Finally, Love and Empathy. I shouldn’t have to say more than that, and yet here we are. There is such a short supply of it, especially now. Don’t let people darken your heart, or tell you empathy is a “Sin” or a weakness. I don’t care what some money hungry, megachurch, “Spiritual Influencer” has to say, Love and Empathy make us stronger, It makes us uniquely human.
So, for anyone trying to find themselves or what drives them, (this is going to sound cliche) look inside of you, don’t be afraid to unearth uncomfortable things about yourself. Every single day, be better, do something new, challenge yourself. Please don’t feel like it has to be these grand over the top gestures, every little thing you do matters. Look out for your fellow human, and touch some grass.
If you knew you only had a decade of life left, how would you spend that decade?
I could sit here in prattle on about all the places I would travel to and the things I’d see, but in all honesty, I would spend it being less hard on myself. I think, for a lot of us, we push ourselves so hard because we are trying to achieve some sense of greatness or to fill some kind of void. We invest so much time in our accolades, and we pile these achievements into our self worth like some kind of self important shrine. I push myself so hard with everything I do, and it leads me to being overly critical of myself. Im thankful no one else can hear how I talk to myself in my head, it’s really not pretty. Worst of all It’s not an easy switch to turn off. It’s something I have been working on for a long time, and every little step matters. Hopefully it doesn’t take facing my own mortality to achieve that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kingbunnyatx/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/p/King-Bunny-100089082803097/
Image Credits
Kia Aird, Prime Contrast Media, King Bunny
