We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful The 401 Experiment. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with The 401 Experiment below.
The 401 Experiment, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
I keep my creativity alive the same way the earliest cave dwellers kept their fire alive, by stoking it regularly, Keeping at least an ember of it alive at all times. Monitoring it, ensuring it never goes out. I’m busy with my square day job, my amazing family, and my friends. I need to eat an stuff. Early cave people had way more going on (saber toothed tigers and like, ticks or whatever) so it’s easier for me. I don’t release much music, but I play almost every day. I check up on my guitars and make sure my fingers are still burning. I keep a few ideas in my head at all times, that’s where most of my music exists. It’ll smolder up there until it’s ready and then in a flare I’ll sit down and record something quickly. All the parts are kind of already thought out, but there’s also always a great deal of “in the moment magic” that happens, mostly due to the fact that I’m not formally trained in anything. This is a question about creativity, so I’m trying to answer creatively.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I record music, usually by myself, usually in one sitting using first takes. I have three official releases, The Sad Apartment/Stadium Rock E.P., Compass E.P., and LEAVE. I have one ancient release called Burned in Our Brains that probably doesn’t exist anywhere anymore. I am part of the Rusted Bucket Media Collective and 3rd Chair Tapes. Shout out Sun Patches and Marti Moreno!
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Here’re the three things most impactful to my journey as a musician: 3. Outgoing. If I wasn’t outgoing or affable, I never would have kind of forced my way into a friendship with some musicians that were practicing a street over from me. We were school friends, but once I watched them play music together I really kind of forced them to put up with me because I was hooked. That started it all for me.
2. Team player. I record most of my stuff alone, but when I record with other people, and I’m thinking of my good friend Sun Patches here, we’re able to bounce ideas off of each other really well. Nothing I do is ever so precious to me that I won’t take a note or suggestion on it. My favorite stuff that I’ve ever recorded or played has been done alongside him.
1. Rhythm. It’s a weird one, but I have a certain kind of rhythm. I have ADHD and I’m always either drumming my fingers or bouncing my foot, or clicking my teeth together in weird little rhythms, and I’ve noticed my guitar playing mimicking those rhythms, especially when I’m using my delay pedal – bouncing the notes back and forth.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Sun Patches, my friend Paul. He’s always been supportive of my music. He taught me how to record, teaches me techniques, gives me notes. He’s always really stoked on stuff I send him. The stuff he sends me always gets my psyched on recording. He’s a machine, he’s always putting stuff out and he always makes sure I’m one of the first to hear it. I don’t record often, so he keeps my hyped on it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://3rdchairtapes.com/
- Twitter: @401_Experiment
