We were lucky to catch up with Tristan Frazier recently and have shared our conversation below.
Tristan, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Tristan here! I play drums, sing and write a lot of Bedford’s lyrics and songs. First off, I absolutely love this question. Secondly, while I know both Sam and Colin have faced a lot of adversity, grief and trauma as well, I will be answering this question from my own personal perspective. As me and my father like to put it and often discuss, it’s a tenacious heart, a survivor’s soul, or put simply… grit. Grit is where I get my resilience from, where I hang my head at night, and what has gotten me throw an abusive mother, traumatic childhood, and the current uphill battle independent artist like Bedford face today. I would never describe myself as a victim because I believe that life has a funny way of balancing itself out, but certainly the relationship with my mother, or lack thereof, has been a beautiful curse. It is as if my artistry and mental health struggles are one and the same, which has forced me to look at the ups and downs of this creative venture only as a gift, for better or for worse. From a young age it’s been create or combust for me and every member of Bedford. This band has always been my outlet… my creative space, my savior in a lot of ways. We keep the dream alive because we know we mean what we create.
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?
We once had a potential manager describe Bedford as “The band with no shtick.” We’ve always said our authenticity will be the factor that breaks us, or the thing that holds us back forever. We couldn’t be more okay with that description. Although our sound has leaned more towards rock and alternative arrangements, we certainly view our aesthetic and presence similar to that of a punk band. Bedford can only be itself. There is nothing contrived or phoned in about our show, our stage presence, our songwriting or our attitude towards such things. Bedford is a group of childhood friends creating music they believe in, that they feel in their heart when they sing the words. We hope that our upcoming album portrays what we feel is apparent in our live performance and brand.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Boiling it down to only three points will be difficult but I’ll do my best! The first one is fairly obvious to my brain.. tenacity. You have to be willing to try, to hurt, to be scared, to be unsure and to put yourself out there! Which leads to the second point, balancing the first; perspective. Forgetting why you fell in love with music is just as dangerous as giving up the dream or becoming jaded to the magic we get to create. And finally to tie the two together is authenticity. Living in accordance to your style, your brand, your song that you know you can sing honestly and with a sense of realness is probably the biggest of all of them. We can’t phone art in. The audience is not dumb and neither are you.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
As someone who struggles with anxiety, depression, existential dread and a general sense of being overwhelmed almost all the time, I can say with full confidence the only hope is community. Friends, parents, coworkers, loved ones, band mates, strangers it doesn’t matter… suffering alone only begets more suffering. It is through sharing in our grief, our struggle, our pain that we foster healing and growth… not only in ourselves but in others. It is as if we are all mirrors of each other’s sorrow, and the communication that comes with community is the only thing strong enough to change the narrative, to change the perspective, to heal a broken heart. Music, to me, is the greatest communicator of all… a universal language! As just another lost soul looking for a home, I found music at a young age to be the place where I felt safe, seen and understood. When I’m overwhelmed..: I write a song
Contact Info:
- Website: https://bedford.komi.io/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bedford.band/
- Youtube: https://m.facebook.com/Bedfordbandofficial/
Image Credits
Luke Francis
Lifcreative.com
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