Meet William Bartumioli

We were lucky to catch up with William Bartumioli recently and have shared our conversation below.

William, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

In terms of keeping my creativity alive the K.I.S.S. method is something I like to use, and I ain’t talking Gene Simmons in makeup! “Keep It Simple Stupid” has always resonated with me whenever I’m indulging in any sort of creative process. From writing music, creating promo artwork, writing stories all those things I like to keep it as simple as possible. Especially from the music standpoint sometimes you find yourself trying to write a “hit” or something that’s gonna resonate with the masses, but if it doesn’t resonate with you things can get over-complicated. There’s a few things I do to help maintain creativity. One is to always look back at those before you. In terms of music I’d say 90% of the music we’ve heard in history are using the same 12 notes that I have access to today, the other 10% is reserved for cultures that have evolved to using microtonal scales which opens up a whole new realm. You start to notice the patterns or formulas in which these notes get put together and some patterns resonate more with you than others. It’s totally up to the individual how far they want to dive into these potential combinations. There are artists who’ve made a living on three chord tunes, and others will write music that never uses the same chord twice throughout the whole composition. Both are equally creative in my mind as long it feels genuine. Once you try to force something that isn’t necessarily coming from within it shows. Another method to keeping creativity alive is to think like a child. Ever notice when you see someone who’s just starting to play an instrument sometimes they play something that you never would’ve played in a million years but for some reason it hit you in that moment. You have to become the most absorbent sponge and don’t dismiss anything completely until you’ve tried it. You have to fight the ordinary, and dare to be extraordinary! These are some methods that help me keep creativity alive.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

At thirteen years old as my baseball career was coming to an abrupt end I found myself watching a DVD of the North Mississippi Allstars playing a show before school one day. This led to me picking up a guitar and a lifelong journey that has brought me across the country meeting like-minded individuals and some awesome people along the way. I’m one of the few who has met his role models and they were every bit as cool as I thought they were gonna be. I’m talking about Luther & Cody Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars. From a chubby thirteen year old watching them tear it up on that DVD, to a grown up chubby 30 year old man I’ve been fortunate to have these guys as mentors to help maneuver in the music business today.

When you’re younger in this biz you have aspirations to “make it big” but you come to realize that “making it big” could be as simple as playing music night in and night out for folks who need a temporary reprieve from their daily lives. As someone who frequents shows I know the feeling of what a great live show can do for your mental health. I firmly believe that’s a big part of any success I’ve had thus far. It would be similar to a plumber who’s never used a bathroom before, how could they really know what you’re looking for? Same thing with music, if you’ve never been to some shows where you catch that intangible magic, how do you know what feeling you’re trying to evoke in the crowd?

My band Johnny In The Basement (JITB) is a project I’ve created where the idea is to come together with some of these like-minded individuals and try to spontaneously compose some of that live magic I referred to earlier. There’s a difference between a show that’s been rehearsed ad nauseam and a show where there’s room for interpretation. I like for JITB to fall right in the sweet spot in between with some moments more locked in and other moments reserved for improv. The biggest thing with playing music with people is LISTENING. If you listen to what’s going on around you, theres a good chance you’ll react in a better way that doesn’t just serve your own needs. You have to be a servant of the sound. Ask can you do for the music, not what the music can do for you. These are wise words I received from Johnny Vidacovich, an absolute legendary New Orleans drummer who’s outlook on music is a goldmine of how to conduct yourself as a musician.

Music is such an incredible, unforgiving yet rewarding endeavor. These past two years or so I’ve been working on the new “JITB III” EP which features five original tunes that myself, Tyler Goldstein, and Jordan Godfrey helped bring to life at the Zebra Ranch Studios in Mississippi, thanks to the Dickinson family for allowing us to record in this sacred space. It was an honor to have both Cody and Luther Dickinson hop on some tracks off this EP, truly a full circle moment for myself going from admiring these guys on a DVD to making music with them on occasion. I’m also lucky to be able to get plenty of other talented friends to play some parts on this record. A rewarding feeling like no other to see these seeds blossom into a beautiful flower.

I’m excited to see these songs make their way into the world and can only hope it resonates with people. The full EP will be released on June 17th and we will be releasing several singles off the EP as we approach the release. I’ve also put together “The Basement” mailing list which serves an all access to pass to all things JITB. Come see us at a show, listen to our music, it’ll be the best mistake you make today!

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?

Persistence – You have to make progress everyday, some days may not be as fruitful as others but you have to stay on track and continue to push the rock up the hill. One of the best sport coaches of all time, John Wooden, has an excellent quote, “Don’t mistake activity for achievement.”. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re making progress by doin the least, always try to over-achieve and make the most of what you got cause time waits for nobody!

Personality – One thing I’ve learned playing on the road with a group of cats is that you have to personable and be like water in any social situation. Most of the time will be spent driving, loading-in loading-out, and waiting. You have to be read other people’s moods and act accordingly. The “hang” is arguably just as important as the music.

Learn the biz! – A lot of musicians will say they just want to play music and not be bothered with all the other things that come with trying to make it in this biz. That’s a pipe dream. Everyone has to help carry the load to lift up the whole project. The more you can get done “in-house” and the less you have to outsource will be financially beneficial and fulfilling in it’s own rite. I un-intentionally became a graphic designer as a product of doing all the promo/social media for my endeavors. This is a skill i’m proud of and has become another source of income for myself. Expand your creative horizons to beyond music, it’ll help making music that much more sacred for you.

All the wisdom you’ve shared today is sincerely appreciated. Before we go, can you tell us about the main challenge you are currently facing?

For me personally the biggest obstacle I currently face is the streaming algorithm, and the Meta/Google Pixels campaign. It’s a daunting task and I as i mentioned before you can’t be afraid to ask for help. That’s what I’ve resorted to recently and I’m hoping it’ll pay dividends on the back half of it. I do realize that data is the new gold. If you can find yourself in favor of the data it opens up so many new avenues to get your music to the masses. So i’d say at this moment in time that’s my biggest focus especially with the new EP on the way out. I want to make sure all the work we put into making the record is matched when getting the record out to the masses.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

All images taken by Rich Bartumioli except for one with Luther & Cody Dickinson was shot by JTP Photography

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