This week we have Brian Walker, a touring musician (A Day Without Love), documentarian (Safe X Sound), and podcaster (Dreams Not Memes). In our conversation we talked about tips and tricks for touring musicians, the evolution of DIY culture over time, and connecting communities across the country. Brian defines art as an expressive, meaningful and (usually) consumable extension of human experience. This was a great, insightful conversation - I hope you get as much out of it as I did!
Music has a wide range of scenes, and this doesn’t simply just a piece of music that plays on your cellphone. Brian Walker is one of the legends in the Philadelphia music scene. He has been a performer on “A Day Without Love” for over nine years and has been on tour for five years. He also established his podcast named “Podcast Dreams, not Memes.” He has also worked on a documentary called Safe x Sound. Today, Brian shares details from his music career and his tips when going on a tour.
All About Safe x Sound
[0:57]
Safe and Sound was supposed to play on Center City at the American Vocal Academy. However, this was postponed due to the COVID-19 situation. They’re now pitching it in on various festivals, and they are also planning on online screening and tv viewing.
[01:28]
In 2019, Brian was touring in the US when he thought about filming a documentary about culture and music and why it happens, how it occurs, how people connect. He interviewed some people and his wife as the director and camera person.
Brian’s Tour in the United States
[02:56]
Brian has currently played into 24 states, and by the end of July, it should reach up to 47.
[03:51]
Brian’s goal is to play music and map where his music was heard worldwide.
[04:08]
One of Brian’s favorite small towns is in Greenville, South Carolina. The reason was discussed in his documentary. Memphis and Chicago are tied in his favorites when it comes to cities.
Brian’s Podcast – Podcast Dreams Not Dreams
[05:13]
The podcast was made with a similar strategy. He used touring, but it was a different motivation. Its motivation is to create an audio library filled with different stories of people in their careers.
[06:39]
Brian is currently at a point wherein people’s publicists find him instead of him finding them. They were able to contact him through his website. Aside from that, some of the guests are also from referrals of the people.
Six Degrees of Separation Rule
[08:08]
Brian has always seen the six-degree separation rule. Just like in his life, he was able to experience it himself with various people he met throughout his life.
Brian’s Definition of Art
[9:37]
Brian has defined art as an extension or abstract idea of human experience. Because in art, you are showing raw emotions, and they are an extension of creating a reality. For a human experience to be art, it needs to have a meaning or get people to react to it in some way.
Relationship between Intent and Response
[11:02]
Brian believes that there’s a gap between the intent of the artist and the response it receives. Sometimes people perceive the music differently from what the artist originally wants to portray.
Artistic Trends in a Community
[15:57]
While he was touring, Brian noticed different music being played in various cities. For example, in Chicago, they sing about pizza, toxic masculinity, or and being gay. This is because Chicago is a queer-friendly city. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, they are more likelty to be singing about racial activism and inequality.
[17:37]
As Brian was born and raised in Philadelphia, he had noticed various changes when he was growing up. When he was 16, funk bands and hip-hop rock bands were cool. During college, they were cover bands, and bands were playing 90s songs a lot more.
[19:25]
Nowadays, people play music depending on what they want and how they want it. Brian thinks that this is a step in the right direction and a step towards creating a world where people can do what they want to do and be seen. Brian believes that this resulted from various social movements during the past years.
Brian on Collabs
[24:25]
The full-length album was Brian’s most collaborative project he had done. He believes that he could grow as a person and learn new skills due to these collaborations.
Tips on Touring
[25:42]
In touring, make your email brief. Create merch that you think people would patronize. You must do market testing and evaluate your goals. Moreover, write for projects and expression.
To learn more about Brian Walker, visit his website:https://www.adaywithoutlove.com/
You can also follow Brian on his socials: