Today we’d like to introduce you to Gene Williams

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?

I am an artist, producer, engineer and entrepreneur. As a music artist, I’ve released twelve solo albums, numerous compilation contributions, and I’ve released a number of collaborative singles, EPs and albums with artists like Glenda Benevides, Aztech from Hybrid Thoughts, Cloak X Dagger, Judge the Disciple, Coph Nia, Olik Nesnah, Canibus, Steve Smith of Dirty Vegas, Manolo, Jan Johnston, Pat Hodges and many many more. As a mastering engineer I’ve worked on tracks from artists as divergent as Iron Butterfly to Just Like You Imagined.

I was raised on a farm in a remote area of the Ozark region in Missouri. In my late teens, I left my homeland and lived in a variety of places both in the United States and abroad, doing a variety of things, including graphic art, construction work, bull-riding, archaeology, spelunking, and more. Around 1980 I began to experiment in music, playing in a few small bands, but eventually becoming enthralled with multitrack tape and field recordings. Over the next decade I gathered sounds from various caves, wells, cisterns, archaeological sites, and more, as well as continuing to hone my musical abilities with several instruments. Not saying I mastered any of these instruments, but I certainly improved over time. During the bulk of this era I was largely a solitary experimentalist and I had no public releases.

In the early 1990s, I relocated to the Boston area. After leaving college I started a commercial music studio, started my own record label, Dark Seeds, and began releasing my material and that of other similar minded artists.

Between 2000 and 2008, I continued to perform and compose, while operating my recording/sound design/mastering studio in Boston, MA. During this period, I engineered and produced a variety of artists and projects ranging from EDM, hip hop, rock, and jazz groups to video games and film. In 2006-2007  I produced and co-composed (with Steve Smith of Dirty Vegas) the theme for the “Standoff (TV series)” and scored the cult film “The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down” by Paul Sapiano. The “Standoff” theme song was nominated for an Emmy for Best Theme Song in 2007.

During those years my music and sounds found their way onto documentaries like “America’s Most Haunted Town,” various video games, and a wide variety of other artist releases. During this time I also did a ton of dance music, remixes and performed at events across New England, the UK and Europe.

Between 2008-2011 my music life was on a bit of a hiatus while I explored other interests and recovered from some major surgeries. In late 2011, I once again began performing live and releasing sounds and music again.

From 2012 through 2019 I also worked in the tech field, eventually taking a position as COO for an IS company. After seven years in the corporate environment I decided it was time to move on. I packed up and moved from the East Coast to the West Coast, eventually landing in the San Francisco Bay Area where I currently reside.

Since moving to the Bay Area I’ve operated a mastering studio, co-founded the Spiritualist Cabaret, a live performance, magic, music, storytelling ensemble, co-founded Bloodmoon Hollow, a social purpose corporation that creates and publishes audio dramas, live performances, tastings, podcasts and more, and I’m running operations for an Audiobook Production company.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Any path in life is gonna run into obstacles and challenges. Mine has been no different. While there are many things I might highlight here, I will keep this to a simple but powerful quote.

Whatever obstacles and challenges have come my way, this quote from the late, Bruce Lee, has guided me through the majority of twists and turns. The quote is:

“Research your own experience. Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is essentially your own.”

This is practical information that can help you to tackle any problem, help you grow and change with grace, and it allows for each of us to contribute to, not just our own well-being and betterment, but also, the collective betterment of humanity as a whole.

We’ve been impressed with BloodMoon Hollow, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?

My latest endeavor is a social purpose corporation called, BloodMoon Hollow. I co-founded this company with Glenda Benevides, an amazing storyteller, music artist, songwriter and activist, and Chris Herren, magician extraordinaire and amazing storyteller as well.

We founded this company to bring people together and foster deeper human connection through live performance, audio dramas, podcasts, art, music and more.

Our aesthetic leans toward the darker side exploring the weird, the strange, the peculiar and the curious. If you’re a fan of creepy horror stories, science fiction, immersive storytelling, live interactive events and dark music and other art, BloodMoon Hollow will have something you’ll enjoy and want to share with family and friends.

We are actively seeking collaborators and contributors, so if this sounds interesting to you, reach out and say hello, we’d love to know more.

Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?

Showing up is the best way to network. Find events that you love, whether in-person or online and join a community or three. Networking needn’t have an agenda, some of my most powerful networking has come through tangential sources. And really, if you’re talking, emailing, texting, etc. with someone, you are networking. It needn’t be a formal exercise.

Mentors can be found by casting a net in the areas you’re interested in getting mentored in. If you’re interested in a music mentor for instance, go to music events, hang out where musicians gather, shows, studios, online groups like twitch and Discord. If you’re seeking a life coach, explore wellness events, maybe check out some webinars or even read some books and maybe hunt down an author you admire. You might be surprised where a great mentor will turn up.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://mindspawn.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bloodmoonhollow/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gene-williams-a10388199/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Mindspawn
• Other: https://bsky.app/profile/mindspawn.bsky.social

Image Credits

Michael Van Auken