We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zak Saltz. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zak below.

Hi Zak, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

First off, let me start by saying that I am a recovering Opiod addict. I’ve been clean for almost four years now, but that will always unfortunately be part of my life. Because of my past, the most meaningful projects I have worked on all involve giving back to a community that gave so much to me when I was at rock bottom. Most recently the Zak Saltz Band organized a free benefit concert called “Rythym & Racing” timed and themed around the annual NASCAR race here in Bristol, TN. We performed along with two other regional bands to raise money for Speedway Children’s Charities, which is a really great non-profit that helps countless children and families who have been torn apart by aditiction. But probably the most meaningful project I’ve been involved with is a song that I wrote and recorded called “Tired of Waiting.” I’ve had the privilege of playing the song many times to people who either have lived through or know someone who has lived through addiction. I wrote the song one night after leaving an NA meeting. On my way out of the meeting I saw a girl sitting alone crying, so I sent over and asked what was wrong. She looked at me and simply said “I’m tired of waiting for my life to change.” So Tired of Waiting has become a sort of anthem, not only for folks who have fought or are fighting their way out of addiction, but also bad relationships, bad jobs, etc., meant to inspire folks to take that first action, make that first move, to take control of their own life.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Zak Saltz. I am one of the founders and the lead singer/rythym guitar player for the Zak Saltz Band. We are basically a Outlaw/Alt Country, Souther Rock & Blues Band from Bristol TN/VA. I was raised in the hills of Southwest Virginia, the son of a Pentecostal Holiness Preacher who, along with my mother and two sisters, all played music from the time I can first remember. My roots are in Bluegrass/Gospel, but I love and play all kinds of music. I formed my first band in high school and played music all through college and kept playing when I started my own contracting business after that. However, I was primarily focused on working and providing for my wife and son, so music had to come second.
From my high school days all the way to that time, I had dabbled with different drugs, but on Memorial Day 2006, I was injured in a horseback riding accident and broke my back, which eventually led to opioid addiction. This sickness spiraled out of control and I found myself losing everything and ending up behind bars with divorce papers and nothing left, but my music. It was the darkest time of my life, but that music helped me survive.
When I was able to rejoin society, I decided that I would pursue my passion for music as my primary career, which has been a challenge, to say the least. But thankfully, with help from above and my friends and family, I have been able to stay clean and have made huge strides forward down my music path, so that I finally feel like I will be able to show my son that I am more than just a drug addict.
I met Johnny Cox, the lead guitarist in the Zak Saltz band not long after I came home from jail and we just immediately hit it off personally and musically in a way I had not yet done with anyone to that point. Not long after that Johnny and I met our drummer, Waylon Lewis, and the core of our band was in place. Together we simply love to play good music and tell stories relatable to what regular folks might be going through in order to be an encouragement along the road.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

The toughest thing I’ve ever had to deal with in life was overcoming addiction and starting over after being incarcerated for a year. Prior to leaving for jail, I had everything. I was married with a yound son. I owned my own contracting business. I owned a home and cars. I was playing music on the side. when I could. But once my life was taken over by addiction and I ended up in jail, I lost it all. My home. My business. My family. My Friends. Everything. Gone. So, when I left jail after being locked up for a year, I was not only facing a new life without drugs, I was facing a new life without really anything. Before that time, I had never been one to take help from anyone. I had always been way to prideful. But when you are at rock bottom things become different. Thankfully, there were a handful of people who were there for me and helped me begin to put my life back together by giving me a job, helping me manage what little money I could gather, and, most importantly, holding me accountable to my sobriety.
Again, the entire experience was the hardest thing I”ve ever had to live through, but, eventually, little by little, the pieces begin to fall into place as I kept just sticking to the plan to do right. While I’ve still got a long way to go, I know that resiliency is the only thing that will get me through another day.

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

I think it would help allot if society just came to understand that, while artists, musicians, etc., do what they do becuase they love it, that doesn’t meant that it isn’t a serious “occupation” for them as well. I think many creative professionals are dismissed as just being “not serious” or “immature” because they don’t go out and get a “real” job. To me, that’s a terribly disrespectful way of thinking. Even though I do have a full time job that I work in addition to playing music, I know that many artists and musicians depend on their art to support themselves and when that is the case they should be celebrated, not frowned at. I think everyone’s dream in life is to make a living doing something they love, so why hate on that? Instead, I think we as a society should do whatever we can to make it easier on folks to do just that.

Contact Info:

• Website: zaksaltzband.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zaksaltzband/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZakSaltz
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN7eFB1BURUrFach-yCBb-A
• Other: AppleMusic https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zak-saltz-band/1640569055 Spotify https://open.spotify.com/artist/0Q5G0lGRXoWHogXnkhwnRK TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/404?fromUrl=/zaksaltzband

Image Credits
Brina Duckett