We recently connected with Alrick Bills and have shared our conversation below.

Alrick, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Absolutely sooner! I developed an interest in music at an early age by listening to the radio and vinyl records, watching music programs on TV and learning percussion, and performing in the public school system. For eight years, I was deeply involved in every aspect of music education, beginning with concert band, choir, and orchestra. Then it was marching band, jazz band, drumline, parades, musicals, festivals, competitions, etc. Those were formative years where I learned how to read music and perform in front of an audience and the fundamentals of communication, teamwork, and finding common ground with unique personalities.

After high school, I moved out of state and began working during my college years. At this point, I had no time for music as I focused on starting my career while continuing my education. Once I graduated from college, I moved back to California and kept my focus on moving up the retail career ladder one rung at a time. I landed an opportunity in the musical instrument industry, which allowed me to reconnect with my passion. It brought me so much joy and satisfaction to help others on their musical journey, but I felt like I had been away from it for too long (5+ years), so I never entertained the idea of joining a band.

Years later, I worked in a corporate environment where employees would organize to perform at a quarterly company jam night. Quickly I felt the magnetic forces of music pull me back into the world of live performance. Eventually, my energy on stage got the attention of other musicians looking for a drummer, first in a cover band and now playing originals in TruckerBomb!

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?

I was born and raised in California by parents who were not deeply connected to music. At an early age (3 or 4), I was playing at a friend’s house, and he had a toy drum set with pictures of Animal from The Muppets all over it. This purely coincidental moment was mesmerizing for reasons I couldn’t understand at that age. Fast forward to age 10 and music education begins in grade school where I start learning percussion. After years of performing music in the public school system, I certainly laid the foundation.

My father was not a musician but had a long and successful career in retail, and I followed in his footsteps, eventually landing me in the musical instrument industry. Beginning in sales, I worked my way up the management ladder at the store level, then in the field, before landing in the corporate world. It was an exciting time filled with opportunities to learn, grow, develop, and branch out. The people I met along the way helped shape me into the leader I am today. It has always been important to pass on what I’ve learned to others. Over the years I’ve worked on countless projects with internal and external partners to launch new products, roll out new retail displays, remodel and open new stores and grow sales throughout the process. Through all these efforts, I am proud of the people I have helped develop. It is incredibly humbling when they tell me their stories and share how my support and guidance helped them achieve greater things.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

An artist’s craft is a conduit for self-expression. A poet uses a pen, a painter uses a brush, and as musicians we use our instruments to connect and inspire. It takes years for artists to develop their skills and that journey never really ends. Personally, the most rewarding aspect of being a musician is when people come up to me after a performance and share their joy. It may have been a particular song, the sudden desire to dance, or a wonderful memory triggered by the music. Regardless of what it was, I enjoyed that my performance moved them in some way that allowed us to connect and share.

There are musicians I have admired for years that inspire me not only to perform but to do it in a way that shows people another side of me. A side that they never knew existed and never expected to see, given my everyday personality. Playing drums allows me to connect with a version of myself that has always been there, but people never see … my inner “Animal”!

 Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes. Investing more time into my passions. For many years in my career, I focused on helping other people make music. It was a very satisfying pursuit at the time, and I would go out to see these people I had connected with perform live. Watching them thrive as artists on stage gave me a sense of pride, despite only playing a minor role by helping them get the gear they needed for their art.

I’ve never been one for the spotlight and being a part of the background was satisfying enough in the early days. As time passed, I would go to shows and feel the urge to play again and perform. When I did, the memories of playing and performing in my youth raced through my mind and made me wonder why I stopped in the first place. From that point, the mission driving me became laser-focused on dedicating myself and my time to playing drums and making music.

When you’re young, you think of time as an infinite resource. As you age, you understand the reality of time and the importance of pursuing your passions. This paradigm shift has helped me realize how much better life can be, how many more people you can connect with, and how much more joy comes from it all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://truckerbomb.com/
• Instagram: http://instagram.com/truckerbombband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/truckerbombband/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alrickbills/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@truckerbomb/about
• Other: Photo credits: Pierre Robert, Ursula Lari

Image Credits
Ursula Lari (Personal photo) Pierre Robert