We recently connected with Gage Blevins and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Gage thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

For one, to be misunderstood means there must be a definition of a thing. I had quit music for about 6 years and was a strong advocate for blues music education programs and youth involvement but all I ever got was flack from the older gatekeepers swearing up and down that I was only truing to further my own position in the industry. I state that to state at that moment, I knew, I was going to make my music sound how I wanted and with little to know help from others on the recording process: I learn to play any instruments I want on my own tracks and time to time offer my services on Fiverr. As for the content of my music I have a spoken word or growl to my vocals and I am guitar lead heavy… think Warren Zevon meets Eric Clapton. Not the highest seller for shows these days and almost nobody hires you for original content. It is easy to be written off as a guy with a guitar when they don’t see the passion, talent, and hours in the lab with the craft… you just get labeled as a songwriter and somehow that definition is hollow.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

In short I go by 12Gage when it comes to music and coach/ sempai/ sensei in martial arts. Since I am still reeling from the magnificent Eric Claptons Crossroads Guitar Festival in L.A. I will focus on my creative journey. I write my own music and I record at home all the instruments by layering them one by one. The same way a painter builds a picture one part at a time. Also like a painter I see most of my music catalogue like this: It comes to mind, I write it down, I refine it, I play, record, mix it and release it. I release it from my mind unless a fan somehow knows the titles and requests a song. I usually let them lay.

I also enjoy playing live music and I achieve the result I speak of with a device called a loop pedal that listens, records, and plays back what I just played to it.

Here soon I will be submitting to turn up for recovery which is a great foundation for musicians to help the Crossroads Recovery Center in Antigua, an abstinence based recovery program.

This is my direction as a musician and I wish my talents to be used even if I don’t make a monetary profit off of it. That is who I am, how I am. I’ll gladly release music for free but at least cover the cost of hauling gear for a performance {laughs}. I did it for a living, now I live to do it. I have been very blessed and I still keep climbing up as I can.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Community. Whether it be me leading a community in martial arts of 500+ strong or jamming with a stranger at a festival and swapping cards it is community. You can have the greatest smile, look, sound, song or academy but without community you are nothing. Business thrives on community and community thrives on business; treat people like people and remember there are no second first impressions.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Man, hitting some darker waters with some of these {chuckles} I learned that people are not as good as their word, unless it is on paper with a notary. I got backstabbed by a few people on my third legendary rhythm and blues cruise. I was to be a jam host on the ship (something I was already making a living doing) but the musician I ventured with was jealous and robbed me of a few chances to play on stage with living legends… My host spot was handed over to a narcissist that treated the community portion, the jam, as a promotional tool for himself. From this I learned never believe until you see. There are great talking and people with great intentions but you cannot cross a bridge that has not been built

Contact Info:

• Facebook: Facebook.com/12gageblues
• Youtube: Youtube.com/thereal12gage
• Other: Tiktok- @thereal12gage