We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandon White and Meredith Meyer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandon & Meredith below.
Brandon & Meredith, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?
Brandon: I think making a living from music or any creative field comes down to expanding the horizons of what it is that you do. I’m a songwriter and performer, but a big part of an artist’s life is doing new things that need to be done. So I also became a film editor, an actor, a writer, and at least a dozen other things. In time, one discipline informs the other, and contributes to a more holistic path as a full-time creative artist in a music business that tends to turn on a dime. Gaining a love of learning is an upside to this changing landscape, and I look forward to any new hats I may have to wear along the way to making the art I want to create.
Meredith: I’ve lived most of my adult live in two cities that are brimming with creative opportunities, and just being in a certain location has certainly helped me on my path. Los Angeles and New York City are both magnets for not only artists, but for companies that are in the business of creating. Because of this, I’ve been able to work on both sides. While creating my own music, I’ve also been a voice teacher, a bartender, a music librarian, an assistant to a film score composer, and worked in music distribution and licensing. Fortunately these types of jobs are usually understanding about time off for recording sessions, travel, performances, etc. I’m very grateful to have not only widened my knowledge about the business side of my industry, but widened my community as well.
Brandon & Meredith, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Brandon: I grew up in Louisiana and Alabama. My grandfather was a amateur bluegrass musician, and through him I got to learn all sorts of instruments and the bedrock of music composition. I’ve been putting out albums since I was a teenager under different projects including Cuss Words, Wilderness Pangs, Moons in June, and our current band Easy Dreams. I was an in-staff music composer / sound designer for a television and radio company in Baton Rouge, LA. I engineer and produce other people’s records, score films, and also write screenplays and fiction. Lately I’m doing more guitar session work here in LA as well as composing for film and various video projects.
Meredith: I got serious about songwriting when I moved to LA at 22. I played in some local bands back then and eventually focused on a solo project under my own name. I then moved to New York and started a band called Young Unknowns, and with that project I played shows locally in NY, and did some touring in the US and Europe. Around this time I started learning to record my own music, and got into doing more electronic and ambient vocal styles. I’ve collaborated with DJ’s who make their own music as well, and when I met Brandon in New York we started Easy Dreams. After moving back to LA, we’ve started writing more music for film and media. We also write bespoke songs for people’s projects.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
Brandon: Buy merch from your favorite artists! Directly, if possible. Streaming music has unfortunately decimated a great deal of royalties from recorded music, but also is a great way to expose yourself to all kinds of new artists. By supporting musicians directly, you’re giving them a way to make a living and make more music. There should also be a public push for more support and stronger union organization for independent musicians. The majority of artists do not have any funding from labels and rely on their fanbase to keep the lights turned on. We also need to push for dismantling the monopolies that dominate concert ticketing and radio.
Meredith: Chances are, there is a musician in your life! One of the best things that you can do is share their music with other people you know. Word of mouth is the most powerful thing in music. Whether you play your friend’s music at a party at your house, or are in a career position to share it on a larger scale, the next time you reach for a playlist, consider adding someone you know to it. Make it a topic of conversation, and it will be more help to them than you even realize. Every new set of ears could mean a new fan, new T-shirt sale, or a sold ticket to their next show. Don’t underestimate your ability to support your local music scene in your every day life.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding thing about being an artist is definitely all the friends you make along the way. When people come up to you and tell you that something you made has affected them, or has gotten them through a tough moment in their life, it makes it all worth it. Music connects people, and we need that kind of connection in our world. Whether you’re playing in someone’s living room, or playing the best show of your life, you’re going to meet people who you might otherwise never cross paths with. Music is a language that everyone, everywhere speaks.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/easydreams
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/easydreamsmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/easydreamsmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@easydreamsmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0dVEQHc7xd39zdynO3JLz7?si=VK4VT1T_TNq9Dw2K1NiOJw https://music.apple.com/us/artist/easy-dreams/1679021518
Image Credits
Meredith Meyer Adam Lasus Mike Wilson