We were lucky to catch up with David Zilmer recently and have shared our conversation below.

David, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

It must have been 2018 heading over into 19,I was working two jobs at the time starting my days at 4:30am and ending around 10-11:30 pm rushing back and forth between both,realizing I wasn’t going to be able to do this for the rest of my life,let alone another week.I ended up quitting one of those jobs as a food runner at the time and kept one,as I saved away money for a trip that I was planning to Europe.Wile also juggling my own personal music trying to record and get shows squared away,without any help it was too much,I finally sat down and meditated as I did daily and when I arose from the trance I booked my ticket and told my job I was going with or without a guarantee my position would be there when I got back.I left for 3-4 weeks and came back to my position being filled and realizing I had less than 2 months of bills saved up,I again sat in meditation and asked what can I do to maintain this new freedom I feel now and this passion that I have for music.The idea hit me like a lightning bolt,to teach music lessons,easier said then done as I had no mentor or connection to schools just my own skills that I have gathered over the years of singing and playing/producing music.through many Craigslist adds and referrals from other musicians as well as students I was able to build up a clientele to pay my rent and my grocery’s.luckily the artist house that I used to live in had a dance room that I taught the lessons in and I would take the metro mover to my students house.I did this for the first 2-3 years and I still continued to teach virtual as well as in person lessons throughout the pandemic.I also would take studio session work on the side playing guitar,piano,and even singing to fund my dream of recording and playing my music around the world.2023 and I am still on this journey trying to figure it out what it means to be a “business owner” and work for myself but I wouldn’t have it any other way and through the trials and errors I’m much happier then when I was giving up 8 hours of my day to a corporation that honestly didn’t care about me or my well being.

David, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I have been creating music since I was 12 years old,I learned guitar from trying to play my favorite songs on the radio as well as playing with other musicians.I began forming groups to jam with by the time I was 13-14 playing all styles of music from heavy metal/soul/blues/jazz to kickin raps in cyphers,my love for music took me on a journey to different states as well as country’s like,the United Kingdom,Netherlands and Belgium,as well as newyork,New Orleans,San Francisco and many other places.I started of as a solo artist writing and performing original music all around miami florida,from open mics to showcases,to talent shows.I describe my genre of music as “freedom music” as it best helps me blend my way of life as well as my ideals on my creations,it’s a mix of all genres,you can hear many different influences from previous generations to todays top artist.I am also the front man for a band called “Tewahedo” which means unity in the Ethiopia language of geez,we play all original music that I have written and composed through the years of my solo work/side projects.some recent accomplishments that we have achieved include,playing give miami day which is the largest non profit fundraiser in Miami we helped raised 35 million dollars,as well as breaking sound showcase and so far sounds which provides opportunities for artist all across the world to display there talents,also playing for street stages miami which is a concert in the middle of downtown Miami.I am currently working on an album with the band,which we just dropped the first single “stay”,as well as working on a solo project,that I have just released a single off of called “Daily Ritual”. Besides all of that I teach almost everything to do with music from instruments to theory,guitar/piano/bass/vocals/artist development etc. I believe what sets me apart from other schools is that I am a one man show,from the time you inquire about a lesson to the day of I’ve built an intimate connection with my client,asking what are there needs and seeing how my service can coincide,I teach all ages and all skill levels,but my personal favorite is artist development.I love to help people grow into there craft as well as help them sharpen there sword and how they display themselves on record or on stage.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

The best source has always been word of mouth but there are plenty of websites that I have been able to apply for to advertise my services for teaching,if you do a great job your work will always be noticed,similar to when I play live with my band Tewahedo. one gig always leads to the next and that’s what keeps us hungry for all types of opportunities because you never know where the next client or show will come from.remain humble and do good work and the rest will follow.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Consistency is key and it’s better to have a small following of loyal dedicated people then thousands of followers who don’t interact.In my case with music lessons as well as promoting my music,social media shows the intimate side of the process that most people don’t get to see it makes me more human more personable to people who just see a phone number or an email and are hesitant to contact.Also it gives you a sample of what you can hope to expect ,it takes the guessing work out of it knowing this is what you’ll get and already knowing if I can satisfy the needs that you have,post by post you’ll see who is rocking with you,but don’t do it for them,I look at social media as a scrapbook,it’s just highlighting your accomplishments and a cool thing to look back on and say wow I did that.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/kill_the_phonies
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kill_the_phonies/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCj0-Gj9Iw_JyLHVbtkkgGyA?sub_confirmation=1
• Other: Tewahedo : https://instagram.com/tewahedoband?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= For bookings and inquiry send me a DM on Instagram or an email: [email protected] For music lessons refer to my email or instagram