We were lucky to catch up with Edson Choi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Edson, thanks for joining us today. Can you recount a story of an unexpected problem you’ve faced along the way?

Industry changes. In my opinion, there’s few industries more volatile than the music biz.
It’s always been a strange and shady industry, but once streaming took over both the big labels and small artists have shifted strategies many times.

And then COVID hit and sent the shifting models in the industry to even more unexplored territory. Putting an even bigger emphasis on social media presence and following.

These big shifts have made the big music companies and their corporate overlords very nervous about where they are making and spending money. Taking risks and investing in new artists has become too risky, and that “safe” mentality has rippled and spread to every facet of the music world, from Taylor Swift to your friend who has been making a living playing jazz gigs at the local spot.

All this to say–this is probably THE industry for unexpected problems and issues, lol. if you’re in music at this point–it’s because you simply love it and can’t live without making it. This is where we are as well as the many artists who have been braving hard times in a hard industry. Still being around is a feat in itself.

Edson, 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?

There were many times we could (or maybe should have) folded as a band. But we stuck through hard times, worked on our issues, and came out stronger. Honestly just the fact that we’re still around and stronger than ever is something we’re really proud of, and feel privileged as well.

The new music we’re writing feels so earned, authentic, and with help from producer Chris Sorem is sounding like the best songs we’ve ever done.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

COVID really devastated the LA music and arts community.
Gigs stopped, beloved venues started to shut down, great artists and promoters had to move away or shift their entire philosophy to make sure they stayed afloat in this expensive city.

We were in the middle of recording our 2nd EP when the pandemic hit, and after months and months of uncertainty and quarantining, my bandmate Mike Nissen and I were going crazy. We hadn’t seen each other face to face, let alone play music. We were itching to release all the pent up quarantined feelings into great music.

We asked our producer Matt Bishop (The Killers, Silversun Pickups) if we could record at his home studio, and thank goodness he was up for it. For 3 months we’d drive over his place to play music and just hang. It was a great oasis during the confusing and stressful 2020-2021 prime COVID era. I mean, it super felt nice to hang out with friends face to face during that period.

Though I suppose this story illustrates our luck rather than resilience, lol. But we and the community definitely went through rough times, and the whole music industry has only become more ruthless, and we’re still here. I think being truly thankful for lucky times has often kept me grounded and going through the rough patches.

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

Support your local musicians and small independently owned clubs. (Ticketmaster has enough business I think)

If you’re looking for a night out go see a show at the local music venue. It’s a gamble when it’s an unknown indie band, but you can often get a preview of the music on socials or the venue’s website.

If they’re a young band, I cheer because they’re going for it at a much harder time than when I was a youngin.
If they’re a local band that’s been around, chances are they’ve got something going for them to be still be at it. And the surrounding businesses (often also independent) also benefit.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://talktimeband.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talktimeband/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkTimeMusic
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/talktimeband

Image Credits

Lauren Jennings Piper