We recently connected with Garrett Kealer and have shared our conversation below.
Garrett, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
The worthwhile nature about anything is that we must continue to learn in whatever we’re doing. When I first began learning how to play and write music, I conducted myself as a lot of students do and metaphorically bashed my head against the wall over and over trying to find the answer; coming at every attempt full speed without analyzing HOW I was trying to accomplish my goal. With the help of some fantastic teachers and practicing discipline, I’ve learned the trick is simply to slow down, analyze, and experiment. After that, it’s about continuity and understanding that failure doesn’t feel great, but it’s an integral part of attaining success. Life will continue to throw obstacles our way, and many times we inadvertently create those obstacles through our decisions. When I’m feeling overburdened by these obstacles, I remind myself of a fantastic quote from a friend: “Success is a trickle.”
Garrett, 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 was incredibly fortunate to discover exactly what I wanted to do at a young age. Help from a fantastic support system as well as hard work and tenacity saw me through practice, lessons, school, and budding music projects. I got into music by playing with virtually all of those who were willing. Working with a plethora of other musicians, I began to learn what was and wasn’t for me. I settled into a band for awhile which I believed was going to be the apex of my career. Through this band, I further honed my performance and songwriting skills and had many great moments. However, people and things change, and we reluctantly came to an agreement that the band was not working out. After the dissolution of the project I found myself feeling a little lost. With a positive nudge from my fiancé, I began Stumble Steady and assumed creative control of my very own project, at the same time accepting a full time drumming position in established band, Rogue Theory. Stumble Steady is a cathartic project that allows me to express the thoughts behind the growing pains of navigating 21st century life and living with OCD. In this project, I’ve begun to learn leadership capabilities and what it takes to not only create but to run a full fledged business that will no doubt help me in other endeavors throughout life. Rogue Theory has taught me how to be a better team player, which admittedly, has never been a strong suit of mine.
There is certainly a level of pride in looking back at what I have accomplished and what is to come. As a child, I dreamed of being able to survive from playing music, performing for large crowds, writing music, etc. and now I feel like I’m at a point where this dream is becoming a consistent reality. I recently was able to check off the longtime goal of performing at Sunfest, I’ve released and am continuing to release music in multiple projects, I play consistently, and I’m surviving off of what I set out to do.
As much as Stumble Steady is a cathartic release for me, I want it to be the same for others. Although my lyrical content may not always be the most light-hearted, I want my music and shows to be fun. I want shows to be a memorable performance, not just a group of musicians regurgitating rehearsed songs the same way, night after night. Through the way we perform, compose ourselves, and interact, it’s always my goal to connect in some way or another.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
It’s not so much that I can share a single story, but more so the tenacity of pushing forward. Artists are met with rejection everyday. I’ve lived at every point on the musical spectrum: I’ve slept on harsh motel floors and strangers’ couches to grand rooms in the finest hotels. I’ve been booed offstage and had things thrown at me to packing clubs and having thousands of people dance and sing along to me playing. You’ll never be the right fit for every job every time, and that’s okay. I’m beginning to carve out a niche and the deeper I go, the more I’m encountering positive situations. We play music because we love it and it’s more of a need than a want. There’s so many instances where it’d be easier to just not do this anymore, to find something easier and cozier, and to ride that out. That’s not what I’m meant for. As long as I feel the call to write and play, I’m going to answer it.
Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?
The absolute power of social media. I grew up in the days of Myspace, and early Youtube and Facebook and while they definitely were resources, I did not utilize them at the time. In terms of marketing and connecting, everything I was taught essentially became a figment of the past and now I’m relearning how to promote oneself in the modern age. That being said, it is amazing how many free platforms one can use to get oneself out into the world and once I accepted the necessity to utilize these platforms to their fullest extent, it changed the game for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stumblesteady.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumblesteady/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stumblesteady
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/stumblesteady1
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-sEk4DGi0cB–WNo3oU_GQ
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@stumblesteady?lang=en https://www.stumblesteady.com/epk https://open.spotify.com/artist/55PHu5iThBn3i9t4XQcNrx?si=TardG-kvSSGAH2-qYDn46g https://music.apple.com/us/artist/stumble-steady/id1518423522 https://soundcloud.com/user-271870441
Image Credits
Kristina Palacios Alexandra Wasserfall Garrett Kealer