We recently connected with Grace Lauren and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Grace, thanks for joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I’d say how much my friend Halie has taken me under her wing. She’s an incredibly talented musician. She’s done a lot for me and I’m so thankful. I’ve never met someone so encouraging and just the kindest, brightest light I’ve seen in a person…She’s someone I look up to and aspire to be like. She taught me one of the most valuable things I’ve learned as a musician and it was how to not just play the song but feel the song you’re playing. Because it’s amazing how much we let ego and fear get in the way of things and she taught me to let go of that and to really listen to the lyrics of a song and find similarities in the song to encounters I’ve had in real life. She taught me to channel my emotions into my playing basically. That’s one of the many things I’ve learned from her. She called me to fill in for a benefit show last winter and I had about two days to learn the set, no rehearsal. I met the rest of the band when I got to the venue to load in. That’s still one of my favorite gigs I’ve played. The energy was amazing that whole night. That was probably the most alive I’ve felt in years. Anyone can make kind gestures but there are people whose kindness and influence can really change the way you look at life and how you treat other people. Everything she’s taught me and done for others too is most definitely the kindest thing one can do. I’m lucky to have someone like that to look up to.

Grace, 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?

I got into music through my dad, he was a drummer and taught me a lot. When I was around six or seven we used to go on long drives and figure out the drum parts from bands like Tool and Dream Theater, pretty heavy prog bands. It’s funny though because he pushed me with drums so much that being a drummer was the last thing I wanted to be as a kid. I wanted to pursue guitar and screenwriting instead. I started writing full length films when I was about twelve and finished eight scripts by the time I was fifteen, getting a few in front of producers who actually liked them.  I think my upbringing played a big part in the motivation behind it. I grew up on an off grid island where we didnt have running water or electricity, we had dirt roads and no gas station or anything like that. There was a school and a post office and that was about it. It was a very creatively stimulating environment. That and the fact that once it got dark in a house lit by candles there was nothing to do but tell stories and write. We then moved to a farm out in Port Orchard which is about thirty minutes outside of Seattle. I don’t even know what shifted but I kinda woke up one day and all I could focus on was playing drums. My dad wasn’t in the picture anymore so maybe him not being around to push me to learn songs made me miss it but all I could think about was music. I didn’t want to pursue screenwriting anymore, I just wanted to be a drummer full time. I joined a local punk band and played with them up until I moved to California. I bought every instrument I have now from working in barns and farm jobs. I ended up tearing down stalls in the barn to build a practice room so I could play anytime for about ten hours a day without bothering my mom. Not that she ever cared in the first place, I got really lucky with a mom that’s only encouraged me. That’s pretty much how things came together

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I do it because I love it, music makes me happy. Makes me feel something. With music, whether it’s playing small venues or for example an arena one day I just love playing live. I’d say the goal would be to find a solid band. Lately I’ve been hired on for shows and it’s good experience playing different genres but I like the camaraderie you get when you’re actually in a band, I find more comfort in that.
As much as I’ve found my passion that doubles as a career, I don’t do it in hopes of being rich and famous. I’m not a pretentious person, if I wasn’t gigging I’d want to live in the country again and be able to work on classic muscle cars all day. If I’m gonna make money in rock, may as well spend it on Mustangs rather than drugs…

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

For me the most rewarding aspect of being a musician is seeing how music really heals and brings people together. I like talking to people after shows and if it was a cover set, hearing people’s stories and memories associated with the songs is always interesting. I don’t know, collaborating with other musicians and hearing original songs come together is rewarding too. For me the whole aspect of it is rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_gracelauren65/
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@grace.lauren.drums [email protected]

Image Credits
MonicaRockPhotography Katy Hodge Madelynne Rae Gabriele