We were lucky to catch up with Grant Zubritsky recently and have shared our conversation below.

Grant , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a creative? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job? Can you talk to us about how you think through these emotions?

This is a great question as most people looking at creatives from the outside typically have a highly rose coloured view of the professional overall. ‘Your job seems amazing! You must love everyday,’ is a common sentiment I hear from friends and family. And yes they’re right, being able to sustain a decent living off of being a creative person is an amazing privilege. At the same time, there are hard, difficult days like at any other job. Being in the music industry for 10+ years at this point, I’ve realized that it’s so much about balance as a creative, but also balance as a person. It might sound cheesy, but the down time, the family time, the time with friends that is spent just being a ‘regular’ person in the world is just as important as the work. I need it to stay focused and mentally available when I am working on a project.

I do often think about the pros of having a regular job. My wife is an audiologist and she works a 40 hour week at a clinic where we live. This is certainly attractive to some respect, but in a way I’ve realized that I live for the uncertainty of creativity. Something you’re constantly at odds with, but when it works out it feels amazing. The reality of this sentiment is certainly a sliding scale, rolling this way and that with the ebbs and flows of creative work. But the longer I’m in it, the more I can’t really picture doing anything else.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I am a musician, music director, and producer. I moved to Brooklyn, NY straight from college and pursued being a session and touring musician. In reality, I’ve found myself active in a broader scope of work than ‘a session bassist.’ Lots of people are always interested in the ‘music director’ title that I give. In short, a music director is the producer of a live show. That particular job has kept me busy this past year with the Canadian duo Tegan & Sara. As a music director, no two projects are ever quite the same, and I have to draw on my experiences as a musician and producer to effectively build these live shows. In that sense it’s very engaging, but also supremely time consuming.

Every year, every gig, every recording gives me different insight and typically a different aspect in which I can take pride in my work. Recently, the CBC (BBC equivalent in Canada) did an audio and video recording of our Tegan & Sara show in Toronto and released on YouTube. It is a show that I put a lot of work into and it’s great to have it captured in full for people to see. Another highlight of the past few years was joining Dua Lipa on SNL playing bass. I had been a fan of her album Future Nostalgia and getting the call to play bass with her was a total dream. Another performance highlight was playing Wembley Stadium in 2022 with Mitski. We were supporting Harry Styles for a few shows, and two of them happened to be at Wembley. Growing up I loved the band Queen, and their live aid performance always stuck in my mind as the pinacle

But I also think that all the small accomplishments that I make in my studio that might seem mundane or typical actually fuel me more than I recognize. Like producing a track with a friend or playing saxophone on a recording, it all adds to the path and the story of me as a musician, and I think it’s worthwhile for creatives to take note of these minor victories.

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

Recently, there was an Ethan Hawke video circulating instagram that conveyed the idea that art is important even if it’s not part of your daily life. His example had to do with grieving and poetry. I read into his point, that even if people ‘don’t like art,’ it’s something that’s part of their lives even if they don’t recognize it. As a musician, I hear all of the background music that’s played literally everywhere I go. Every cafe, grocery store, bar, etc., plays music. With the shift to a streaming music economy, people go used to the fact that they don’t really have to compensate musicians to hear their art, and that’s bummer because most of that art took a long time to make. I know this isn’t a new idea, but I just think it’s such a bummer when musicians have to spend so much of their time chasing the money to make a living and hardly have any time to focus on the art itself.

On another topic, I think a healthy musical ecosystem is an open one. I’ve dealt with lots people gatekeeping in my career, and I try to never be that person myself. Finding a supportive community was paramount in me getting to where I am today, and I still call on my NYC community all the time. It’s hard to create that community and I think as artists and musicians, we need to hold ourselves accountable for being open to new people and new ideas in our artistic circles.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Growing up, I felt pretty awkward as a teenager. Not a uncommon story, I know, so maybe all the more relatable to others. I had started playing music at a young age (saxophone in elementary school band) and when the awkward times of youth hit, I was able to feel comfortable in music. Particularly playing music with other people. I didn’t have to be the best conversationalist, or the funniest, or the best storyteller, I could connect with people through playing. I’ve carried that through my career now, wanting to focus on the playing, focus on how to protect the communication through music. So maybe less of a goal or mission and more a mission statement, to be true to music and myself. I think if you really love an art form, you realize that it’s bigger than yourself, and your own pursuit in that feels purposeful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://grantzubritsky.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grantzubritsky/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxgbrAbPbEA
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOeZAKdbkx4&t=4249s

Image Credits