We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Isaak Elker a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Isaak thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

I earned my first dollar playing at an early age. In my hometown of Rochester, MN they have a street fair every Thursday in the Summer called ‘Thursdays on First.’ Hundreds of people come out to look at all of the vendors, get food, and enjoy live entertainment in the plaza.

When I was Thirteen I had been playing guitar for just a few months. My friend and I had learned two songs, Hey there Delilah by Plain White T’s, and Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen . We decided we were going to stand against a wall where people were walking past at the street fair and start playing. We played those two songs (extremely badly) back and forth for about an hour with our guitar case out. I think we made about $20. We were ecstatic! We had a way to make money and play music!

This really motivated us. Over the next year we learned about fifteen songs, and also wrote a few songs as well. When the next Summer rolled around we went down to Thursdays on First the first time they had it that Summer. We set up our guitar cases, and made about $50 that day. We did it for as many Thursdays as we could!

The third Summer we came in with a plan. We had written a bunch of songs, and learned to cover really upbeat fast songs for street performing. We had started to learn to harmonize, my friend picked up the mandolin, I started playing banjo, and our friend Sophia, who I would go on to start Good Morning Bedlam with, came out and played fiddle with us. Every Thursday of that Summer We would start playing at 10am and stop at 8pm. We would average $150-$200 every week, which to us fifteen-year-olds meant we were rich!

We continued play out their for our next two years of high school, but not quite as intensely after that year. We added an upright bass player and even started doing gigs around town in little venues and coffee shops. Sophia and I always say we cut our teeth playing on the streets of Rochester in middle school and high school.

It definitely was the time that made me sure I wanted to be a musician. Even the most scorching hot, ten hour day was more fun to do than my four hour shift at the grocery store growing up!

It’s also the reason I sing so unnecessarily loud. I don’t even realize I’m doing it. I just learned to sing in a way that could get up and over the noise of a busy street!

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My band Good Morning Bedlam is a duo with my wife Tori Elker. We spent year touring all around the country playing music!

We are truly known for having our own sound, which is what sets us apart. We never shy away from trying new things or borrowing from other genres, but people always say it still ends up having that “distinct Good Morning Bedlam sound.” It did make it more difficult when we were just starting out because promoters never knew where to place us genre-wise. We didn’t quite fit with the bluegrass bands, or the rock bands, or the singer songwriters, or the country bands. We kind of do our own thing and we wouldn’t have it any other way!

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I think that I had to unlearn that taking every opportunity to work is productive. I tend to have some workaholic tendencies. Some of those are because I love what I do, but a lot of it has to do with a feeling of trying to prove that I can succeed.

I have always been around high-functioning people, whether it’s the theatre conservatory program I was in growing up, or my own family! If I could go back and give my younger self some advice it would be “slow down. rest breeds passion.” I’ve really struggled with burnout, which has lead to a strain on my relationships, made me resentful of my passions sometimes, and was not conducive to being creative.

For some reason I had it in my head that I could never rest when I was younger.

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

It is the connection with the audience. I write very vulnerable songs about my life experiences. It’s both terrifying and exhilarating to play those for an audience. If it doesn’t land, they might think you’re cheesy, or dumb, but if it connects with their own story they might start crying, or dancing right in front of you.

There is nothing better than the high of seeing your art touch someones life right in front of you.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://goodmorningbedlam.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goodmorningbedlamofficial/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/goodmorningbedlam
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaiELnWCbTbS01_tpngFlow?view_as=subscriber
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/76Rnjxk1gBlp85HTEwR48R

  https://www.tiktok.com/@goodmorningbedlam

Image Credits

Tom Smouse for all photos