Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jason Draven. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Jason, appreciate you joining us today. Are you able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen?

Having the ability to play music full-time means that you need to keep yourself busy. Whether you’re learning, writing, recording, gigging locally, or on the road touring, there are many outlets to take advantage of being a musician. At the age of 19, I chose to drop out of my sophomore year of college to go full-time with music. Since then, I’ve truly been my own boss – making my own schedule and choosing the path that best suits me. Although I’ve learned many lessons along the way, it’s always been important to be able to not only keep myself busy but keep my mind focused and in a positive state. My workflow, productivity, and self-confidence allow me to continue growing not just as a person but an entertainer. Most importantly, the ability to work with other people pushes you to be better and work harder. Surrounding yourself with fellow creatives and people who you feel you can learn from is a monumental step to take. I have always been in bands and worked with people 2-3 times my age, they have greater experience and have helped me navigate my way through the craziness that is this business. Whether it’s in the studio or on the road, never be afraid to listen, that’s how you truly grow.

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

One day at the age of four, I was sitting in the car listening to the radio and all of a sudden something unlike anything I had heard before started playing. I sat, listened, and loved it but when the guitar solo came on, that was the moment the lightbulb lit above my head to say “I want to do that!”. That song was “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, a timeless hit. For my 5th birthday, I received a half-size Squier strat which allowed me to start my journey in the world of guitar. I sat with it every day, taking lessons for a year. After that year, I stopped taking lessons and continued to learn the music I loved to listen to, all by ear. When I hit middle school, I took lessons for about another year. Learning music by ear became my greatest skill. Playing in bands and recording in studios, it’s almost my secret weapon. At 10 years old, I began going to open mics to be able to play with other musicians and grow as one myself. By age 12, I had my first cover band playing classic rock with people who were in their 50s and 60s. From 12-17, I played in local cover and tribute bands as well as solo acoustic. I’ve been insanely privileged to play in some incredible venues and with some iconic musicians including members of Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Rainbow, Mr. Big, etc. When I was 17, a lot changed. I joined my first touring band – a Foreigner tribute. We drove and flew all over the country playing theaters, casinos, outdoor festivals, and even a cruise to the Bahamas. I learned so much from that group of people about being a better person, musician, friend, businessman and living life. In that time, I joined STARZ as well as Rubix Kube the 80s Strike Back Show as a sub for Steve Brown (Trixter, Def Leppard). Not long after I turned 22, the Foreigner tribute band disbanded and became something else. That has given me the time to not only focus on my music, but living life on my terms. As an artist I continue to write, learn, and record new music for my own projects. I gig with STARZ, multiple cover, tribute, and wedding bands, and play acoustic shows as well. Music has always been my most comforting form of expression. Not a word needs to be spoken, but if I do my job right, you’ll know what I’m trying to say.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been the oddball. As a child, I had long hair down to my chest almost until high school graduation. It wasn’t until senior year that I had cut it short. I was pretty much the only person I knew in school who listened to anything from before they were born, especially rock music. I was stared at in the hallways and frowned upon by students just because I wasn’t like them. That only pushed me more to be myself and not care what they thought. After I had left college, I started to involve myself in the original scene again. I started my own band “This Island Earth”, a fusion of pop-punk, hard rock, and borderline hardcore punk. As the lead singer and guitarist, I wanted to make an image for myself that people would associate with us, so I dyed my hair green. Since I was playing in a tribute band and a wedding band at the time, dying my hair was out of the question but was that going to stop me? No. Of course that came with its own issues. I had to wear a top hat and hide my hair on most of those gigs until I stopped caring because it was never the audience that was bothered. To this day I won’t even leave the house unless I feel like I look like myself. There is absolutely no problem with being yourself, being different, standing out. Being different is what will set you apart from everyone else, not just in this business, but in your own life.

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

I was always taught to know my worth and not to sell myself short. I also always thought that if I needed something, I would just get whatever I could at the time and use it until I could afford the real thing. I had to learn what battles are worth fighting and not to be cheap! It’s easier to work with people than to walk away. If someone offers you a gig and your prices aren’t matching up, compromise, that one gig could cost you not playing with them again. If you need a piece of equipment that maybe you can’t afford right now, don’t skimp and buy the lesser version, wait until you can do it. If there’s a will there’s a way. The people you work with will recognize when effort and care are being shown, that the gear you want isn’t going anywhere, have patience and respect for yourself and those you work with.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://jasondraven.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/jasondravenofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jasondraven
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jdraven77

Image Credits

Ken Riccio
Chris Tristram
Bob Watts
Bob Blickwede
Sunny