We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Josh Blake a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Josh thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Earning a full time living from one’s creative career can be incredibly difficult. Have you been able to do so and if so, can you share some of the key parts of your journey and any important advice or lessons that might help creatives who haven’t been able to yet?
The path to making a living in the music industry is not always a straight one. It often starts with somebody at a young age dreaming of that rockstar lifestyle, playing stadiums all over the world, and getting to share your music with millions of people. That’s where the dream started for me at least, but over time I learned that diversifying within the industry and also curbing expectations can be extremely helpful if you want to the able to make a full-time living as a musician or within the music industry.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Josh Blake, and I am a musician producer and engineer living in Asheville North Carolina. I spent about a dozen years touring with a live hip-hop band, and still play in several projects, and gig usually 2 to 3 times a week. I’m also an audio engineer and producer working out of one of the finest facilities in the southeast, Echo Mountain Recording Studio. I used to have a home studio, but when Echo Mountain opened in 2006 I started bringing any project that wanted to work with me there and I’ve been there ever since. I am also the Executive Director of 501(c) 3 nonprofit Asheville independent arts and music aka www.iamavl.com At IamAVL we have been promoting and preserving the creative culture in western North Carolina since 2012. This includes live streaming about 50 shows a month from area venues, as well as some original programing including an original program that airs on PBS that we ran for six seasons out of the studio that is called Echo Sessions. I also do a lot of community engagement around town, including setting up “All Star” types of shows for different events festivals and benefits, as well as sit on the board of Asheville Music Professionals, another nonprofit that serves to support the music industry in our area through advocacy, education, and connection within the community.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding part of being musical artist is to be able to share my craft and inspire younger musicians, and in the studio to help them achieve their goals for their projects.
Have you ever had to pivot?
When my touring band decided to take a break from the road, it left me with a lot of extra free time. This is when I started to really dive in to studio work and audio engineering, something I was always passionate about doing for the band, but didn’t really recognize it it could be a whole separate career path. This is a great way for me to continue working with music on a daily basis without having to be on the road.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.joshblakemusic.com
- Instagram: @jukebleezy
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josh.blake.7545/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-blake-960a6b1a1/
- Youtube: joshblakemusic
Image Credits
David Simchck
Tom Farr