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

Joshua, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What was it like going from idea to execution? Can you share some of the backstory and some of the major steps or milestones?

I’ve always had a passion for Music since I was a child. I grew up spending my days working at a dude ranch in Davie, FL; where we had a tack room that we would convert into a rehearsal space. If you could imagine, a bunch of dirty country boys, jamming punk, rock n roll, hardcore, emo, and pop music for the nearby horses and cows in ancient red barn, this is the accurate setting of my childhood. I knew that “one day” I would build a recording studio and offer production. I think I’m my mind, I imagined myself with salt and pepper hair, and financially stable enough to have a space of my own. I worked a construction job since high school helped support my music career as a touring artist. But I never took the leap. Then one day, life as I knew it was interrupted by a tragic motorcycle accident that left me in a wheelchair for a few months. It was time to find another means of making a living. I started taking on some entry level audio work, and learned that all I had to do was “start”. Shortly after this, I was offered a partnership on a studio space; (which was just a small warehouse). I then learned that the owners of my cherished old red barn had sold the property; and this monument of my childhood was to be torn town. Naturally, I asked the new owners if I could “have the old barn”. They said with enthusiasm, “take it! All of it!” So I showed up with a flatbed trailer, a hammer and a chainsaw, and started salvaging the material. I built my own first studio out of the reclaimed material from this childhood memory, and I aimed to make a studio that brought out all of the energy of my youth. The build took about 6 months, and I had a new career, doing what I love; and a whole roster of artists ready to work with me.
However, this was a short lived partnership on the warehouse space. So regrettably, I had to disassemble my masterpiece after one year of use. Now imagine, me and my newlywed wife in our first home, with a whole barns worth of lumber under a tarp taking up our entire backyard for 2 years. Patience would be my next chapter. I would then continue my productions in a spare bedroom in our house for these 2 years.
We then learned of a new artist community growing in Lake Worth Beach FL, where the city was helping artists like us afford newly constructed Live/Work housing. A three-story townhome with a commercial studio space on the ground level. We jumped all over this opportunity, moved our business to palm beach county, and began the phase 2 of the dream studio. In December of 2019, we finished the studio construction, and have had a flourishing music and audio business that caters to artists who are in need of a creative working space. The Brier is a studio unlike any you’ve seen. With rustic textures of 70yo barnwood and broad collection of world instruments, The Brier is a haven for music creation. And it’s not going away anytime soon.
From dreaming, to starting, to failing, persistence, and starting over; this success story has finally flourished into something beautiful and stable.

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

As a young artist, I chased many of the tricks the music industry appeared to require. My years of experience weeding out these “tricks”, has led me to my creative center. At risk of sounding like an old hippie, I will describe this “center” in one brief statement; “it’s all about the music, man”.

I’ve been a part of many music groups. But mostly with the same guys. We took on many forms, many styles, and variety of different goals. It wasn’t until around 2011 that we started to tire from “the chase” of the term “success” as we were thought it. “Success” to us meant radio play, labels, 10 months on the road, and amphitheater shows. In hindsight, when I’m brutally honest with myself, “success” meant “fame”. And how pathetic. We were in a place where the music wasn’t for us anymore. We were writing for other people. We were chasing trends. We were chasing approval. This was not art.

Around 2011, we made a pivotal decision to chase inwardly instead. We were starving for true expression. We abandoned the chase for trends, and never looked back. We named our group KIDS as an expression of this new wild adventure we were on. We decided that our art was OURS and if people resonated with it, then cool. But it was for us first. Our definition of “success” changed. Success in art would mean having the guts to make something and put it out. And if the rest of the world follows, then that’s another thing entirely.

Turns out, this was the secret sauce we had been missing. Why didn’t anyone tell us this before?!

Ironically, this was the turning point when the ears we were chasing, started listening. This is when fans started to follow. This is when labels started to give interest. This is when we started touring nationally.

Forget the “requirements”. Forget the “trends”. Chase what’s inside you. Chase it deep. The industry will follow.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of getting new recording clients has been, committing to my own content. I’ve learned that when my artists know that I also am an artist, they are in a safe place.

Committing to creating and releasing my own content regularly, has been the biggest business card for my recording business.

Any thoughts, advice, or strategies you can share for fostering brand loyalty?

For me, It’s hard to merely make music in the studio without dreaming of the performance. So naturally, I’ve gotten into show production as well. I love this part of the process. It’s the celebration of sharing the production, live. And it gives me a chance to stay connected with artists, as well as connect them with each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: Briermusic.com
• Instagram: Joshuacaleb777