We were lucky to catch up with Joshua Ketchmark recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

I’m right where I should be. I am doing what I should be doing. Music has always been what holds my memories, my inspiration. It’s given me the drive to learn and create. I am thankful and grateful for it and what it has brought into my life.
It’s hard to imagine not creating music, or being involved on some level with it.
It’s been a long road to get to where I’m at and there have been moments I’ve struggled with whether or not to keep doing what I do. The music industry is an ever evolving industry. Being an artist today, in my opinion, is not the same as it was when I was a kid. The mystery and mystique is gone. Artist’s are much more accessible these days and as for me – I’m not famous, not many people have heard of me and much less have heard the music I make. I come from a generation of camping out for concert tickets, buying magazines and reading about my favorite artists. Knowing so little about the bands and artists I loved as a kid, I filled those holes with parts of myself to complete the picture.
I was a bit overwhelmed after the release of my last album in 2022 BLOOD. It is the best received release I’ve had, surpassing the other 9 records I’ve released in the past 16 years as a solo artist. It was reviewed over 200 times and gave me the opportunity to do countless interviews. For as grateful as I was, it started to take a toll, between all of the press and trying to satisfy the social media algorithms gods, I started feeling my age. It left me with some valuable insight into being an artist and how it has changed and evolved since I first wanted to play music.
I’ve had everything from a full-time 9 to 5 job, odd jobs, part-time jobs, you name it. A steady paycheck is what I think about when it comes to having a regular job, the benefits of all of it. The last full-time job I had was at a great company with great people who respected and appreciated what I did. I developed a lot of valuable skills and learned a lot about myself. I still rely on that work ethic I developed at that job.
With that said, I was still looking around at my friends and peers who were making a living with music. I knew that that was what I wanted to be doing. It’s a whole lot of “the grass is always greener” to me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Starting out I played in garage bands and rehearsed in my dad’s basement. Rock and Roll fit perfectly with my rebellious, stubborn teenage angst. I heard what I hoped would become my life in those songs of my favorite artists. If it was on the radio, in my parents record collection, or a cassette with a cool cover, I would find it, spin it, and memorize every line.
As far back as I remember the thought of growing up and living out my life in my hometown never crossed my mind. I always knew when I was old enough I would leave. I didn’t care where, I just wanted out. It wasn’t the midwest, it was the way that town made me feel about myself that I wanted to get away from. I was hellbent on reinventing myself. To the point where when I finally got out and moved down south, I changed my last name for the first six months I was in town, until I realized that it seemed kinda ridiculous. I thought of it at the time as taking a stage name, a guy with a stage name and no band to go on stage with. Yes, I had a head full of ideas, full of dreams, and I was as green and naive as the day is long.
My first brush with the music industry was at a club in Hollywood, CA. before I got a big dose of it at an Alantic Records showcase that the band I was playing with performed at. The experience I had with the management the band was signed to and the limited interaction with labels at the time left a bad taste in my mouth. It didn’t turn around until I after I was out of that band and started working on my first album, drifting in and out of studios in the Los Angeles area.
My day gig consisted of working with the bands, artists, producers and engineers. I was getting a great first hand education on how records get made. Learning so much in such a short amount of time and being surrounded by a great network of talented people gave birth to the idea of my first solo record. Once again, before its release I had another brush with Atlantic Records, as well as the possibility of working with Kiefer Sutherland and Jude Coles company Ironworks which came about from meeting their artist rep Dark Mark. It was a great time for me, so many doors opened and after the record was released the press called me “what could be the next big thing”. I look back on those years in LA like I would guess the star quarterback from high school does in the movies.
Making ends meet where ever I could and doing what ever I had to do, I just kept my sights on the horizon. Maybe if I had been a little less of a dreamer I would have stayed in LA, because it was the one place where I felt like I fit. After my second release I set my sights on recording 3 EPs. Recording two of those EPs brought me back down south to Nashville. I’ve always wanted to tour extensively. Not just do fly dates or weekend runs, but tour. It’s the one thing I’ve never been able to do. So when that carrot dangled in front of my face, I jumped at the chance and relocated from the city of angels to music city.
After getting settled and in an effort to reduce recording costs, I got my studio “Black Gold Speakeasy” together with the help of a previous producer. Out of this studio I work on multiple releases, mix, and produce albums for myself as well as for other artists, songwriters and weekend warriors.
For as much as I’ve tried to shape my trajectory over the years I’ve come to realize that what’s going to happen, is what’s going to happen.

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

The most rewarding part of being a creative is that it serves my soul. The feeling I get from creating music isn’t like anything else. I need to do this, it’s a huge part of who I am. It is the great equalizer.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time when I had to pivot? I’ve pivoted a lot over the years. Life has opened a lot of doors and nudged me in directions I never expected to go.
The original idea behind recording my first record was that it was meant it to be more like a business card. I put my heart into it, and it has some songs I still feel hold up today. The original intent of the album was to get work from it, producing bands/artists records, writing some songs for them, or maybe it would help to find a band to sing for. Anyway, that’s was how I saw it. Once it started to make the rounds, everyone I met saw it and myself differently. All of a sudden “you’re a solo artist now?”. No amount of explaining what my intent was did any good, so I went with it. Making that decision to go with it has brought all of the things into my life that I’m still surround by today.
When the pandemic hit, I was in the middle of building a touring circuit through the south/midwest in the surrounding states, still playing shows on the west coast as well. All of that obviously stopped when we went into lockdown and a most of the artists I know shifted gears into writing songs. Word started to get around about my studio in Nashville, “Black Gold Speakeasy”. I went from doing this solo acoustic one man show to recording and mixing records for local and regional acts while the world was getting back up on its feet.
I’ve learned so much and had so many unexpected opportunities that have all come my way from having to pivot.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://joshuaketchmark.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuaketchmark/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JoshuaKetchmark
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/joshuaketchmark
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/joshuaketchmark