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

Larry, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I first picked up the guitar at the age of 15. I only took two lessons. I mostly learned to play by ear, playing along with other aspiring guitarists, and by learning to read tablature (a number system for transcribing music). I played mostly sporadically for the first handful of years as an unstable home life prevented me from focusing on the instrument with any sort of consistency. So any sort of accumulated talent has simply been the result of years of staying dedicated to continuing to develop any sort of skill I slowly acquired over the years.

Now being into my late 40’s, I wish I had actually challenged myself by taking lessons, learning more theory, being more meticulous with the small details of technique, along with learning a wider variety of styles. I think this would have catapulted my ability far beyond where I am currently at.

While I wouldn’t consider it a skill…I think having passion is the most important thing. While being a well versed musician is an amazing skill/trait…it all means nothing if you do not have a passion for what it is that you do. It’s the one thing through all the years that has kept me from walking away no matter what the obstacle.

My biggest obstacle was myself. There have been times where I have gotten entirely too consumed with the business side of the music industry and allowed that to shift my focus from being the best guitarist I can be. Whether any musician wants to acknowledge it or not…while our music might be our art to us, it’s a commodity to the industry.

Larry, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Larry Gilstrap and I’m the guitarist for the Houston based rock/metal band, Twelve Years Driven. The band was formed in April of 2010 and we debuted on the Houston music scene in February of 2012. From 2012 to 2019, we shared the stage with countless national recording artists as well as performed regionally across Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. We have released four EPs. We recently went on hiatus from September of 2019 and returned in February of 2022.

The band currently consists of myself on guitars and backing vocals, Robert Rice on lead vocals, Kris Wood on bass, and Aaron Lakner on drums. We’ve amassed a loyal following and pride ourselves on putting on high energy shows that showcases the intensity of the music we create. And while our music is intense, we are very down to earth and easy going group of guys which we fell has made us a very “relatable” band.

We are currently working on a full length album which do not currently have a release date.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me…the most rewarding part of being a musician is seeing how our music has impacted people. Whether it’s them sharing stories with us about how our music helped them through a difficult time all the way to seeing them in the crowd singing along with reckless abandon while we perform. Again…being able to express myself through music and having people embrace that music and make it their own…there is no other feeling like it. We’ve had people tattoo our band on themselves. It’s very humbling to know that is how much we have meant to them.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

In a lot of ways, I believe we’ve accomplished more than we had ever set out to. When we started this band, I was already in my late 30’s. The dream of getting a record deal, becoming famous, and touring the world and long left me. It was my passion to play that brought me back into a band setting and performing live again. We had three simple goals we had set. It was to write great songs, record them, and play some shows to have fun. We’ve done all that ten fold. So depending on how you measure success…we’ve been beyond successful by our own account. And we simply go where this journey takes us. We do put a lot of hard work in along with using a fair degree of business savvy. Because not everything is simply luck. It’s about preparation. So you’re in a position to capitalize when the opportunity presents itself.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @twelveyearsdriven
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/12yearsdriven
• Twitter: @12yearsdriven
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/twelveyearsdriven

Image Credits
Rich Snyder on the photo of Larry only.