We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Michael Gulezian. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Michael below.

Michael, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. Have you been 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? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Yes, I’m extremely fortunate that I’ve been able to dedicate myself full-time to music.  as far back as i can remember, there was no doubt music would be my life, and i’d do whatever it took to make it happen.  it wasn’t easy.  it required that i make huge sacrifices, and always stay focused;  when unexpected detours happened, i never lost sight of my identity as a creative artist.  looking back, it’s clear the goal is the journey itself;  if your path is a career that lasts a lifetime, that is definitely something you do not want to speed up.

Michael, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

some people struggle for decades trying to figure out what to do with their lives. by the age of six, i KNEW i would spend my life playing music. i grew up in a home where hearing music was like breathing air. my mom sang, constantly; my dad was a renowned ethnomusicologist and virtuoso oud master. i started off taking classical lessons, but i was already assimilating everything from the Hindustani raga improvisations of Ravi Shankar, to Gregorian Chant, to Zeppelin and the Stones, to Armenian liturgical music, to the free jazz of Miles, Monk, Trane, Bird, etc. those were the foundational elements that inform my music to this day: rock attitude / boundless freedom, imbued with a mystical, spiritual essence – tempered and disciplined by a rigorous program of classical guitar training.

that’s how it started. it’s easy to work incredibly hard at what you love. through the decades i’ve never stopped growing as an artist, never stopped listening to other musicians no matter where in the world they may be, never stopped challenging myself, and have never taken a single day for granted, or any single human being for granted who listens to the music that has flown out through me.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

by the time i was in high school, i was corresponding with john fahey, guitarist/founder of takoma records, the most influential record label in the genre of solo acoustic instrumental guitar. takoma acquired global distribution in a merger with chrysalis records; i was the youngest artist ever to sign with them. my debut album was released to international critical acclaim, and i went on tour, playing concerts with artists such as the david grisman quintet, george winston, and many others. as my career ascended, the record label was mismanaged into bankruptcy. i could hardly believe the label dissolved. i swore that i myself would never suffer the same experience. i enrolled at the university of arizona, graduating with high honors from the Eller Center for the Study of the Private Market Economy, with degrees in entrepreneurship and marketing. i founded my own independent record label, timbreline music. i established relationships – and friendships – with professionals in every area of the music industry. i control all my rights, have total creative freedom, continue to write, record, and release high end solo acoustic instrumental guitar music, have grown my audience organically, and maintain a busy performance schedule playing concerts nationwide.

all because early on, i experienced first hand how NOT to run a record label.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

most people have jobs. some have careers. i am extremely fortunate to have a calling. it’s a calling driven by love. i am blessed. implicit in the recognition that i’ve been given a gift, is the expectation that the gift will be shared with love, gratitude, grace, and humility.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.timbrelinemusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michaelgulezian/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michael.gulezian/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@michaelgulezian
• Other: https://pandora.com/artist/michael-gulezian/ARq6dJdcdXbfgqP https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michael-gulezian/2992320 https://open.spotify.com/artist/5FqzOo3S4RpuBZOd88UiLx https://michaelgulezian.bandcamp.com/