We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Neal Rosenthal a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Neal , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

My brother showed me a YouTube video of “Through the Fire and the Flames” by the British power metal band, Dragonforce. I saw what they were doing and I thought to myself, “THAT, I WANT TO DO THAT”.

At the time, I was a competitive multi-disciplinary athlete and a soon-to-be freshman in high school recovering from a knee surgery. I was given an indefinite recovery period so in my mind, my life in sports was over. I started to teach myself guitar with the cheap $90 FirstAct ME537 guitar my mom picked up from Walmart. I was already taking cello, piano and trumpet lessons, but guitar felt different. It felt like it became a part of who I was at my core. I eventually formed a band with my best friends and we called ourselves Absence of Sanity. I remember bringing my first original song to band practice for us to try. Hearing guitar amps blast, drums smash and feeling the sound waves resonate throughout my body for the first time was probably one of the most intense feelings I have ever experienced. I couldn’t stop laughing and everyone in the band was smiling. My parents were probably in the other room covering their ears, but to me, that was the moment when I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be in the universe. Grounded and overwhelmed with purpose and pride.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I studied Jazz Performance with a minor in Production and Engineering at Berklee College of Music in Boston and moved to New York City shortly after.

For almost 10 years, I have been working as a New York City based multi instrumentalist (Guitar, Pedal Steel, Trumpet, Cello, Dobro), musical director, producer, composer, and arranger. I bring musical ideas from inception to final production.
I have experience working with a wide variety of artists and brands, helping them achieve the highest quality musical representation of their artistry. I have had the privilege of working on film scores, playing live on TV, touring with artists from around the world, producing music in hip-hop, folk, latin, pop, rock and jazz, directing 14-30 piece bands, composing jingles for ad campaigns, arranging live shows, writing and recording original music, etc.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

When I was newly graduated, I was a full time touring and recording trumpet player. I suffered a brain injury that put my trumpet career on a hiatus. Doctor visits were all discouraging and the road to recovery was looking bleak. I came to the realization that if I wanted to keep music as my profession, I had to pick up another instrument. I got back in touch with guitar, however, the left side of my body was not able to handle the intensity due to remaining weakness from the brain injury. Not to be further discouraged, I took up slide guitar/pedal steel, which allowed me to persevere.
While I have been fully recovered for over 5 years, I can’t help but be thankful for the trials and tribulations as it has truly shaped me into the unique musical force that I am today. In a full-circle moment, I primarily play Guitar just as 13 year-old me would have wanted.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

When I started this journey, I had one goal: to make music my life. I have been a full-time musician for 5 years and I don’t plan on stopping.
My goal now is to collaborate with artists and brands, bringing my unique skillset to the table. I want to be able to enter any situation with 100% authenticity and 100% effort.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/nealrosenthalmusic
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neal_ro/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nealrosenthal6208

Image Credits

Emily Galvelis

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

An D.

Umbria Jazz Festival

Emily Galvelis