Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Rick Landers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Rick, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with 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 had a regular career for decades and it had its crests and troughs with respect to happiness, I think having a regular job asks of us to fit into a mold that may be great or challenging. It can be a matter of shifting emotional sands, while trying to earn a living. I was fortunate to have steady employment and a career path or a road map that gave me at least a financial goal to achieve. As an artist or creative, overall I have to say that I’m definitely happy in the pursuit of creative achievement. I’ve published Guitar International magazine (www.guitarinternationa.com) coming on two decades and I’ve met and interviewed some of my music heroes, including: Les Paul, Jimmy Webb, Judy Collins, Buddy Guy, Jesse Colin Young, Jose’ Feliciano, Steve Cropper and other talented musicians. So, mostly very happy experiences there, although the business side of things were a bit rough for a while. My songwriting and performing has been wonderful from the stand point that I feel like my creative work is credible, and has been recognized with two songwriting awards, and being invited to perform at nationally known festivals. Probably my favorite part of songwriting is having some interesting lyrical phrase or story arrive at my doorstep, from where I haven’t. clue. I co-wrote a book with Dr. Matthew Warnock on press releases, and I’m now sending out query letters to literary agents and prospective publishers for a children’s series I’m developing called, “The Adventures of Digit and Tess,” about the journeys of a young Canadian girl and her AI/Robotic Cat. After a bit of conflict, they develop a friendship and travel to places like Niagara Falls, Paris and music destinations; each book has an educational them and a set of facts and trivia called, “DigiFacts” where parents, educators and older siblings can learn and enjoy when they read the picture books to younger children. Pulling the series together coherently has been a fun romp and I’ve learned a lot along the way. Bottom line is that creating something that will be enjoyed by others makes me pretty happy. But, I think happiness may be a bit overrated, as I believe the ups and downs of life, and the getting back up after we tumble can help us grow and be better artists, as well as be better people.
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.
After a long career in the federal government, as a retiree I found myself immersed in bicycling for nearly ten years, until on a lark I decided to perform two of my original songs at an ArtSpace. That ended up with the manager asking me to be his first featured singer-songwriter. I’d also been publishing an on-line free guitar magazine that became a helpful calling card when meeting other creatives. I played a house concert for neighbors and then performed in my community of Reston, Virginia, for an event and was asked to play four paid gigs at our major town center. I was then “discovered” by an experienced performer who became my friend and eventually my band’s percussionist. His name is Ron Goad and he’s won seven annual Washington Area Music Awards for supporting music in our area. He helped me form a band of excellent musicians: Rick Landers & Heartland ( (www.ricklanders.com). We’ve been successful performing only my original songs, and are now developing studio produced songs, two that earned songwriter awards. I’ve played guitar since I was 13, and pretty casually played busking in D.C. back in the 1970s, then stopped performing in public until 2019. COVID-19 didn’t help, but when life started to open up again, our band were regularly hired to perform and get quite a few repeat gigs. The band members are a lot of fun on stage, solid musicians and I think the fact that we’re having fun performing, rubs off on our audience’s. I have to say that I think my original songs get peoples’ attention weather ;they’re upbeat road songs, sensitive love ballads or songs with a bit of tongue in cheek humor. One song called, “Misunderstood” has a line, “I know that you’re no good, but I like you anyway”. That always gets people grinning or outright laughing. My book series, “The Adventures of Digit and Tess” has some testimonials from two authors, one who has had two of his books on the top 25 STEM books’ list. I’m now looking for a publisher to publish the series or a media outlet to pick it up for a television series. Within the last two years I’ve also started a Writers Circle where I ZOOM with four other writers, and I’ve started a Songwriter’s Circle that’s just how getting off the ground. My first choice for the circle was a singer-songwriter named Joe Shade, who’s got such a unique and fun style that I have to pinch myself for being so lucky that he agreed to join the circle. Over the years, I’ve also owned a series of fine guitars, including some great vintage guitars that have included a 1931 Gibson L-00, a 1946 Gibson J-45, a Pre-war Martin, a rare Gittler and more. I suppose I’m most proud of being a kind person, but not a pushover. Like most of us, I try my best to be kind and fair, although it can be a challenge at times. I’m particularly kind to animals who reciprocate kindness. My wife says I’m an animal Pied Piper….I once interviewed guitar company owner who had a three-legged dog he rescued. I was in his office for a Guitar International magazine interview. He’d momentarily left his office and his dog wandered in, walked up to me and handed me his paw. The owner exclaimed, “He NEVER does that!” I’m lucky that way!
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I woke up very early this morning, thinking about how little musicians earn from their on-line music from well-known sales platforms. The platforms don’t pay squat. Most immediately, I suggest that when you hear a song or album that you want to download, buy it directly from the musician’s website, so the artist gets the most revenue payback for their music. Strategically, if there isn’t one already, a good case can be made for someone to establish a website with links to as many musicians as possible, so there’s a central on-line presence to go to musicians’ websites so fans can buy directly from the source of the music they love! I also very strongly support those who offer up their homes for house concerts, and venues that recognize that musicians they want to hire have spent ;thousands of hours learning their instruments, and that each gig requires toting oftentimes heavy gear out of the house, into the car, out of the car to the venue’s stage, back to the car, then out of the car, back to their homes. And there’s also the time driving, so a two-hour gig is typically a four or five hour endeavor, not including practice time. It takes a lot of resilience to sustain a music career. So, venues should be as fair as they are able, even generous when they can to keep live music, alive. Oh, and government and private grants, residencies and other support should be increased for artists and performers. And, artists and performers should understand that venues are tough businesses to keep going profitably, so give them a break when you can….and appreciate the stage time they offer.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
My main goal on my creative journey is to fundamentally be recognized as a credible songwriter, performer and author. To be recognized by my peers and artists I admire, as a professional in my creative endeavors, is sincerely appreciated. In this respect, maybe this is why I’ve written songs inspired by other artists and makers of history, like Nick Drake, Judee Sill, Nelson Mandela and more. I started writing songs in earnest around 2018 and have earned two annual songwriting awards, been interviewed by media outlets in Nashville, Tucson, Maryland, twice in Virginia and L.A., CanvasRebel. So, there’s no room for negativity, as I’ve been very fortunate and I’m very grateful. But, like all artists and performers, it’s in our nature to not only create more, but to appreciate having what we consider to be our latest and greatest work recognized, along with the old. I guess we’re all a bit greedy in this respect. What did the legendary Jim Morrison sing, “We want the world and we want it now?” There it is, pretty much for most or all of us. ”
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ricklanders.com AND www.guitarinternational.com
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA4iwqUpTqU
- Other: SONG: “Red” – https://ricklanders.com/track/2757865/red-4-c-m-music-and-lyrics-c-rick-landers-2021-bmi-work-no-050814006 VIDEO: “Blue World” (Lyrics video) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUebKxUk7i0
Image Credits
Mike Davis Photography, Dustin Delage, Joseph A. Rosen, John C. Monger, Rick Landers