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

Robin, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I first knew I wanted to be in the music industry on a professional basis when I was around 12 or 13. I was already exposed to and/or playing instruments such as piano, bass guitar, and alto saxophone so during this era I began writing lyrics and composing music on the family piano.

Robin, 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?

I fell in love with music during my childhood. We had a piano in the home and my mother took piano lessons. Although she never forced me to take lessons I became intrigued with the piano when I saw her practicing and would often get on and try learning tunes I was hearing on the radio at that time after she finished practicing. When I was around 7 or 8 years old my parents purchased an electric bass, toy drum set, and electric guitar for me. I ended up sticking with the bass and practicing it every day while also still keeping my practice on piano as well. I took one lesson on each instrument but I’m mostly self-taught.

In my college years, however, I decided to take music theory classes so I could learn how to read and write music. I then began playing electric bass for the college (Bakersfield College) jazz band where I was able to hone my reading skills. Taking the initiative to make music education a priority has helped me a lot in my past and current projects. I have served as musical director in quite a few situations where I had to read and write charts for others to read. This skill has also enabled me to be able to write charts for my own compositions for others to read when they are performing it.

I released my debut project as a solo bass artist in April 2013 entitled This Is My Life and I released a single in October 2022 entitled Inside My Love (Minnie Riperton cover) from my upcoming project. I am looking to have my upcoming project completed by early to mid 2024.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There have been a few conversations I’ve had with non-musicians regarding musician finances. For instance, there have been many who have assumed that just because we’re musicians we have a lot of money and not a care in the world which could not be further from the truth for a lot of us. Depending on performances alone is very fickle as they are always subject to cancellation and not to mention that not all performances pay well. In addition, so much more goes on behind the scene. For instance, hours of practicing our instrument in order to stay on top of our craft, practicing for rehearsals, rehearsing for upcoming performances, marketing and production costs which can get into the thousands of dollars, photography fees, website maintenance fees, are just a few of the costs associated with being a recording artist and professional musician. Also keep in mind that there are never any guarantees that a recording artist/musician will make enough money from performances alone to cover the associated costs. In some cases, crowdfunding sources such as GoFundMe are used to help cover the costs.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Yes. I am always researching better ways to do these things via internet searches and through conversations with my peers so I can increase my efficiency in all areas of my music artistry. My ultimate goal, however, is to finish my upcoming project, Level Up, so I can finally get on the road to tour and perform my own music with my own band. That is an accomplishment that I’ve always dreamed of achieving.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.robinbramlettmusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/basseroni1/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robinbramlettmusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Basseroni
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@robinbramlett110

Image Credits
Michael Lopez Rafael Garcia Rhonda Kilpatrick Baj Ridgell