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

Tommy, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

I’ve worked on a lot of projects that were close to my heart, but our upcoming record, “Born to Lose,” is the most meaningful project I’ve ever worked on. I wrote this record in the lead-up and immediate aftermath of my aunt losing her battle with ALS. I had to fight not to let that grief overwhelm and consume me, and I was lucky enough to have a creative medium to channel all that energy. The result is a record that says so many things I was afraid to say for a very long time. This record poured out of me in the most cosmically cathartic way.

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?

My name is Tommy Senter, and I am the bassist and lead singer of the Los Angeles-based duo Paradise Vultures. Growing up, I went to a weird little art school, and my family was very musical. I’m a multi-instrumentalist, and by the time I graduated high school, I had already been in a few bands. It just kind of naturally progressed, and I’ve been fortunate enough to play with some really wonderful people. But there’s no one finer than Matty Barreca, our drummer in Paradise Vultures. We come from very similar upbringings, and we see eye-to-eye creatively and in all the right ways. Our band is just one big rhythm section, and we have an absolute blast together onstage. Whether we’re playing a live show, writing, or recording, our mission statement is always the same: be honest, have fun, and give it everything you’ve got. From the lyrics to the live show, we’re all about candor and self-expression. Those are our best coping mechanisms, and we love sharing them with everyone who cares to listen. You can absolutely address heavy subject matter in a way that isn’t maudlin. We shine a light on the darkness of the human experience and dance in that light.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Go to shows. Discover new bands. Buy tickets, buy their shirts, tell your friends. Support those bands. Sometimes it’s as easy as a follow and a like. That’s a vote for that band to break through the noise. Without the public’s engagement, artists are just screaming into the void. Every little bit helps, and by supporting bands that you like, you allow them financially (and encourage them creatively) to keep creating things that you enjoy. It’s a win-win system that streaming services have distorted in recent years. Why would I buy a physical copy of a relatively unknown band’s record when I can listen to their whole discography for relatively free? Because if Spotify is the only way you engage with new bands, they won’t be able to sustainably create new music for you to enjoy.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

I think everyone is creative. I would argue that creativity is the most crucial part of what makes us human. That being said, if we’re differentiating between the creative industries and non-creative industries, I would say that the biggest trade-off with being a creative is the lack of stability and predictability. There were definitely fewer panic attack alarm clocks when I was working for someone else. There’s a comfort in that and there’s nothing wrong with it. On the creative side you have to always be just that: creative. Whether it’s practicing your craft, finding new approaches to your art that inspire you to change and grow as an artist, or thinking up new ways to break through the social media noise, you always have to be on your toes. It can be exhausting and the money can be hit or miss, but it fills something in my soul that a 9-5 never could. Bringing joy to myself and others has always been my guiding light. Money is transient; joy is real.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paradisevultures.com
• Instagram: @paradisevultures
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/paradisevultures
• Youtube: https:// https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWY0ct0ld4TSNNmAn0z75sQ
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/paradise-vultures?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
• Other: Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/artist/5wA55lEXpOBcQ4iy1oO7Sw?si=c66RwV1cQq2RwmF-5hVUiw

Image Credits

Michelle Shiers and Desert Grizzly