We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tommy Valentino a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Tommy, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. When did you first know you wanted to pursue a creative/artistic path professionally?
Music has always been a big part of my family growing up. It was when I took to guitar in high school I knew I wanted to be involved in music in one form or another. It wasn’t until I started earning money that I considered it as a full-time gig.
Tommy, 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 started learning guitar as a teenager and recorded cover songs for my favorite bands. From that point I made it a mission to find other like-minded individuals to form a band. This drove me to start the first musicians club at Arizona State University that grew to several hundred members to this day.
I am mainly driven for my band project and have recorded two albums so far. The music I write is electronic/hard rock with influences ranging from Disturbed, Godsmack, Tool, Avenged Sevenfold, Breaking Benjamin, P.O.D. and many others. I developed a site (9billionband.com) where I am currently selling merch and advertising upcoming events.
I am most proud of the work ethic placed into my first two albums for never compromising or settling on a lesser product. What you hear is hundreds of hours of work and thousands of dollars invested for ideas that go back a decade. I worked with a trademark artist to get the branding right while handling all legal matters on my own. Being an entrepreneur has pushed me to becoming proficient in many areas I did not originally anticipate.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
Reflecting on a finished work and being satisfied with it, realizing how much work had gone into it. The most rewarding aspect is sharing it with others who can connect with it.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Sometimes it may feel like you are not accomplishing anything at times. But persistence is key, whether it be reaching out and networking to find the right people or sending revisions for a song that isn’t exactly how you envisioned it until it’s acceptable.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.9billionband.com/shop
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/9billionband/?hl=en
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@9billionband