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

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

My earliest memory of wanting to be a creative was at the age of around 6, I spent most of my playtime looking for things to take apart and build into something else, collecting trash from our garage and things I’d find in the neighborhood in southern Ohio. I would take this items into my bedroom I shared with my younger brother and proceed to take the wires out of old phones and bits and pieces of things I’d hoard based of colors and shapes etc, I would sometimes on an old board glue the pieces together into something I thought more interesting and hide the evidence under my bunk bed, My mother whose a Korean immigrant and neat person would occasionally find my hidden treasures and would lose her temper and worry that I was going to be a junk collector and I’d usually feel ashamed and couldn’t explain why i had to do these things, once my elderly grandmother was visiting from Kentucky where my father was born.. Granny overheard my mother and stopped her and said while i was just standing there looking down… she said “don’t you stop him from making things and creating, who knows maybe he could be an inventor or scientist or create something that could jobs for people… my mother loved her so much she agreed and I felt incredible, I still think about that after all these years and creating numerous companies and adventures.

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?

As a musician, filmmaker, and animation producer, I am currently the founder of thehouseofsongs.org. Since 2009, our organization has provided residencies for musicians from around the world, based in Austin, Texas, and Bentonville, Arkansas. We have collaborated with approximately 30 countries, beginning with Denmark.

My journey as a musician began in the late 1980s in Dayton, Ohio, where I immersed myself in the punk rock scene, yearning for authentic musical expression. Despite not performing or playing an instrument at the time, a pivotal encounter with Texas music legend Alejandro Escovedo sparked a transformative moment. After expressing my admiration for his band’s songs, he encouraged me to start my own band and offered us the opportunity to open for them. Inspired by his words, my younger brother and I embarked on a journey of self-discovery, spending the next 18 months honing our craft and writing music. When Escovedo’s band, The True Believers, returned to town, we opened for them, marking the beginning of our musical career.
In 1989, we relocated to Austin at the invitation of The True Believers, immersing ourselves in the vibrant music scene of the city. Enduring the challenges of touring and financial instability, we persevered, fueled by our passion for music. Our breakthrough moment came when Bruce Springsteen discovered our band, The Loose Diamonds, performing at Tipitinas club in New Orleans on a Monday night. This serendipitous encounter propelled us into a new chapter of our musical journey, where we continued to learn, grow, and cultivate valuable relationships along the way.
I’m most proud of the opportunity to study and work with some of what i consider the greats in Music and Film, Richard Linklater , Steven Bruton, Roky Erickson,

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I wake up looking forward to the next opportunity to connect and learn. I’m attracted to connecting the dots where i imagine them to be , I think mostly as a creative which can some days be difficult as the world doesn’t always respond to that language and the associate memory that it requires, I love putting artists together to see how collaboration can sometimes be the game changer

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I’m a fan of Letters to a young Scientist, by EO Wilson as well as a current read Strategic Doing…Film wise I love documentaries especially Rivers and Tides about Andrew Goldworthy, and a recent doc American Factory by academy award winning director Julia Reichkert and Steve Bogner both from my home town of Dayton Ohio

Contact Info:

• Website: Thehouseofsongs.org
• Youtube: Colletionagencyfilms.com

Image Credits
Troy campbell with Bruce S Troy with Bjorn from Abba in stockholm. Ice music projectArctic circle