We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Warren Fenzi. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Warren below.
Warren, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
I came from a middle class family, raised in Northern Arizona. From the age of 2 until I was 13, I lived 11 miles outside the small town (at the time) of Prescott, AZ. My closest neighbors were roughly half a mile away. It was a wonderful place to grow up as a child. The freedom I felt and the creativity my sister and i were (more-or-less) forced to develop, became the foundation that has driven my creativity since my early years.
I distinctly remember my mom not letting me back in the house until the sun went down. Not so much as a punishment but more as a guide in helping me develop my own creativity. She would always say “Find something to do, I’ll call you for dinner”, so my sister and I would come up with every little game we could possibly create with the vast southwestern landscape that surrounded us. We would bike down to the river bed with our favorite toys to play out our own little movies with our action figures. We would come across different rocks that we would climb (and get stuck on top because I’m afraid of heights and can always get up but can’t get down…) and even discovered an arrangement of natural quartz that we named “Quart City”. By the time we were both 7 or 8, we knew our way around our dirt-road neighborhood like the back of our hand.
My father was and is a self-employed furniture designer who worked for himself my entire life. My mom was the head of the Northern Arizona Alzheimers Association. Looking back on it now I recognize that both of my parents very much had a strong sense of following what it is that they were passionate about. My father and his passion for designing and creating furniture/art and my mother who had a passion for helping people. This is where it begins for me. This is where I feel my parents really did it right and the older I get, the more I realize how truly blessed I was to grow up in a house with a mom and dad who fully understood the importance behind following that inner fire of what it is thats driving you. For me, it turned out to be music.
Now it wasn’t always music. At different times in my younger life, I went through stages of wanting to be a professional skateboarder, a video game designer and finally, a musician. I think what really sticks out to me and what I’m truly the most grateful for is my parents understanding and support behind whatever it is that I wanted to do. Looking back on it now it’s clear that they understood the non-negotiable fact behind the importance of listening to that inner voice of what is being called to be brought into the world. I really feel that they understood that, even if they didn’t agree with what I wanted to grow up to be, they could see that holding me back from following those goals would be far far more detrimental than forcing me to follow the “safe” path. At the same time there was always a reminder of the reality of the situation as well. It was always “You want to be a professional skateboarder? I love it. Now, how are you going to get there?”. This instilled in me the freedom that, oh wow, I can be whatever I want to be… but it’s going to take work!
It wasn’t a blind faith. It was a loving recognition of allowing me to find out who I was and ultimately support me on that path, whatever it may look like.
Warren, 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?
My name is Warren Thomas Fenzi and I am a Songwriter, Producer and Performer. I’ve been a part of countless musical projects since I was young and I attended college at Berklee College of Music for Drum Set Performance. I mention that because my interest and love for music really started with drums and percussion. I’ve since found an equal love for the guitar, synthesizers (among other instruments) and composition as a whole.
My recent years have been spent writing, recording, performing and releasing my own music. I’m currently focused on a musical project titled “oms”. The name of the project is in reference to the French word for “humans” and the animated film “Fantastic Planet”. All of the music is instrumental and pairs the organic sounds of my 1952 telecaster with drum machines, synthesizers and sample-based sounds.
I feel that my approach to music through my deep understanding of rhythm helps to set me apart from other creators. It’s where a lot of my ideas start and it’s certainly the area I feel most comfortable in. I also feel that my values as an artist help to set me apart. It’s a deeply fun, fulfilling, wonderful process that I can’t see myself not doing… regardless of whether or not it’s paying the bills. It’s something I must do, and in that I find a lot of power and peace. A creative: it’s who I am.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?
I think sometimes it’s hard for some people who aren’t in a creative field, to understand what one means when they say, “I must do this”. It sounds a bit arrogant and could maybe even be perceived as a bit selfish and tunnel-visioned. However, what I would love to help people understand, and possibly even help to start to implement in their own lives, is the reality that every single one of us feels passionate about a given thing for a reason. And that is not to be ignored, brushed under the rug or overlooked. It’s there for a reason, and to deny yourself and others of that expression being released into the world is in itself, a selfish act in my eyes.
This brings me back to the first question asked here about my parents and as I continue to grow, I realize more and more what a genuine gift my parents gave me in instilling that very idea in whatever it is I do. They taught me to follow my heart but to be real about it!
And in that I would just love to pass along the idea that maybe, just MAYBE you have that recurring idea that’s eating away at you for a reason…. and understanding that it’s really your responsibility to try your best to bring whatever that idea is, into the world.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I feel conflicted about this because unlike other mediums, art is really, at the end of the day, subjective. As an artist myself, I frequently struggle with knowing my own value and putting a number on that value. Overall I certainly think a great way to support artists is of course, to pay for their art, whether that be a song you download, a performance you go see or a group/artist you hire for a gig.
I would love to show people how much really goes into this, to bring them these transcendent experiences that we’ve all had with our favorite art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.warrenthomasfenzi.com/epk
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omstheband, https://www.instagram.com/wtfenzi/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omstheband/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1V_Klks41j3JT1Tlt2lBpw
- Other: I’m releasing a new track on Friday, October 13th and would love if you guys could feature that in the article. Here’s a link where people can pre-save the track or listen (after the release date)… https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/omswarrenthomasfenzisandydelozier/100-degrees Would also love if you guys could embed the song in the article so people can listen right there. Thanks!
Image Credits
Photos by Josh Hild and Dominic Rischard