So many artists chase their dreams instead of letting everything unfold organically. That is what Gullickson is talking about – believing in yourself and pacing yourself and being open and ready for opportunities to present themselves. “The right people are going to come, and the right contract, and the right support team to lift them up as an artist and surround them with the right people,” he said. “Because, when you are ready, those opportunities will come. You won’t have to chase them down. They’re going to come to you.”
Part of being open to those opportunities is never saying, ‘No’ when an opportunity presents itself. “Say yes to every opportunity that comes,” Gullickson advises. “Don’t sit there and think about it and talk yourself out of it because you don’t know what’s on the other side.”
One of those opportunities recently presented itself to Gullickson. Several years ago, he had a band, performing under the name RadioDrive. As so often happens, the band broke up.
“It’s a hard thing to keep a band together because you have to have a vision and a focus that everyone can agree on and if you’re not going anywhere you can easily become divided or discouraging for some of the band members,” Gullickson said. “You’ve got to focus on something driving the band that is bigger than yourselves. Then it is easy to get the right people and keep the momentum going.”
After the original RadioDrive broke up, Gullickson saw an opportunity to continue making music under that name. He became his own band.
“I had a band together and we broke up and, instead of being defeated, I thought I am going to learn these parts,” he said. “I can play drums and keyboard and rhythm guitar but I couldn’t play lead guitar so I thought I was going to learn how.” That is just what he did, and recording albums playing every instrument himself.
What if someone doesn’t have the inclination or ability to play every instrument? “Let’s just say there’s somebody who can only play guitar or something,” Gullickson began. “There are online communities where you can connect with people who can play the drum part or the bass part. They will record their part and send you that file and you put it together.”
Gullickson also took the time to attend The Recording Workshop in Chillicothe, Ohio, where he learned all about the recording process, which has been an invaluable tool to him as he built his home studio. “Even for just a couple hundred dollars you can get some starter recording stuff,” he said. “So you make that investment and connect with these people and you have a whole band at your disposal. Just make those connections through various music communities. There’s really no excuse why you can’t get something done or get to the next level.”
Writing and performing his music for a while, Gullickson has seen the landscape of the music scene change. In the early 1980’s, MTV revolutionized how we heard, and viewed music. Just as MTV departed from their 24/7 music video agenda, other doors opened for artists, like YouTube. Now almost anyone can sit down to their computer and write and record their own music along with filming their own videos, all without breaking the bank.
“For an indie artist getting started, my advice is just getting started right where you are at,” Gullickson advised. “For me, I started recording my songs on a computer and I learned how to use the software and everything. I went to a recording school and learned how to record my own music. I started developing my own songs and that allowed me the freedom and flexibility to work at my own pace.”
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