Today we’d like to introduce you to Zachariah Witcher.
Hi Zachariah, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Short version is…my first instrument was drums around 4 or 5 years old. Apparently the man that was playing bass at the church I went to at that time was boring to me and I wanted to teach him how to be less boring (according to my maw) so she bought me a bass.
I went to Belmont in 2009 and graduated in 2013 and have been a full time musician since then. I’ve been doing a bit of everything that comes my way whether it be sessions, in town jazz gigs, touring, quick one off gigs with an artist, etc. I think just from being consistent and working with lots of talented musicians my name has been passed around to some pretty great circles.
These days work is mostly split between 4 touring artists, producing and a few other things I’ve picked up along the way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I wouldn’t say smooth the whole time at all. I don’t know that any musicians journey is smooth the entire time. Lots of growth comes through the struggle so I’d say…I’ve definitely experienced my fair share of growth.
Everything from tours being cancelled to racial tension in certain cities or camps. Had months without gigs so it gets hard to pay for simple things like food and gas. Not to mention trying to have a personal life and keep mental and spiritual well being in check. It can be A LOT to balance sometimes.
I wouldn’t trade my job for any other job but…it has definitely had its fair share of very tough days.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Two separate business here. I’ll separate them and explain a little about each.
OffBrand Entertainment is a live music production company run by my brother Daniel Ian Jones and I. He is a DJ so he mainly works corporate events or at some of Nashvilles best rooftop venues as well as curating parties and events of his own. I work more with artists and bands. I do everything from finding a band and rehearsing them for a tour to writing charts and making arrangements in Ableton.
I think our main difference is our desire to champion artists. We really want to work with them to get to THEIR vision. We want to grow with an artist not just get a quick check.
(https://www.offbrandentertainmentofficial.com)
Witcher Family Ventures is an LLC my wife and I started to house our side projects. Currently we are mainly building websites and small scale applications to help with everyday problems. A main difference with our apps is that for most of them we want to lean away from the subscription model. Buy it and it’s yours. People are sick of subscriptions and we just wanna make good products that last.
(https://www.thewfv.com)
Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
If I had to give “ 3 easy steps” I’d say:
1) be yourself 2) be honest 3) listen and learn
I think being in the right rooms has a ton to do with finding “the right people” but once you find the room…you need to be comfortable and confident enough in yourself to not make things weird but to also present whatever it is you’re bringing to the table.
Go to places that you find inspiring and just watch how the room operates. Listen to how the music is being made and see how others are networking and/or making friends. Learn the environment and then if it’s a good environment for you…be a part. If it’s not…keep it moving. Everything ain’t for everybody.
As far as a mentor…I think it’s a lot of the same stuff. If you find someone you’d like to learn from go say hello. Tell them what you appreciate about their musicianship or whatever it is and ask if they have time to help or any information that they could share. I don’t think it needs to be complicated at all.
Pricing:
- $70/hour for lessons. Bass, Music Production, Music Theory, DJing, Keeping A Gig, etc
- $400+ Website Building. Depending on scale and operation.
- Contact for pricing: Bass Tracking/Production/Beat Making
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.blackxneck.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackxneck
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@urbanspabyprodbyblackxneck
- Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/MD8asFMQGLpzF5NltR
- Other: https://linktr.ee/prodbyblackxneck
