Today we’d like to introduce you to CJ Land.
Hi CJ, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
As a child my mother began giving me vocal lessons, primarily in traditional country music.
As a teenager we moved to Templeton, California living in a small trailer down by the railroad tracks.
With the Salinas river just a short walk away, this would become my backyard for many years where I began writing songs on an old hand-me-down acoustic guitar that she had given me. I still play that same guitar today.
Down the road, I became a vocalist and electric guitar player for the California based band “The Axia” 2005-2014 As well as a Guitarist for the band 00-Metro 2000-03 and co-founded another group called The Rain For Rent Project. In 2015 I would embark on a solo career playing small intimate venues as well as large scale events such as concerts in the park, music festivals, corporate events, wineries, as well as intimate shows at bars, clubs and private parties primarily along the Central Coast of California.
In 2020 I was forced to stop performing and close my recording studio and artist services warehouse called “The One Stop Shop Slo”. I had a nice recording studio, as well as a four color T-shirt printing press and offered professional CD duplication, artist press kits as well as hosting local events providing live sound from time to time.
In order to be involved in music full time in small town setting I found myself doing just about everything I could to help local artists and the music scene in my hometown.
After being forced to shut down my company and having over a hundred gigs cancelled during the first year of the pandemic I moved from the Central Coast of California to Amarillo, Texas in 2021. While there I fixed up an old dilapidated house my wife and I had purchased years prior as a rental property. At night I heard stories and watched old reruns of the Grand Ole Opry show on the digital rabbit ears. After much thought and realizing where so many of the songwriters I admired had traveled to in order to become discovered, I packed up and headed to Nashville, Tennessee.
After performing at local writer rounds I connected with a former Johnny Cash guitar player. Together we cut the album “Storm Chaser” in my little Nashville home studio and it was released earlier this year. It gained some traction on radio, primarily overseas but unfortunately I have been unable to perform live due to financial and family related issues.
Nashville is a very expensive place to live now and it’s really a struggle at the moment for a singer songwriter like myself to make ends meet but I’ve also learned so much from the writers here that it’s been worth it so far.
I’m hoping to be discovered one day in the singer songwriter community. I truly feel I have something to contribute in a unique, original heart felt way. The end goal is reaching music listeners everywhere through myself or another performing artist.
Some of my singer songwriter influences come from such artists as Marty Robbins, Townes Van Zandt, Jerry Reed, Ryan Bingham, Waylon Jennings but I also have an extensive hard rock and heavy metal background.
What I’m currently doing now is blending the styles of Southern Rock, Outlaw Country with my original singer songwriter music. It can be found on all streaming platforms under CJ Land.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
No, not at all. I wouldn’t wish anyone to go through what I have been through.
For myself the gigs were pretty seasonal and for several months out of the year I would work odd jobs. Usually construction.
I have gone through periods of homelessness, over came a bad drug addiction, did some jail time, had two felony convictions by age 23. When I got out of doing a year in county jail I made a promise to god to stay sober and through prayer he told me to follow my love of music. I’ve been on that path ever since 1997.
There’s been a few bumps in the road but overall I have kept moving onward.
I watched the Los Angeles music scene fold like a taco a long time ago and I’m watching it happen all over again here in Nashville. It just takes out pricing the locals.
On top the industry continues to have a race to the bottom, especially with the streaming services issues.
I’m not sure how they expect us to survive.
The human numbers keep going down while the AI generated music is going through the roof.
Seriously, I gotta say that the last time I turned on Spotify to hear my music while driving in the car, right after my music was over there was five AI generated artist that came on in a row. Now that was a horrible experience lol!!
Now that the streaming services are being run by AI, please folks start to paying attention to what music is popping up on your players. AI ran software loves the new AI generated music that fits all it’s required algorithms.
I feel soon enough music row won’t be able to compete.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I can tell one heck of a story, followed by a heart felt song.
I perform primarily on 12 string acoustic guitars, finger picking in dropped tunings.
My voice has gotten really seasoned over the years and I’m proud of what I sound like now.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
My family and god. Without them I am nothing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cjlandmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjlandmusic/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cjlandmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CJLandMusic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/cjland
