Today we’d like to introduce you to Trace Faulkner.
Hi Trace, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was drawn to music early, I can’t really remember a time in my life where it wasn’t the thing that mattered most to me. I started taking piano lessons around 7 and then saxophone in the 6 grade for school band, but soon switched to trumpet the year after. I got my first guitar for my 16th birthday and fell even more in love with playing music after that and couldn’t wait to be in a band. So when I was 18 some friends and I started the band Blotter in the suburbs of Houston, TX. We played mostly classic rock and 90’s alternative rock songs, but here I started writing my own songs even tho they were few. Them my first real heartbreak at around 19 led to my starting the band Jarvis with some friends and writing songs really took over my identity. From Houston to Austin at 21 playing in various indie weirdo bands and soaking up the live music scene. There I became apart of the band Halley, a self described “space rock juggernaut”. We recorded endlessly even tho we only put out one release, 2002’s Forget The Leaves Autumn Will Change Us. Many other bands and solo ventures brought me to meeting a country singer holed up in the hill country of central Texas and I started writing songs for her leading me to moving my family to Nashville in 2013. Since then I’ve been playing, writing and recording with various artists (The Lonely Bastards, Mercy Bell, Benjamin Stranger, Paisley Fields, The Stoves, Megan Palmer, Great American Canyon Band) as well as releasing my own music.
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?
It is most definitely not a smooth road, its not entirely rocky and unnavigable either.
Its probably the same as any other industry or life path tho, the main thing that can hold you back is yourself. The self esteem of it all really comes into play, especially big music cities that have someone in every venue doing the same deal you are, comparison is the thief of joy type of thing. Also the substances that come into play are not very kind and can stoke the fire of any poor mental health situation. But I’d say ego and self-sabotage are the biggest obstacles that get in the way.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Mostly I’d say I’m a songwriter, I make music. I love to dig into the craft of creating a memorable tune. I try to bring a center to the creative process, keep everything on track and leaving room for experimentation and exploration at the same time. I try to leave as few fingerprints on other people’s music as I can, making sure that I’m honoring the art they are creating. I like to tell artists I’m working with: “I’ll do as little or as much as you want me to”.
I’m still super proud of the Halley album FORGET THE LEAVES AUTUMN WILL CHANGE US. We made that on our own with borrowed and possibly pirated equipment figuring it all out as we went along. It sounds like a time capsule to me and is a good reminder that just some friends hanging out making something to have a good time can be incredible.
I’d say my temperament and overall vibe I bring sets me apart. I’m forever trying to shed more and more of my ego and any hubris that keeps hanging on. Almost everyone can make music in their home or wherever now. I think its the relationship to each other that makes it special.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I’m all about it, making art is all about risks. Its inviting someone else into your psyche and saying ‘hey poke around and watch me be vulnerable’. I feel that so many artists are playing to the executives only these days and not sharing enough of their true selves. That’s a sure fire way to sound/look/feel like someone else’s personality and that’s doing no favors to you or the people who need the art you’re making. It’s a disservice to everyone to water down what you are to play it safe.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://tracefaulknermusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/songcyclehouse/
- Other: https://tracefaulkner.bandcamp.com/
