Seth Turner

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Interview with Seth Turner

Published on 3/30/2004

By Artistopia

Q. At what age did you realize you wanted to become a music artist and why? It was the summer between my junior and senior years of high school….I would have been 16 at the time. My chorus teacher asked me to audition for a local music show he was a partner in. After my first performance, I had the entire auditorium on their feet. It was such a rush. I knew right then and there that that was what I was going to do with my life. Q. Most music artists have that special someone or thing that influenced their decision to do music. Did anyone or something in your life play a major role in influencing you to go into the music business? Well, besides the music show, I would have to say that learning to play the guitar had a great deal to do with fueling the passion. Guitar = girls Q. In terms of the music, which major artist(s) influenced your style and why? In the beginning, I was a real fan of Dwight Yoakam, Alan Jackson, Randy Travis, and a few others. Since then, I have become a fan of the older artists, Merle Haggard, George Jones, Waylon and Willie. I go as far back as Hank Sr., Lefty Frizell, Tex Ritter. I love country music old and new. Q. With so many independent artists trying to make it, what makes you stand out from the competition? I’m unique. Although my music is traditionally country, it has an edge in its lyrics. The fans that I have developed so far can relate to the honesty in my music. I write songs the way I live them, or at least most of them. I write as I live, love, succeed, or fail, etc., etc. In life and in my music, I call things as I see them, I don’t pull any punches or “sugar coat” much. It shows in the songs I write. Q. Music industry professionals are quick to say that being an artist means to gracefully fit a marketable niche in the industry. If you were offered an opportunity that asked you to be something you are not, would you do it to get your foot in the door? I suppose that I should answer this question like a politician would, but no I wouldn’t. I will fail as me before I ever succeed as someone else. Q. Making music is one thing, selling it is another. What types of strategies do you use to promoting your artistic work and getting it heard by the proper professionals? For the most part, I play my music for my friends and just about anyone who wants to listen. I have a few things recorded that have been sent around to different places, but my main promotion tool has come from word of mouth. Q. In regards to wheeling and dealing, how important do you feel business knowledge is to making it in an industry filled with much heartache? This is a business first and foremost. If someone gets too caught up with the business end of this emotionally, they’re going to get overwhelmed and frustrated. In the end, they are the ones who walk away, the ones who’s friends all say “He/she could have been one of the best.” That’s the nature of the beast though, as artists, we are filled with way too much passion for our own good. Following your heart can only take you so far. Knowing what the hell you are talking about when you walk into a meeting counts for a hell of a lot more. Q. Let's fast forward to 5 years from now. What advice would you offer to struggling independent artists? Give me your demo and contact info. I wish the people that I have met would have done that for me. It’s one of my goals to find and help young artists who were in the same boat as I have been. It’s important for me to remember where I came from. Q. Most successful artists are involved in charitable organizations that stand for a cause that hits close to home. In that regard, once you reach success, what charitable cause(s) would you like to be involved in and why? I would become an advocate for breast cancer and awareness. My ex-wife and the mother of my son has recently been stricken with the disease. She’s had surgery, chemotherapy, and is currently undergoing radiation therapy to help overcome this. We won’t know anything for sure for a while, but she is in good spirits and we are all very optimistic for her recovery. It’s such a cliché, but you never think that these things will happen to you or your family, when they do, it really hits home. Well, we thank you for taking the time to interview with us and certainly wish you the best in your music career endeavors. There you have it ladies and gentlemen, an inside look into the mind of an independent artist struggling to bring their hard work to fruition in an industry where perseverance and thick skin means survival. No one said it would be easy.



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Interview with Seth Turner