Today we’d like to introduce you to Isaiah Beard.
Every artist has a unique story. Can you briefly walk us through yours?
I started playing music when I was very young, my mother made my sister and I play instruments and take lessons. I played violin until I was 12 and then began playing guitar. From 12 – 16 I was playing electric guitar in a progressive rock/metal band, a lot of wild time signatures and kind of flashy tapping. Around that time, I also got pretty deep into drugs and drinking which took a serious toll on my mental health and family relationships. As a result of my drug use, I was sent to a rehab/high school in North Western Montana, at which there was no internet or private listening of music; if you wanted to hear music you had to play it/write it. I then began writing songs at this school, with a very attentive audience of kids who had quite the desire to hear music. At this school I was lucky enough to meet a teacher who would give incredibly constructive criticism for my songs, as well as got me prepared to audition at Berklee. At Berklee, and specifically in 270 Commonwealth Ave. I met my bandmates and closest friends. From there it was off to the races musically. For our recent release “Crete”, I took the band back to North Idaho/Montana to my teacher’s studio and we wrote and did most of the tracking there.
Please tell us about your art.
So BAERD as band makes music! We call it progressive folk music, but frankly it is more of an amalgamation of our varied influences as a band. I usually show up to rehearsal with a new song, or the rice as I say, and then the band brings the chicken and veggies and we end up with a full stir-fry of a song. I hope people simply relate the music to their own lives, and feel whatever is relevant to their current experience should it be of use. The best part about music is the community it can create, weather that be in dancing and grooving, or in feeling spoken too/feeling heard or not alone in any specific problem.
We often hear from artists that being an artist can be lonely. Any advice for those looking to connect with other artists?
Collaborate radically, and while collaborating be vulnerable! If you take a risk while creating someone else will feel it, it the art can quite literally invite people into your life!
How or where can people see your work? How can people support your work?
BAERD’s music can be found everywhere online. I sew hats myself that can be purchased on Band camp, Vinly will also be available very soon via bandcamp.
Contact Info:
- Website: baerdmusic.com
- Phone: 7088225180
- Email: baerdmgmt@gmail.com
- Instagram: baerdmusic
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baerdmusic/
Image Credit:
Joel Gardella, Ben Knorr
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