Today we’d like to introduce you to Leben Bleasdale, HUSHWESTCOAST.
Leben, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I grew up in a town along the outskirts of the east bay area along the Yolo – Solano greenbelt, a small town called Dixon. Farm town- think small businesses, single high school, cornfields, pick up trucks, Friday night football, etc. I’ve heard it said that when you grow up in a small town you either find something to occupy your time or you find yourself some trouble. If I wasn’t playing music or finding others to play it with, trouble was finding me so I’d like to think there’s some truth to that.
I made my way out to Los Angeles in early 2016, playing with friends, acquaintances, anyone who would have me. Somewhere along the line, I found that performing other people’s music while fun, wasn’t necessarily as fulfilling as I might have hoped. But what I lacked in original material I made up for in new talented friends, songwriters, musicians, and engineers most of whom I met here, or on the road which is how HUSH was started. Everyone in our line up had played, written, or toured together at one point or another, and has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had to date since moving to Los Angeles.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
HUSH is a band but it hardly does it justice to put it so simply. HUSH is the collective musical and creative efforts of a number of people. The songs don’t exclusively come from anyone member, everything brought to the table is run through all five us in some manner to create the final product that is our music. It’s collaborative. That same ethos applies itself to all forms of media we put out, whether it be a video, single artwork, merch designs-
everything is a collaboration with another artist, director, photographer, producer, you name it. Los Angeles has a rough population of four million people. Chances are someone here has the knowledge, the vision, or the skills to bring any idea we may have to live- and I’d like to think that we capitalize on this consistently.
I often try to reflect on some degree what we have to offer as far as a message. What do we possess musically that resonates with people if anyone at all? I know lyrically I’m always trying to come from a place of honesty. Sometimes that reflects poorly on me, but it’s always honest. I think that if we do one thing well if we are told one thing most often, its that people can relate to our music. I think whether it be about heartbreak, coming to terms, celebrating, running away from something, having to accept consequences for something- I try my best to strip the self-importance out of it because ultimately we all experience these things at one point or another. I think when people come to a show or listen to our music they hear or see a little bit of themselves in it. I think in a lot of ways that is what HUSH is.
The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
Work within your means. Often times a lack of resources can be seen as limiting but it can be an opportunity to find creative solutions and open new doors. As far as music goes, I don’t ever remember there being any rules as to how to create the best possible product, and some of the music I love the most has come from bedrooms and basements.
I’ve said it before too- collaborate. Maybe you don’t have all the pieces to puzzle available to you, but you’re holding at least one. Find the other people around you who make your puzzle a whole. Often times, you’ll be surprised at what you come up with.
I’ll level with you, I’ve experienced “financial challenges” countless times on my journey as an artist and expect to continue to do so. If you love what you do, and you find personal fulfillment doing it, it’s worth every penny. I funnel quite a bit of what I earn into doing what I do. If I’m lucky, I make it back, but profit is not the reason one should be in the arts. If this is what you were always gonna do, what you were supposed to do, then make sure you do it, at any cost.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
We’re working on our online presence and visibility. It’s an uphill battle. I’ve found that we say it best through music so I first and foremost push people to our Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zOl8DNXjc7HJAdWvNFEmx Its current with all our releases and we update a playlist weekly with music we find inspiration from and also include our peers work so often times you might stumble across something new there.
Aside from Spotify, you can find our socials across the board as @HUSHWESTCOAST but I find myself so often saying that sharing our music, bringing friends to our shows is the best possible way to help.
Contact Info:
- Website: hushwestcoast.com
- Phone: (707) 685 3744
- Email: hushwestcoast@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hushwestcoast/
- Facebook: facebook.com/hushwestcoast
- Twitter: twitter.com/hushwestcoast
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1zOl8DNXjc7HJAdWvNFEmx
Image Credit:
Alex Colemenares
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