We’re looking forward to introducing you to Cabell Harris. Check out our conversation below.
Cabell, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I wake up around 6:30am and walk outside and pick a lavender flower from my garden, then go back in and make an oatmilk cappuccino poured over lavender…..Then I get out my notebook and write out all the tasks I need to work on that day listed out. After I feel like I have a pretty good idea of my priorities I do a couple hundred ear training questions: pitch, chord types, and chord progressions. Then I put on a youtube video about art, culture or history and start my task list. Usually the first thing on the list is either a compositional thing or a songwriting thing. I love this routine…it’s helped me stay sharp and create an enormous body of work – unreleased yes, some even lost….but I’ve created an over whelming amount of work.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a songwriter, composer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist. I’m also a 3rd generation artist from a family of predominantly oil painters stretching all the way back to the early 1900s in Brooklyn, NY.
Earlier in my public career I was known as a performer and songwriter; since then I’ve managed to build a career in composition and production. I now do both and am constantly trying to marry the two without one burying the other.
As a performer I was most known for blues rock with some experimental aspects under the moniker Broke in Stereo. This project is super meaningful to me for endless reasons. It was one that I experienced a lot of acceptance and success as well as the need to prove myself from rejection. I now have a ton of songs that I’m extremely excited about and just hesitating to share because I know the work involved to promote is more than it used to be….A lot of music I’m really proud of is on the way soon though.
As a composer, I’ve actually built a reputation in LA over the last few years and feel like I’m finally breaking through with a community I really respect and admire. I’ve been working in the TV space writing additional music. Artistically I have an album coming out that I’m planning to release in the coming weeks/months. Beyond that I have a huge library of unheard work ranging from, symphonic orchestral music to atmospheric synth. Actually, I also play and compose a lot of jazz; and I founded an LA based jazz project “Yeah Man”.
My story has a lot of twists and turns so I’ll stop there and let people look me up if they want to know more.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
I think most people saw me more clearly in some ways and not at all in other ways. As a teenager I started having people tell me things about myself that I shrugged off as over complimentary. As a young artist in my 20s I also had people encouraging me in ways I didn’t yet have ambition. Every new place I moved to it seemed like the same reaction from the people around me. I think I stand out whether I want to or not.
Now I’ve heard it from enough people that the bell can’t be un-rung. I also feel like I saw it, and then even realized the things they hadn’t even seen. My confidence can be overbearing for some people but I think it’s a superpower. I really like that I was recognized early by a lot of people and I feel obligated to stay the course to not waste their blessings.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
When I’m doubted by others or when other people don’t hear or see the same thing I do it can confuse me. I’m always concerned that I’ll be misunderstood and without the context my intentions are not received properly – since that’s something I’ve experienced a lot. I’ve had a lot of opportunities as well but since we’re talking about fears….it warps my sense of reality when I feel strongly about what I’ve created and I don’t see their understanding reflected by people around me. I think that’s common for artists but rarely articulated.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. Where are smart people getting it totally wrong today?
Context. I see a lot of people that are articulate and educated misusing and misunderstanding facts to suit their agendas. Facts are not facts. Facts need context. Context can also easily be reshaped which is why facts are not facts and if you ask statisticians I think they would agree. Statistics are measurable facts that can be used in different sets of context.
That’s why art is so important. It’s a nearly intangible way of providing context beyond the very very linear power of words.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Have you ever gotten what you wanted, and found it did not satisfy you?
This is interesting because I feel extremely satisfied when the context of what I wanted stays the same. Otherwise, yes – if the target is moving or the cost to achieve something is a carrot on a fishing rod for a horse then I’ll often feel robbed of my journey to achieving it. I generally want less carrot dangling outcomes but that’s tough because non-material goals can also be the same…..
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cabellharris.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brokeinstereo/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cabell-harris/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brokeinstereo/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Brokeinstereo
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/the_cabell
Image Credits
Janice Hiromi Reinold
https://www.instagram.com/chasinghiromi/
www.chasinghiromi.com
