Today we’d like to introduce you to Elliot Schwartzman.
Elliot, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
Music has been a life long adventure for me.. I started studying piano and violin when I was six years old. When I was 14, my parents bought me my first guitar. By the time I was 16 aside from having already performed in many solo piano recitals and school orchestra events, I joined my first band, ‘Out of the Blue’. We were a blues and rock band and our friends in high school loved to joke they knew the band! It was a lot of fun. By 19, I was ready to leave my hometown after having formed my second band at 18 which spent a year or so playing bars and coffee shops around Rochester, NY. In 2006 I decided to continue my education at Arizona State University and so I moved cross country, of course, to be followed five months later by my band, ‘BTP’. With my best friends and bandmates in tow, I had little success concentrating on school so I quickly dropped out and pursued music further. After a three year stint in Arizona, I was again ready for a change which is how I found myself in Los Angeles. I had a slow rise gradually learning about the freelance musician life that exists in big cities like LA and NYC. Slowly I hit some milestones having started to have my name circulate around town as a solid keyboard player. Eventually I landed a fun secret show event accompanying Jason Mraz, not long after that I found myself on my first national tour with American Idol finalist Casey Abrams, next came now household name actress Zendaya accompanying her on a brief stint in music, then the first real life changing gig came when I was picked up by country music legend Dwight Yoakam. For 2.5yrs I played as Dwight’s multiinstrumentalist which was quite an adventure. During that time I also quietly released my first attempt at a solo record titled ‘California Cold’. Not long after I was introduced to the management team for the internationally famous rock band ‘Imagine Dragons’. I’ve toured the globe with these guys for 2+ years now and it’s been an insane ride. Recently I reconnected with my guys from my old band ‘BTP,’ and we’re close to completion of a full length album of all our old tunes of which we never recorded. We’re super excited to release it this summer and return to our roots to perform for the first time in many years on August 23rd at the Fairport Music Festival. Thats a slice of my story to date.. plenty of wild details I’ll save for another time!
We’d love to hear more about your music. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
As a solo artist, I’ve found music to be a great source of therapy. I don’t write a lot but when I do it’s simply out of necessity. I’m grateful I have this outlet for those times I just need to let something out. Though I’ve not put enough energy into sharing my music, I do think it’s important to let the world hear it.. I think music has always been an incredible way for people to get connected in a very real way. When it comes to working with my band, ‘BTP’, it’s always been about living in the moment, having fun, and exploring music through improvisation. Some of my happiest days have been found in a dark, dingy rehearsal studio in a sketchy part of town surrounded by my best friends just making noise. Lastly, as a sideman or freelance musician, I think the number one focus is helping an artist relay their vision to an audience. There’s always a varying degree of room to put your own touch to the music but I think the best sidemen can read the situation and find that balance to help the artist share their vision.
What do you think it takes to be successful as an artist?
I’ve been in Los Angeles for 11 years.. it’s a crazy city, I think a lot of people will tell you what you think success is or what it looks like but I’ve found through all my work that being true to your self is the only real measure of success. Deep down, we all have the desire to feel loved and be happy and when we present ourselves in an honest way the universe tends to open up. Beyond that, the rest is material and so much of the beauty in this world lies in our diversity so there’s no right or wrong for any one person. Enjoy the journey. 🙂
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 work?
My solo record is titled “California Cold” and can be found on all major platforms where digital music is found. Also, I have a blast sharing my journey through social media mainly on Instagram @elliotshorts.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.elliotschwartzman.com
- Instagram: elliotshorts
Image Credit:
@chicbox.photography
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