Today we’d like to introduce you to Ian Roesch.
Hi Ian, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My earliest memory of playing music was taking group piano lessons at our local mom-and-pop music store called “Piano Time” – if I’m the name remembering correctly. My parents felt it would be a good outlet for me at the time. I couldn’t have been older than 4 or 5. Ever since a young age, I was incredibly enamored with music. It seemed to be alchemical – a sort of sonic wizardry that was allusive to my senses. I remember watching a live orchestra play at the Civic Arts Plaza in my hometown and thinking about how incredible the level of expression was through these ancient designs – “Really? That sound is coming through a few pieces of wood with strings on it?” Following that concert, I proceeded to pick up a couple of different instruments over the years; violin, trumpet, bass guitar, French horn, guitar, and more recently piano. I was most serious about bass guitar for many years through high school and into college until a brief hiatus when I was going through your run of the mill existential crisis freshman year of college.
A year or so later, I really started to pick up the guitar and after a tough breakup and some challenging depression, I somewhat unwittingly made a dedication to becoming the best possible guitarist and musician I could. Not only was it a great way to get my mind off of things, but it was also an emotional outlet that saved my life at the time. I had always wanted to pursue the creation of my own music but my fears of failure and the societal stigmas around the arts kept showing up time and again as a roadblock for me. It was that emotional rock bottom that actually gave me freedom from the fears that had stopped me before. It seemed like nothing could possibly be worse. Plus none of those fears were never very real anyway. And so I finally leaned in and decided to chase my deepest passion which was music. I started with the basics. Becoming a foundationally solid musician. Then I branched out to playing around wherever I could; open mics, friends bands. Whoever was open to it. Slowly it evolved into a deeper studying of music and ultimately me breaking into recording music. I had written for years but always had a tough time finishing tunes. One day a switch flipped. A few of my closest friends and family are definitely to thank for that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I may have covered some of this in my background but there were definitely some struggles over the years. I think many of them have been internal more than anything. The external game has been rather smooth and I really am grateful for that. Music is an incredibly raw and vulnerable thing at times which makes it beautiful and also painful. There is a lot of self-criticisms involved. As well as a lot of self-doubt and doubt from others around you. At some point, you realize it’s hard – musician or not – to share the intricacies of your passion or visions with others. You may find others who deeply relate or can understand. But the whole picture is often reserved for you only. You realize you’re ultimately the person who has to have your back 100% in order to make it through to realizing your dreams. That in itself, I think is a huge obstacle to overcome. I’ve had my fair share of battles with depression and anxiety which makes creating very challenging. It plays on your self-esteem and makes you doubt everything you’re doing. I’ve tried to do my best at taking those feelings and experiences and translating them into more creation and expression. As I’ve gotten better at that, I’ve been able to more easily overcome those moments of self-doubt by turning to music in order to heal and transmute that pain into music. Inadvertently piecing together the puzzle of that sonic wizardry I witnessed when I was younger. It was musicians just putting their hearts out there.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I mainly record my own original music at the moment. When the opportunity comes up, I am happy to record with and for other people. I make music under my own moniker “Sonic Elixirs” and also I work frequently with my friend Alex Tillman AKA Mercury Lens. When the timing is right, we work on experimental music under the name First Flame. He’s also producing my next second debut single as Sonic Elixirs. Another good friend of mine, Austin Asvanonda, is an incredibly talented mixing engineer and I have worked on countless things with him and I am always ready to say yes whenever he needs ideas or playing on recordings. Or even just a set of ears to give some feedback. My main instruments are guitar and bass but I have been branching out into pianos and synths the last two years. I think my strengths lie in composition and actual playing. I enjoy going to people who spend a lot of time working hard and passionately at their specific skills and hiring them for the parts I am not so trained in. Rather than fumbling around on my own.
For example, mixing, mastering, producing. With that said, I am leaning into my own production more recently to explore songs deeper when others aren’t around. I think I am most proud of my debut single. It came together in a beautiful way with so many talented people who I feel honored to work with. I think the goal is to make the thing I’m most proud of the last thing I recorded. I can’t truly say what sets me apart from others. But I would like to think I have a very radical mind when it comes to creating and that it finds its way into my music. I think I am willing to take a long, methodical hike to get to where I’m going and in return, I find a lot of unique things along the way.
Any big plans?
I have an album planned to release sometime mid-year next year and so for the time being the main focus is to record, record, record. So I’m really looking forward to that. I also have been branching out to collaborate in some form or another with some of my favorite people and so I’m excited to see what happens. I think the biggest change coming is just releasing more music into the world rather than sitting on it. A teacher once told me your only job is to release music. Not to decide whether it’s good or not. That’s for consumers. That inspired me to not overthink the songs too much – but trust myself and just let my flag fly.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://linktr.ee/sonicelixirs
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonicelixirs/
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2iY6WNGX3tZnLx7brJwZ1h?si=qp59ktxGS1KbuF15Ws_ZXw
Image Credits
JON DEMOREST, OMEED RABANI, SEAN WILLIAMSON, ALISSA LEONE
