Rising Stars: Meet Parker Ainsworth of Venice

Today we’d like to introduce you to Parker Ainsworth.

Parker, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started where most kids start, in my bedroom, writing songs nobody asked for, and most of them weren’t very good. Austin in the 90s was a hell of a training ground though, and I went from playing in bands to deeply immersing myself in the underground rave scene. I began playing open mics till I got enough calluses to eventually leave and find out who I was. I was a late bloomer, albeit an avid believer that seeds have to get away from the trees they came from to grow into what they truly are. And so my move to Los Angeles accelerated everything. At first, I was living in my truck, touring the California coast, and something cracked open in me. One thing led to another and I found myself living on a sailboat, studying yoga, meditation, and breathwork, then backpacking India for seven months with a guitar, touring Europe, and somehow ending up as entertainment on polar expedition ships in both the Arctic and Antarctica. Whether I was searching or running, I honestly couldn’t tell you, probably a bit of both.
The pivot point came when some filmmaker friends I’d met in Venice called me in at the last minute to write a song for their film “The Peanut Butter Falcon.” That song, Running for So Long, felt like the beginning of something. Then the pandemic hit, a seven-year relationship with my then fiancé ended, and I found myself alone in a trailer renovating the cabin we were going to build a life together in out in the Mojave Desert. I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and I’d never felt so alone. There really is no loneliness like holding your own shadow in the desert wind. Things got darker and darker, and I seriously considered taking my own life. Music just felt like the memory of someone else’s dream. That turned out to be the initiation I didn’t know I needed. And, punctuated by psychedelic therapy and men’s work, I found a renewed sense of purpose and decided to go back to school to learn how to better integrate all my experiences.
The five years since have been spent rebuilding myself from the ground up. Studying Somatic Experiencing, breathwork, movement, meditation, men’s work, and now facilitating this for others as well. With this new foundation, the music came back in a more embodied way than ever, and I released a stripped-down collection of songs last year titled “Wearing No Clothes”. Recorded live in front of my girlfriend and friends, this album was a direct response to a general lack of vulnerability in the age of AI. I was inspired by what it feels like to actually be seen, to make something raw and real, and that’s what it is. These days, I split my time between Topanga and the High Desert, where I’m completing my next record, “Cactus Heart,” and cultivating a somatic practice that involves all the aforementioned modalities via one-on-one coaching, group retreats, and journeywork.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Though I omitted personal experiences with my family in the criminal justice system from an early age, I believe my previous confessions are conclusive. And I guess I see people like grapes or olives, in that elements of struggle generate resilience, increase capacity, and generally impart more flavor. That said, I find that continuing to identify with these hardships afterwards can become a bit of an ego trap, like an excuse as much as a reason. I’m not trying to sugarcoat, bypass, or diminish struggle here. It’s just that I’ve come to believe that pain is a signal to grow, and once it hardens into a fixed story explaining why I am the way I am, then it becomes less of a teacher and more of a cage.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am an artist, storyteller, and somatic facilitator combining the power of sound with narrative and embodied awareness to bring myself and others back, again and again, to the holy moment. I’ve spent most of my musical career honing the craft of songwriting as a doorway to those emotions that feel timeless by asking myself what makes a song work with nothing but a voice and a guitar. With this question as my lodestar, I wrote “Running For So Long” which still holds a special place in my heart. The last record I made seems to have been the natural end of that road, so I guess one could say I’m currently in another phase of exploration. What sets me apart from other Folk/Country/Singer-songwriters is my love for electronic music, which stems from my adolescence in the rave scene, paired with my interest in Somatic integration work and psychedelic therapy. I grew up going to see my mom at the rodeo, and later made my way to John Prine after years of techno and house music, so I suppose the term cosmic cowboy is a fitting one.

How do you define success?
Success to me is a two-part process. It’s being able to look in the mirror and love the person staring back at me, knowing I’m taking care of myself, respecting myself, and not bullshitting myself. Sure, I want full pockets and packed rooms, having fans sing my lyrics back to me is magical, and recognition from those I respect is always welcome, but if I’ve learned anything over the past decade, it’s that nothing matters more than having purpose and trusting my own word. Only after I’ve filled my own cup can I fully experience the second part, which is sharing the fruits of my labor with a loving community I hold in my heart.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.parkerainsworth.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parkerainsworth/

Image Credits
Jill Sutherland