Meet Brian Wiltsey | Singer/Songwriter/Musician/Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Wiltsey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I feel the most important factor of being a singer/songwriter is creativity. However, it is not just creativity in the sense of being able to write interesting music and lyrics. It’s having the creativity to constantly change my career path and utilize my talents to be able to make a living in various areas of the music and entertainment business. The business is always changing and you have to use creativity to keep up with the changes so that you continue to bring in an income while also enjoying yourself. Creativity is learning and applying new ways to be successful with the talents you have to offer. I always ask myself, what am I good at? And then I figure out how many different paths can I take with that talent to stay relevant in the music, while remaining passionate.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My passion for music started in the early 90s when the grunge scene began to explode. It was the perfect storm of being introduced to music that spoke to me at an age where I was trying to find myself and discover what talents I had inside of me that needed to be exposed.

I was a quick learner on the guitar and several instruments and I had already discovered that I could sing from being in the church choir and theatre a child. Mixing high school, a small rural New Jersey town, and the popularity of the 90s rock scene all together was the catalyst in becoming a musician and songwriter.

I formed a rock band in high school and then another one in college. It was the college band that introduced me to the life of being a touring and recording act. We were a stones throw away from signing a record deal. Unfortunately it did not come to fruition and after 5 years of touring the east coast and recording albums, we went our separate ways.

That is when I decided to pursue a career as a singer/songwriter in Atlanta, GA. It was 2001 and the Atlanta music scene was amazing! It was a place I could be a full time working musician. Even though I had a college degree, I had nothing else to fall back on. I was determined to make this work and show my talents to a new city!

To make a long story short, I went to every music venue and open mic night I could find. I networked with every musician I met or saw performing. I played every gig I was offered no matter the pay. The first few years was all about exposure and getting my name out there. It was the early 200os when grass roots promotion was the only way to get your music out there.

In the next 20 years I made a career out of performing cover gigs around town 4-5 nights a week, recording 6 solo albums, touring as a solo act with and without a backing band, opened for many popular acts including John Mayer, Edwin McCain, Angie Aparo, James Bay, Keane, Zac Brown, Fitz and The Tantrums, Glen Phillips, to name a few.

It was fun, but definitely not easy. Being a full time musician is a scary way to make a living. There is no job security or promise of an income. There is always the fear of getting too old for the business or losing the creative juices that are needed to sustain relevance. You can’t control what others think of your music and fans come and go as age and musical tastes change with everyone. I was told no by industry people more times that i can count. However I reached a level popularity in the competitive Atlanta music scene that I never thought I could achieve. I gained respect from many fellow musicians and built relationships with them that can never be replaced. I was able to experience things that not many get the chance to experience. And through it all, I never had to fall back on another career or income stream. I have sustained over 20 years of being a full time musician.

While I enjoyed touring as a solo act and the daily grind of performing, I always knew that my passion was songwriting and creating music. It was in 2017 that I decided to seriously pursue that side of the business. I was getting burned out by the performance and grass roots self promotion side. Plus, being married and raising 2 young daughters changed my priorities in life and also put an end to long road trips and the late night bar gigs.

I decided to continue to play cover gigs a few nights a week being very selective of the kinds of gigs I accepted. Being a self employed musician offers me the huge perk of working when I want and for who I want.

These cover gigs would supply me with a steady income to support my family and stay exposed to the public, while allowing me to dive deeper into the area I really wanted to be in.

After researching and taking online courses about licensing songs for tv and film use, I realized that I can use my songwriting and production talent for this. Even better is that I could do all of this in the comfort of my own home. I built a home studio and learned how to record music on my own. This is something I had no interest in back when I was trying to be a touring artist. In those days I paid others to produce and record my albums. I never thought twice about wanting to take on that tedious task.

But times have changes and so has the music landscape. Now everyone has access to recording gear and getting their music out to the world with the click of a mouse. I needed to get with the times as well.

I spent a year learning the ropes of writing music to tv/film, meeting likeminded songwriters, and submitting my music to every licensing agency I could find.

That year paid off and I am now signed to several agencies and record music in my home studio. My proudest moments came when I landed my first song placement on an ABC sitcom called “Schooled” for the final scene of the series’ final episode. This was then followed by a song of mine used for the season finale of “America’s Funniest Home Videos”.

My talent of being a songwriter landed me on a new level of success and a very good payday! A level that I want to continue to flourish in. A level that allows me to balance to family life with music life.

I continue to write music for the purpose of tv/film placement and I am about to release my 7th solo album this spring! I’m very proud of this new album. It is the first one that I self-produced and played almost all of the instruments on. My many years of songwriting have led me writing what I feel is my best work yet and I’m very proud of what I was able to accomplish on my own in my small bedroom studio.

I feel my creativity and passion for songwriting is more fulfilling than ever and I would not still be doing this for a living if I did not push through the many years of ups and downs and growing as an artist.

In this business you need to constantly be studying and researching the latest trends and direction of the music industry. Don’t just follow one path. Use your talents and creativity to fulfill several areas in our industry. I have felt burned out many times by being a musician and have come very close to giving up, but with the support from my family and friends, along with trying out new ways to stay motivated and rewarded, I keep going and reaching new goals!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to several of the music venues that I used to frequent when I was getting my start here as a musician and are staples of Atlanta: Eddies Attic, Smith’s Olde Bar, The Vinyl, Tabernacle, Red Light Cafe, and the place where I spent most of my years and met my wife…Tin Roof Cantina.

We would spend the day checking out vinyl and consignment shops in Little Five Points, Decatur, downtown Alpharetta.

Probably get a burger at the Vortex or a steak at Oak Steakhouse in Alpharetta.

And then have some drinks on a rooftop patio bar or one of the trendy new breweries that are popping everywhere around town.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My wife, Katie Wiltsey, deserves credit and recognition for allowing me to continue to grow as a full-time singer/songwriter. Balancing a family life with the music business is very tough and it takes having a partner that believes in you and motivates you to keep going. Many musicians hang it up when they start a family and feel the pressures of supporting that family when there is no job security in the music world. Katie does not let me give up or get down on myself and encourages me to pursue my musical goals.

Website: www.brianwiltsey.com

Instagram: brianwiltseymusic

Other: linktr.ee/brianwiltsey