Meet John Stephens | Sarode and Sitar Player & Music Teacher

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

Hi John, how does your business help the community?
Art is very important! Everyone interacts with art, whether they think of it that way or not. It probably plays a big role in their lives. Whatever form of entertainment someone enjoys, it is likely the result of a collaborative effort of countless artists, musicians, writers, performers, etc., many of them relatively unknown. It is so important to support and foster a culture that cares for and appreciates its artists.

So I think of my work as a musician as a small part in this important chain that is the arts community. My main interest is not to accrue personal achievements, but to help provide people with a way to connect with beauty in their own lives. Teaching is of paramount importance to me, as I think the personal practice of music is one of the most substantial experiences people can have with music. The character building, life lessons, and experiences of flow states and beauty that can result from learning music are immense.

Live performance is also so important. Getting people in a room together to spend an hour or two listening to acoustic music in 2024 is quite a thing to do! It can build community, and provide moments of mindful contemplation, as well as inspire, excite, or even create feelings of wonder and awe. These are my aspirations as a performer. I think these are all very valuable things for the world in this day and age.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I practice, perform and teach the classical music of North India and other parts of South Asia, called Hindustani music. In my early 20s I traveled to India and met my first sitar teacher, Pandit Amar Nath Mishra of Banaras. From that moment on, I was completely hooked. A few years later I became a disciple of Ustad Aashish Khan, and learned Surbahar and Sarode, which is now my primary instrument. I lived close to my teacher in Los Angeles for many years, meeting with him regularly. I also studied under him to earn a Master’s degree in North Indian Music Performance, from CalArts.

Many people make more practical life choices, and I fully support that! That said, music is what seems to have been my “calling,” if you will, the thing I have to see through in my life and return to again and again. But I will be completely honest, it’s not easy to earn money as a musician. There is no set path, no prescribed route. It’s a strange kind of business, one where most of your hours are unpaid, but entirely necessary. This is related to what I meant earlier when I said it’s important to foster a culture that supports its artists, or at the very least understands that without people making this choice, to live an unconventional lifestyle for the sake of their art, we wouldn’t have the art and music we rely on for enjoyment and more.

As for the “business” side of things, for me it was important to realize that 1) as an artist I have to put my art out there somehow (while this seems obvious, it is not so easy for everyone) and 2) to establish routines, automate, reassess and revise. I devote a certain amount of time to all that, then I put it aside and focus on my craft. There are “work” hours, and “studio” hours. For these kinds of insights, I highly recommend Beth Pickens book, “Your Art Will Save Your Life.” I read that during the pandemic, it was pretty crucial.

Psychologically, I think we musicians tend beat ourselves up heavily, often for many years. I’ve known many scarred musicians as a result of this. Recently, one of the biggest changes for my life has been to establish a regular meditation practice. I use an app called “Waking Up,” which is full of great content, and has a secular angle though it is based largely on Buddhist mindfulness practices. I highly recommend it, though I know there are other popular meditation apps out there as well. I’ve also started attending local meditation groups when possible. Meditation is an essential part of my musicianship and life now.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I’m actually still new to my area, having moved to North Carolina about 2.5 years ago. One of the things I love here is the opportunity to be in lush nature. I always like to take people for a hike on the Eno river. Durham is a great town, lot’s of delicious eating opportunities, fun breweries, those would certainly be included. Corpse Reviver makes a good martini. It’s a great music town too, but that all depends on what’s happening that week. For some cool music I’d take them to one of my friend Andy’s shows, or maybe hear some old-time music which is big here. I often perform and help at the monthly concert series run by my friend Viswas Chitnis called the North Carolina Raga Revival, I’ve taken out of town friends and family to that. I’m also deep in family life with a 5 year old daughter, so someone might have to get dragged along to kid activities too! Museum of Life and Science is good one for that. It’s all part of the package.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to dedicate my shoutout to my teacher, the sarode maestro Ustad Aashish Khan, eldest son of Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and grandson of Baba Allauddin Khan. He guided and selflessly taught and mentored me for many years, and I am deeply grateful to him. I think of him every day when I pickup my instrument.

I also have to mention my family! My wife Mollie, my wonderful daughter Lyla, my parents, they have all supported and encouraged me in many different ways of the years. It’s not always easy living with an musician, so I’m very glad they put up with me.

Website: https://www.johnloganstephens.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnstephensmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@johnsarode