Meet Zachariah Witcher | Bassist/Producer/Musical Director

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

Hi Zachariah, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I have worked as a sideman/musician for hire for years now since finishing college in 2013. I have seen, played, and attended many concerts and learned lots along the way. I have been able to work with some amazing musicians and it has not only changed my playing but also allowed me to form my own thoughts about how shows can and should run. The idea of starting my own company came from finally being comfortable and confident enough in my own musical voice to want to have a more relevant footprint in the musical world. I don’t want to just play other peoples ideas. I want to be able to use what I have learned along the way and help other artists and bands to reimagine their music/live concerts as well. I have seen the gap of artists wanting to create something fresh and new with their own music but not knowing how so I would like to be able to fill in the blanks as much as people/clients/artists will let me.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Before graduating high school I was not aware that being a musician was even a career option. My marching band teacher told me about Belmont University in Nashville and mentioned session musicians and touring musicians. It all started there. I did four years and then stayed in Nashville trying to figure it all out. I think what sets me apart from others is how I process and externalize music or in simpler terms how I take music in and how I play/respond to other musicians while playing. I know how to support the vocalist and the rest of the band very well and I know how to make great dynamic decisions within a song and a set. Learning music is just a part of the job that anyone can do but bringing your own personality to the table is what gets people hired over and over again. Anyone can repeat but can you create on top of or within what is already provided?

Getting to this point was not easy. Lots of practice. Lots of bad gigs. Lots of wanted to be called for certain gigs and not getting those calls. Lots of being very financially unstable from lack of gigs. Lots of peanut butter and crackers for dinner. The grind in any self employed field is very real. There have also been some underlying prejudices and such that I have dealt with along the way. Keeping good, levelheaded and encouraging friends around you is very necessary for those tough times. You’ve gotta have people in your corner that can see beyond only what is happening in the moment and encourage you to keep going. Or people to fight for you when you don’t have the energy to fight for yourself.

If I wanted the world to know anything about my “brand” or my story it would mostly be that I am very thankful that God gave me the gift of music. I have put in a ton of work to get to where I am but He planted the seed. I am very thankful for that. I would encourage others to really nurture whatever career/work/hobby seed is planted in your life and don’t let your upbringing or your surroundings define you. I grew up in a very very small backwoods town where people mostly just stay there forever. There was nothing about my surroundings that suggested I would make it to where I am. None of that matters. Put your head down, put in the work, take care of yourself, set goals and go after them.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a (musical) friend visiting Nashville I would show them the places I have spent the most time to try to give them an overview of what it’s like to live here as a full time musician. One of my favorite things to do every week is play at a jam called The Invite at Flamingo Cocktail Club. Every Wednesday I play in the house band and the goal of the night is to create new music all off the top of our heads. We never rehearse and we don’t talk about what we’re going to do. Everything is improv from the lyrics to the chords and everything else. It is a very fun environment to create in…when the right people are playing. Every second and fourth Sunday there is an event called Sunday Night Soul at The Five Spot in East Nashville. I have learned a ton over time from going to see different Nashville legends and traveling acts play there. Also on Sunday nights, as of late, I have been going to Rivergate Skate Center for the Adult Skate nights. That is my favorite thing to do right now. Sunday mornings I go to church at Nashville Life Church. Mondays I eat at Pizza Perfect. My favorite pizza spot in town is called SlimnHuskies. I have some friends that play at The Virgin Hotels every Saturday from noon until 3pm. There are a ton of cover bands playing down on Broadway all of the time. I love just finding places to sit and hang with friends as well whether it be someones house or a restaurant or bar where we can actually hear each other. Nashville is best of “both worlds” for me. It has a big city feel to it sometimes but it’s also still kind of a small southern town at the same time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First I have to thank God. Music is a universal language to me and it is a huge gift to be able to speak that language and share it with so many people as my main line of work. Second, I thank my maw. She always supported me. Third, there are a few different groups of people in Nashville who have helped shape my playing and my musical career: mainly Dynamo and extended Dynamo family and Mike Hicks.

Website: https://prodbyblackxneck.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blackxneck/?hl=en

Youtube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB0HBASGZThUu3YiZQ2UwnwODDbvbu66X

Image Credits
Josiah Sims, RJ Walker, Darius Fitzgerald, Mary Caroline Russell