Music Is Guest Blog Series: Feyer - Musical Notes Global

Have you ever come across that gem of wisdom from philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, "Without music, life would be a mistake"? We can identify with that pretty strongly here at Musical Notes Global.

We started wondering what music means to people in the industry and that sparked the idea for a new guest blog series. "Music Is" is an open-ended topic for artists to share their thoughts on music and the impact it has had on their lives with Musical Notes Global readers.

Feyer is the latest artist to contribute his thoughts on the topic. A singer, songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, he has a classically-influenced style that blends a variety of sensory-stimulating sounds and textures with theatrical lyrics and electronic-rock production. Check out what he has to say about music and the roll it's played in his life below.

Music, to me, is the greatest thing to happen to this world. It has the power to inspire, heal and entertain. Without it, I’m not sure what else I would do. It’s the air that I breathe. There is a long and winding journey that has led me to where I am now with my music. After several preschool music appreciation classes, my parents enrolled me in piano lessons at the age of 6. I also began taking lessons in drums and voice, and picked up guitar along the way. I enjoyed my lessons, but was impatient when it came to practicing. As a result, I never became a virtuoso on any instrument. Fortunately, for what I do with my music, there’s no need to be. Since I focus more on the production side of music rather than developing a long list of performance repertoire, I’m more of a jack of (not all, but many) trades, master of none.

During my early teenage years, I developed a love for classic rock. I was very into bands that were popular decades before I was even born. I credited this to favoring the oldies and classic rock radio stations more than the pop stations. My later teenage years saw an increased interest in heavier bands in the punk and metal scene. At the time, I was much more interested in jamming with a band than getting into a good college. But once college drew close, I knew that I would temporarily need to work on music from more of an academic standpoint. It was then that I began composing classically, writing more for small chamber ensembles than rock bands. I discovered new methods of classical composition that I could eventually apply to my own music. The portfolio I built got me to Bard College, where I expanded my musical interests even further to include all kinds of electronic music, ranging from the ambient experimental works of Brian Eno to the hard-hitting bass drops of Skrillex.

As this journey has progressed, the question I frequently need to ask myself is how can I tie the diversity of these experiences together into one? I’ve had experience in a classical setting, in a jazz setting, in rock and pop settings. I was caught between the worlds of formal recitals and ear-splitting rock concerts, between music that is meant to be studied and analyzed and music that is just meant to make you feel good. Then I realized that I was better off building bridges between these different worlds rather than choosing one, and thus barricading the other.

Music has given me a sense of confidence that I otherwise would not have. It has given me the chance to break out of my shell and step out of my comfort zone into worlds that I otherwise would be afraid to explore. My outlet for my consistent creative angst has been treating my music as if there were no rules. The only rule would be that I was not to follow guidelines or templates for how music should be. Since music is an art, and art constantly breaks rules and reinvents itself, musical rules are made for breaking. I believe that if artists are given the opportunities and liberties to truly create something that they feel passionate about, their sense of self with solidify and they will become the best versions of themselves they can be.

Get Feyer's debut full-length album Signals Internalized now on digital music platforms.