Some of the best learning experiences don’t happen in a classroom. They happen through conversation out in the real world; and after talking about albums and tours and hearing similar answers to questions I ask frequently, it’s always cool to talk to someone who hasn’t done as many interviews and actually answers a question with their thoughts. It might sound weird, but it’s true. This isn’t to say that interviews with artists on the top of the charts aren’t fun, but I have had some incredible learning experiences talking with musicians who are working their way up or helping support the main guy.
To break up a week of finals in mid December, a 2 hour trip to NYC for the WPLJ holiday concert with Gavin DeGraw and Karmin called my name. After establishing a friendship with Gavin’s drummer Ian O’Neill, I brought the idea of a spotlight on him to his attention. I figured the worst that could happen was it wasn’t a great interview, but what I didn’t expect was to spend 45 minute talking about music and the industry and learning more that I ever expected to. Much like most musicians, Ian got his start doing the “nerdy musician stuff” in middle school and high school playing in bands. It was his band in high school where he “learned a lot about the inner workings of touring life and immediately fell in love with it.” Playing New Haven’s Toad’s Place opening for other bands, Ian spent plenty of time learning the ins and outs of how a live show works. He acted as the manager for the band, and spent a lot of time booking the shows and making sure they had as many opportunities as possible.
It was that knowledge that helped him to land his first “bigger job” with Maverick Records artist Ben Jelen. While on AOL – remember that email server – Ian spotted an ad for the release of Ben’s new album. A few emails later, Ian was at Ben’s show with his big sister meeting Ben and landing an audition for Ben’s band. After nailing the audition, Ian joined Ben’s band and “[the] first thing we did was the Craig Kilborn show, and then we immediately went on tour with Hanson and Clay Aiken, and he did some shows with Maroon 5.” Staying on tour for years working with a variety of artists, Ian had a chance meeting with Gavin’s music director on the side of a highway in New York when the two were exchanging some gear and he says that “meeting that guy that night really was an important thing for these two years that I’ve been with Gavin.” It also helped that Ian was friends with Gavin’s previous drummer Rodney Howard who now works with Avril Lavigne.
Networking is a huge part of this industry and is one of the scarier things for Ian. He enjoys being able to relax at home after being on tour, but reminds himself “about all the times I forced myself to go out and what that led to,” and that gets him to go out and network. We talked a bit about opportunities that come from networking and how a meeting like his with Billy can lead to something you would never expect.
A constant need to be on tour lead to jobs as a roadie and drum tech between gigs playing for the artists. It was through these jobs that Ian learned a variety of valuable skills and gained a fuller view of the touring world. As music continues to evolve, he mentioned that “by knowing both sides of it, it really helps me to stay ahead of what’s coming instead of constantly trying to play catch up or being locked into doing one thing.”
By having all these experiences under his belt and knowing what it’s like working at the bottom and working higher up the food chain, Ian is able to appreciate the special luxuries he can enjoy on tour with Gavin. “Every single thing that I do when I wake up to when I go to bed is geared to making Gavin look the best.” From the vocal warm ups to working out and even just having clean laundry, Ian makes sure that everything he can control is in working order to make Gavin look as good as possible. Through our conversation, I could tell by the excitement in his voice how much he loves his job. He had ended our chat by saying “you only have so many hours in the day and if you’re doing something that you love, just to appreciate that,” and it was clear he genuinely appreciated his job.
From special cues like baseball signs on stage to moments of musical freedom, Gavin and his band understand each other enough so that each member plays a role. They spent time crafting setlists for the last two years of tour that would provide the best experience for the fans and Gavin involves the crowd not only through the music, but also through establishing personal relationships with members. Ian stressed that being able to work for someone genuine with the gift of being able to create great music, release music at the right time, and put on a great live show makes Ian feel like he has achieved his goals and made it.
Lately, while not on the road, Ian has been working with upcoming country artist Zach Lockwood doing some producing and writing; and mentioned that in the long run, he wants to get more involved in the co-writing and producing side of things. “I know nothing about country music. I love country music, but I don’t really actively listen to it,” he said with a bit of a laugh while talking about working with Zach, but he was taking an approach like Gavin did with Ryan Tedder and Butch Walker on the last album. Ian comes from a Goo Goo Dolls/ Lifehouse background, so he brings a bit of that into Zach’s country music.
With a long and bright future ahead, I’m curious to see what comes out of the Zach project and how the new Gavin music turns out. Like Ian, seize every opportunity to learn about the industry you love and make sure every hour you have in a day is spent doing what you enjoy.