In these bottom-line times, composer/keyboardist Grundman is a rare
musician. Releasing his music through his own label Non Profit Music,
Grundman donates all profits from sales to humanitarian causes. With
his most recent release, We are the forthcoming past, take care
of it, he
has donated all profits collected from the album to Doctors
Without Borders.
And he's not stopping there. While it's a bit of a "secret",
Grundman, in our
conversation, alludes to a future compilation album of different artists
with
the profits also going to Doctors Without Borders. Looks like he's
started
something great.
Of course,
there wouldn't be any profits to donate if the music wasn't as good as
it is. Grundman describes his music as "New Age/Neo-Classical", which
is I suppose the most concise description. But I think a little bit of
his years playing in top power pop bands in his native Spain has rubbed
off on his music. Either way, I'm not the only one to notice his
talent. Since 2001,
when Grundman first started releasing his music on the Internet,
he's
had over one million downloads! Truly impressive...
If you'd like to learn
more about Grundman and Non Profit Music, please
visit Grundman.org.
Jamie:
As I usually do before these conversations, I visit an artist's
website
to get some background on the person and their work. I have to say
your
Why? link really got me thinking. And I think that was your intent. Many
of
the things that you've done with your most recent release, We
are the forthcoming past, take care of it, seem counter-intuitive
-- at least from the
point of view of the major labels. As you say: "The majors
are against
sharing because they say they lose sales... to be exact, this is
just the
opposite of what happened to me; after listening, sharing and downloading,
people not only bought my albums, but made donations to Doctors
Without
Borders, too." Why do you think your approach has resonated
with so many
people?
Grundman: I'm not sure. I ask
myself the same question. Perhaps is a
matter of honesty that people like. I do not ask for anything and
at the same
time I'm freely offering the best of my work, as one would do playing
on the
street. But this cannot be the only answer; there are a lot of composers,
if
not all, who put their soul into their work and still nobody cares.
What could
be different is that the music I write is written with minor chords,
which are
usually the best companions for sadness and meditation. You know,
if a t
une catches your attention, you leave what you were doing and find
yourself
in another world. In following, you try to learn more about that
tune, and,
perhaps read some author's note about the music. Here is the point.
When
the reader knows why this music was composed, that is the point
of no
return. He then knows what I am trying to explain through my music.
And,
he knows he has a chance to contribute to help build a better world.
The
program is not huge, it’s just my 2 cents, but perhaps it inspires
others.
If every one of us holds out our hand just once a year, you can
be sure
that our tomorrow will be a better tomorrow for all of us.
Jamie: I think you're right:
music can and does transform the listener --
even if just for a moment. Personally, I know that the moment I'm
not
thinking about the surface structure of a piece, is the moment that
I'm
truly listening. And that's not always easy to do when you're a
musician.
I tend to listen for things that non-musicians don't even consider
(i.e.
production/engineering).
Philosophy seems to
be important to you both personally and as an artist.
For many artists, their personal philosophy guides them artistically.
But the
inverse can also be true. Music, and the act of creating it, can
change the
artist. Has creating your own music changed your own personal philosophy
in any way?
Grundman: Prior to answering
your question, let me agree with you about
the way musicians and composers listen to music. Or the way in which
a
painter looks at a picture. It is as though there are two layers
in the art: the
one most people enjoy and the hidden one, which only the professional
notices. And while the latter insight could be annoying because
it sometimes
does not let you simply enjoy a work like most people, on other
occasions
you can take twice the pleasure in the work. Well, returning to
your last
question my answer is “yes” my music has effected how
I view life.
Whenever I end a composition, I listen to it trying to feel that
which was my
goal when it was composed. I try to be sad, or to empathize with
someone
who was in the same situation that my work attempts to convey…soon
enough, I am talking to myself about what else I should have done
to help
the situation itself. Although is not completely like a real-life
experience,
this process has helped to shape the way I understand life.
Jamie: That's a beautiful answer...
To go somewhat off on a tangent, the list
of instruments/signal processors in the liners notes for We
are the
forthcoming past, take care of it is truly amazing. You
must feel like a kid
in a candy store every time you go into your studio! But what's
impressive
to me, is the fact that your "voice" is never overwhelmed
by the resources
at hand. Do you have an idea of a piece's overall texture, before
you begin
recording, that guides you to a particular synth/plugin?
Grundman: Unfortunately, not
often. Usually, in composition, I start with
using the Kurzweil in a piano mode. When I think I've gotten the
tune, I
record to a CD and listen to it again and again in my car as I drive
to the
University. Then I begin the arrangement, thinking about which instruments
which will be enclosing or playing the tune. This is the start of
the nightmare!
When you think about an instrument, most of the time you will not
find a
perfect pad, one which does not cover or hide the sound or the body
of the
instrument. I have spent weeks trying to figure out how to make
the sound
I want for the work. But, on other occasions it is easy because,
thank God,
I have heard the tune, the arrangement and the orchestration in
my head
from the very beginning and I don't need to think too much. It all
started
when my family and I decided to move into a new home, and I asked
the
bank for a little more of a loan to invest in my studio. Sometimes
I thought
I was wrong to do so, but now I feel it was worthwhile.
Jamie: Well, I'd say it was
worthwhile too... I'm sure you're going to be
recording for years with the new gear!
Just to delve a little
deeper into your composing/recording process... You
have a sheet
music page on your web site where you provide the sheet
music for various pieces from We are the forthcoming past,
take care of it.
After you have written a composition, do you generally notate a
sketch for
the arrangement of the piece (i.e. melody, harmony, basic orchestration)?
Grundman: Yes...but not as prettily
as one can imagine. Usually, when I
end a composition it is because either I have found the perfect
end or I'm
tired of perfecting it and another melody begins playing in my head,
hurrying
me to start working on it. But, prior to publishing it I have to
copyright it, so
I need to prepare a sketch to do so. As you know, haste is not a
good
companion, so I do not care much for this step. I recognize that
I am a
complete disaster, because I am always starting something new! Currently,
I am doing orchestration work and the score needs to be clean and
readable…
so perhaps this is the best time to start it.
Jamie: There always seems to
be something to do... just one of the many
challenges of being a musician today. For me, one of the greatest
challenges
is simply moving my PA from gig to gig. All the lifting, setting
up and
breaking down is often a lot tougher than the actual playing.
You had a very successful
pop music career in Spain before you "divorced
from the record industry". Do you feel, if you hadn't made
the break from the
industry, that you would be creating the same music as you are now?
Grundman: Perhaps not, I'm not
really sure. But, knowing the way I am,
my "divorce" from rock was a foregone conclusion destined
to happen
sooner than later. What really changed my state of mind was (the
album)
"Innovators" from Kurt Bestor and Sam Cardon. This jewel
fell into my hands
as a promotional CD for a word processing software, including a
presentation
of the software and the audio tracks. The fact that this album was
not
available at stores in Spain created a great demand for it. Ramon
Trecet
suggested that we start to take collections for Doctors Without
Borders in
return for the CD, and in two minutes there were one thousand copies
sold;
and, the telephone lines at the headquarters of DWB in Barcelona
were lit
up for a week. That was ten years ago, but it left such a sweet
taste in my
mouth that it changed the way I see the world. Just the inspiration
that one
can help to build a better world. No need to make great efforts.
Every one
of us can do it. And when you know that with your music can save
a life,
you will never be the same. Believe me.
That was the reason
to try to compose what I call "emotive music." You
know yourself that, as a composer, there are some works that create
more
of a rising feeling in you than others; sometimes even better or
more beautiful
tunes do not produce the same sensation. What I try to write are
those works
that bring the listener to this feeling, and if I have success,
he will find himself
giving up what he was doing and start traveling with his imagination.
This goal
brought me to the New Age/Neo-Classical music, which I think can
better
achieve these results than other styles. Well, this is what I've
tried... whether
or not I've succeeded is another thing! But, if I draw only one
person into the
world of solidarity, I will be satisfied.
Jamie: That's just beautiful...
You bring up such an interesting point: The
importance of the listener. For some artists, building a connection
with the
audience is paramount. I think you're right that different musical
styles will
have different impacts on the listener. So what is it about New
Age/Neo-
Classical specifically that you feel helps you to connect best with
your
audience?
Grundman: It is based on my
own experience. The Classical style requires
that you are prepared to listen so that you can make the most of
the musical
work. Once you are ready, you will enjoy it and feel the happiness
or sadness
the composer wished to transmit to the audience. But those times
in which
the music was a real spectacle has gone. We live in a tumultuous
world, a
world in which most of us do not have enough time to laugh or to
cry because
the next step is waiting to be made. But the troubles that affect
humankind
are always the same, from the very beginning of our species. At
the most,
we live nearly ninety years and in some cases, our moment of realization
appears at the end of the road, when then it is too late.
The New Age/Neo-Classical
style can transmit the soul of the composer’s
work faster than other styles, mainly because it does not need you
be ready
to listen but can trap you in whatever you are doing. And once you
have been
trapped, it is very difficult to find the exit. Well... that is
my own experience.
In many of my works, I started with an atmosphere which does not
differ very
much from other music you have heard before, but which transitions
to an
emotive melody and harmony as soon as possible to try to catch you.
Is
like a poison apple... in the opposite sense.
Jamie: That's a great analogy!
And I think you're right about the general lack
of time for listeners these days. Part of the challenge for artists
in this era,
working in any medium, is coming to terms with the shear amount
of "stuff"
out there. And as they say: Time is the one thing you can't make
more of!
On We are the
forthcoming past, take care of it you handle just about
everything -- from writing and arranging to mastering and artwork/layout.
What is it about working in this solo fashion that appeals to you?
Do you
ever foresee collaborating with other artists on future projects?
Grundman: When I decided to
leave the music business almost twenty
years ago, and take another direction in my life, I left behind
my music
friends. Not because I wished to, but it was due to my approaching
wedding,
my new job at the University, my new house miles outside my city
and my
new daughters!! Well, at the University I found new friends, but
they were not
musicians so the music was always kept in the bottom of my heart.
I
continued composing and sharing my music with my closest friends,
but
doing no more than this. Later, when I decided to go into the music
business
again, I found myself alone. So here am I... going solo. But, I
have started
another way for other artists to grow, too. My label, Non Profit
Music, will be
a home for all the composers who can both create emotive works and
be
generous enough to share their music to collect funds for humanitarian
causes. The next album from Non Profit Music will introduce David
Caballero,
aka Gnomusy, to the scene; he has decided to collaborate with Non
Profit
Music. His music is different from mine, but also emotive. One can
see
another way of collaboration developing here. I do not see myself
in a jam
session, but in a composer session. You know... saying “Hi!
I have this tune
in my head, would you be so kind to play the guitar as only you
know how?”
I think this one of the more beautiful moments in the life of a
composer.
When you have started to create something and decide to share the
moment with other artist. So, yes, I would love to collaborate with
other
artists as well… but always for humanitarian causes and benefits.
Jamie: I'm sure you don't want
a thousand demos coming in every day,
but are you actively looking for artists for Non Profit Music?
Grundman: I'm not looking for
artists pro-actively, just in a watchful,
constant way. It is very difficult to find someone who wants to
share their
music for free and, at the same time, donate all their mechanical
royalties to
Doctors Without Borders. But, there is an exciting surprise around
the corner.
I have convinced some great artists to participate in a forthcoming
compilation
album. Please, keep it a secret...
Jamie: Well, alright if you
say so... it'll be just be between you, me and the
thousands of people reading this... : )
Thanks for taking the
time to do this artist-to-artist conversation and good
luck with your music and Non Profit Music. Please stay in touch!
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