Feature: Rusty Reid Decodes “HEAD TO HEART (Remix)”
How does "HEAD TO HEART (Remix)" reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
Hello, Katrina, and thanks for the discussion. Yeah, I think everything, all my experiences, musical and otherwise, coalesced in the album "Head to Heart." If there is such a thing as destiny, it was the piece of work I was meant to create. The album, as a whole, is a wide-ranging philosophic-political and spiritual (not religious) commentary. So my very thinking, mindset, and worldview, are presented here. I have been searching for an all-encompassing perspective on my own life, world history, various cultures and the natural Universe on this planet and beyond, and this album details what I have learned. I think it's "wisdom." Not because I came up with it, but because I have carefully cherry-picked what seem to be the best, and most agreed upon, ideas of the most brilliant minds of history. The notions expressed in "Head to Heart" are largely those of some of the titans of poetry, philosophy and spirituality. I've just put them to some jaunty country-rock music. But I do share their love for the world, and impulse to defend it from what is so obviously wrong with human culture.
Could you discuss the lyrical themes or messages conveyed in "HEAD TO HEART (Remix)?"
Sure. With 18 songs, "Head to Heart" is essentially a double-album. I think of it as divided into two parts. Part One is all about universal love, and the sometimes elusive pathway to discover that truth. this section includes three songs that "co-wrote" with three long-dead poets to create an interesting synthesis of then-now contemplation. Part Two is about what cultural aspects continue to oppose that peace and love: particularly the human war upon nature, and our mistreatment of each other. Each in turn: carnism, sexism, religion, disparity of wealth, racism, corporatism and fascism are lambasted. The string of misery is finally relieved by the last full song on the album, which returns to the hope and love of Part One. Altogether, I think it's a very compelling overview of the current "human condition," as well as our options going forward. As my song (written with Lord Byron) "There is a Pleasure in the Pathless Woods asks: "Do we continue down this road of ruin... or mingle with the Universal tune?"
How does this remix represent your artistic identity or musical evolution?
I used to be a singer of standard pop-rock songs. Now I'm a troubador of truth. Again, it's not just "my" truth; it is largely derived from some of the greatest thinkers and feelers of history. Here we are talking about Laozi, Buddha, Confucius, Mahavira, Yeshua, Plato, Hippocrates, Epicurus, Ashoka, Aurelius, Seneca, all the way down to Locke, Montaigne, Voltaire, Montesquieu, Jefferson, Emerson, Thoreau, Blake, the Beatles, and so many others. Then I take these ideas and blend them with the mind-blowing discoveries of modern science to form a cohesive perspective upon reality that is at once both highly moral, compassionate, open to love of the Universe, and factually, scientifically true. So the songs on "Head to Heart" were my first batch that was the result of this process. Alas, the original release in 2019 did not receive the greatest care in the mixing and mastering stage of production. So, now at the five-year anniversary of its original release, "Head to Heart" has received an updated mix and master. It's a more refined listening experience now.
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician?
My favorite is the creative journey, which can be long and drawn out for any particular project, whether that is writing a song or completing an album. Every art project begins with a tiny seed. For a song, that can be a notion, a title, a little riff, or even a noodle on the fretboard or keys. Then a few words come, then a few notes, then chords, a basic rhythm, a beat, suddenly or slowly the baby song begins to take shape. That initial phase is flooded with potential. Sometimes something quite mysterious happens and the blank parts just emerge, sometimes in stunning quality. Other times, it's a struggle to flesh out a skeleton. But working with melody, with chords, with rhythm, and then matching up the most interesting word combinations is just a profound thing to even attempt when you think about it. And then, once the song has skin and bones, there is a whole other process as to how it should be adorned and presented to the world, in the instrumentation, arrangement and production of the recording. Every step of the way defining decisions are being made. What should it sound like? What should be included? What should be excluded? Too much of this? Too little of that? Should I try to play this, or is it better to bring someone else in? If so, who? And then there is the vocal. How should I sing this? It ends up being a giant puzzle, with each little piece having to be found and properly placed. Every song you have ever heard has gone through a process similar, so they all are little miracles in themselves. I think the creative process is more profound and interesting than the creation itself, if only because it includes the piece and so much more. So, for instance, to listen to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony is certainly sublime, but to think and feel about how it was created is even more mind-blowing. To have experienced that creation as an artist is to, in a certain sense, become a miracle-worker, a god. To me, this is less of an "ego" thing than a remarkably beautiful way the Universe is playing with consciousness. All the more reason to try to play and/or say something that honors that great, good, life-affirming force.
How do you see the future of the music industry, especially with changes in technology and how people consume music?
Oh, gosh. The music industry is a glorious mess right now. I guess it always has been to a large degree. On the one hand, the technological advances are truly astounding which allow you to own a recording studio on your laptop, to manipulate digital sounds, to enlist collaborators from around the world, and to distribute your works globally, all for less money than one day in a top recording studio would have cost you in 1975. But technology gives and takes away. Artists of all types are being royally screwed. The consumer is getting the deal of the Universe by paying just a monthly pittance for on-demand access to the ENTIRE GLOBAL MUSICAL CATALOGUE! Sometimes they don't even pay that. They find it for absolutely free. This seems both ridiculously unfair and unsustainable. I realize that some mega-artists are making money hand over fist. Alas, they represent a tiny minority of the vast array of people in the world hoping to make even a meager living with their music. My hope is that, soon, the system will be reformed to properly compensate artists for their works, which means consumers will have to pay more, far more, than they do currently. Even if we never get back to consumers owning actual physical products like singles, LPs, tapes, CDs, etc., an industry model of music not being so cheap must be reinstated. With physical products more or less defunct, online content must be grossly recalibrated upwards in worth. Current models do not work. Free equals cheap x infinity. That won't work. On-demand for a pittance doesn't either. How this gets straightened out, I don't know. But it must. And then there is AI, which could simply eliminate every artist in the world. Fun times ahead, for sure. Buckle up.
