Meet Indiana Bradley | Musician

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

Hi Indiana, have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to decide whether to give up or keep going? How did you make the choice?
You better know this before you even start. Never give up. If you don’t believe that, don’t start.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I front my own rock n roll project that is part Johnny Cash part David Bowie to sound totally pretentious. (people always ask me what I sound like so I had to come with something). I think what sets me apart from others is a high energy live show mixed with a uniquely authentic sound. I have a long way to go to achieve the success I want, but I think it takes a very focused and disciplined nature to get anywhere in the arts. It is a true grind of your finances, time, energy, and soul. I’ve been fortunate to be able to navigate those elements and create music. It is difficult and there is no playbook. There is a lot of trial and error involved, risk taking, and betting on yourself. The odds are stacked against you. You’ll be amazed at the people who support you and even more amazed at the people who DON’T support you. You’ll have friends who couldn’t care less about what you’re doing. Be prepared for this kind of rejection and use it to motivate you. Great quote that I believe is a spinoff of a Maya Angelou line: “If someone treats you like they don’t care…believe them”. I’ve learned to speak authentically and DIRECTLY to my audience. The gatekeepers of the arts should be completely disregarded. They know nothing and are talentless. They are frontrunners trying to time just perfectly the next wave, movement, or scene to advance their OWN image and position….not yours. Go around them until a genuine ally opens a door for you. It will be obvious.

In some way you’re trying to catch fire and the more times you can put yourself out there the better chance you have. It’s important to recognize the small victories in your artistic career because at first they will DEFINITELY be small. The first audience, the first gig in a small bar, the first gig in a big bar, the first gig in real club, the first blog write up, the first interaction with an unknown fan who loves your music etc. While these things don’t define a great career they are small successes that keep you going and you build on them.

I am most proud of working with brilliant musicians and producers in LA that I found myself to record my debut LP Ghost Star available on all streaming platforms. I pounded the pavement of LA, meeting collaborators at events, parties, and my own shows from Compton to Brazil to the sunset strip. I recently attracted the attention of a well know rock producer and we will be announcing a new EP in mixing/mastering stage shortly. It’s another step, another victory along the road of this crazy world of arts.

I hope people hear in my music the stories of a life lead across continents and the experiences I’ve gained on that never-ending journey I force upon myself into the land of strangers.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Compton rock scene Malibu backbone hike
Will Rogers State Park
Palos Verdes Cliffs hike
Los Feliz shops, bars, restaurants.
Show at the Greek
History walks (I have a guide book that walks you through all the old neighborhood of LA)
Santee Alley
Burbank Equestrian neighborhood

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are many to choose from, of course, but I’d like to select my great and longtime friend Joshua Michael Shelton who is an LA based headshot and fashion photographer. We go all the way back to high school and college days in Indiana. There are two pivotal influences he has had on me. Back in college I didn’t think I was good enough at my instrument of choice, piano, to play in a group with others. I had never been in a band, didn’t know any popular songs to play, and wasn’t well versed on structure of music. Josh had always been a known great guitar player in the local scene. One day I was invited to jam with Josh and some other friends. I brought my old, plastic, Yamaha keyboard I had since childhood to the jam session! (At least it had full sized keys). It was basically a toy. We started jamming a bit and I was riffing with some synth sounds and organ sounds. Things were sounding pretty good. I actually couldn’t believe it….like holy &%$# I’m playing music with these guys. At some point Josh stopped the session and said “man, I really like that synth sound going”. That type of affirmation was all it took. From then on I knew and thought to myself “ok you can do something here. You can play”. What a lesson in the power words can have on an individual. From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.

Josh’s second big influence would be his regular invitations and encouragement to move to LA. I had been all over the world from New York to Miami to 6 years overseas in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Josh would periodically plant that seed in my head “come to LA”, “you should move to LA”, “when are you coming to LA?”. Finally I pulled the trigger and came to the place I thought would give the best chance to be discovered in the arts.

HUGE HONORABLE MENTION: My uncle Hannes Kvaran a true professional singer and songwriter who I made my first demos with and learned so much about songwriting and great lyrics from.

Website: https://www.indianabradley.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/indianabradley/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/indianabradleymusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC39QIQ6VkOQ72aU97Ug4DhQ

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2TVZ031r3X0FxYFHm27Pyv?si=8hwrji3LQaWL4D-ETD4XwQ

Image Credits
Joshua Michael Shelton Indiana Bradley