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

Hi Raymond Joseph, have there been any changes in how you think about work-life balance?
As I get older my body tends to be louder in telling me when to stop or take a break. This could be on a mini scale-needing a 15 minute break within a day, or a larger scale-needing a a day off after a few weeks of getting after it. I’ve been trying my best to listen to this to become better balanced. I want to be able to make music for a long long time. Who would’ve thought that means sometimes not making it.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I do lots of things within music- I write songs for my own artist project both commercial and classical/instrumental, I write string arrangements for other artists’ songs, I produce music for/with other people, I play guitar, keys and sing in sessions and live settings. I really love it all. Everything I do informs and teaches me about another thing, this constant shift of perspective. Being in the studio is special though. It’s the one place where time completely escapes me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
This is a tough one because I am rather new to LA. I moved here about 7 months ago from Nashville. Still, I do have some favorite spots. I love Debs Park, I love the Strawberry Peak hike off the 2, I love eating at Destroyer in Culver City and Ding Sung Sa in K-town. I’m just scratching the surface here, but mainly excited to explore this state from a nature lense.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Ah, so many, but I have to give it to my Dad. Joey is a phenomenal drummer and educator. He has encouraged me so subtly my whole life within music. He never pressed me to do anything, just gently guided me through my career. I just started teaching more regularly and it’s been to connect with him on that. He has been teaching for 35 years.

All my friends and family are magic though, really. A career in music isn’t easy, and though I’ve been doing it my whole life it seems, I sometimes feel young in the field. None of my loved ones have ever discouraged me from music, or suggested a different path for. I love them for that.

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

Image Credits
Photos by Jacq Justice

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