Hanz Araki is a sixth-generation Japanese grandmaster flute player and accomplished Celtic musician. This unlikely fusion of sounds and cultures gives proof to the adage that the path of a musician is often unpredictable.
Hanz calls Seattle, Washington home, and has amassed an impressive body of award-winning Celtic music albums over the last 25 years, including a series of seasonally-themed albums released in 2012 with fiddle player and vocalist Kathryn Claire.
Festival appearances include the Austin Celtic Festival, the Maine Celtic Celebration, the Missoula Celtic Festival, KVMR Grass Valley Celtic Festival, Milwaukee Irish Festival, Bumbershoot, Celtic Connections, and over 20 years of performances at the Northwest Folklife Festival. Hanz has also been invited to perform with the Seattle Symphony, at the Gates Estate, and for the Japanese Consul General.
Table of Contents
2:52 – If you had to describe yourself as a band, song, or genre, what would it be?
4:30 – How did you get started in the music business?
10:23 – How did you make the transition into Celtic music?
13:03 – What’s been your proudest moment in the music business?
16:08 – Who helped you along the way?
19:43 – What would you consider your biggest failure and what did you learn from that?
27:00 – How do you balance the art of making music, with the time it takes to promote yourself as an independent artist?
31:12 – Top 3 takeaways to support your success in the music business
If you had to describe yourself as a band, song, or genre, what would it be?
I’m Bad, I’m Nationwide by ZZ Top, it’s a great contrast to life as a folk musician:)
How did you get started in the music business?
The profession of music goes back six generations in my family, but it’s interesting to note that none of the men in my family were given a choice. My Dad loved astronomy and botany in addition to music. His father was a beautiful concert violinist and pianist, and his father was an incredible painter and poet.
My Dad was the first to say that he would not force any of his children to play music. He said that if they asked, He would teach them. I came to him at 17, and asked him to teach me. I started in April of 1988, and made my professional debut in August of the same year. It came quite naturally to me.
How did you make the transition into Celtic music?
I listened to a wide-range of music growing up, as most of us do. I was a big fan of the Chieftains, and another band called the Pogues. Both were doing some of the best Celtic rock that I’d heard. I came back to the States in 1992, and for St. Patricks Day that year, some friends of mine and I decided to do a house concert. For whatever reason, we felt like we needed to learn 40 songs. So we threw those songs together, I played penny whistle, we all sang, and from that moment I never really looked back. I’ve been playing Irish music ever since.
What’s been your proudest moment in the music business?
I have a few. I won a Juno Award while playing with the a band called the Paperboys in Canada, that would certainly be one. But if I’m honest, this past week I had one of my prouder moments. We’ve been working to host these concerts, and there is just something about the act of bringing new music into a new community. The band was happy, the audience was happy, it was a really proud moment.
Who helped you along the way?
Everyone! I really can’t leave anyone out. Anyone I’ve played with has shaped me as a musician. I’ve gotten a lot of great advice in the form of warnings, or things to look out for on the business side of the music. Things like always getting your contracts signed.
What would you consider your biggest failure and what did you learn from that?
In one of the more successful bands that I’ve been a part of, one of the members really pushed for a contract within the band. It was something that I agreed with, but we never followed through on it. Through a series of circumstances, the leader of that band ended up breaking us up, then reformed us. And we ended up the rights to nothing because we hadn’t signed contracts upfront. That was really tough, and it’s hard not to feel taken in those moments.
So keep your eyes open, and stay aware. Be able to listen to advice, and heed advice. But it’s important to stay committed to your goal and your dream. Everyone is going to tell you what they think you should be doing. Sometimes they are right, and sometimes they are really wrong. It’s statistically improbable that you are going to get it right every time, and in those moments, it’s import to not beat yourself up to much.
How do you balance the art of making music, with the time it takes to promote yourself as an independent artist?
Delegation is key. Delegate the things that you are not good at. Try to find people that can do a specific job better then you can. And equally important, if they are not doing a job as well as you can do it, don’t hire them. It’s like hiring a boat anchor, there is nothing worse.
Top 3 takeaways to support your success in the music business:
- Make your deals upfront, and go into deals with your eyes wide open. It’s as basic as making sure a contract is signed before proceeding on a project. If someone doesn’t want to do that for you–at the very least it’s a yellow flag–but it probably should be a red flag.
- Be aware of your environment and your surroundings. Find that delicate balance between listening to well-meaning advice and holding on to the vision and goals of your career in the music biz.
- Define what success looks for you in music, and what you want music to do for you. It is one of the most powerful things we can do in music, in business, and in life. But be realistic about it. If you are a cellist and you want to be a rockstar–you have to ask yourself–how many rockstar cellist’s do you know? Realism is key.
The best way to reach Hanz Araki:
Website and music: http://hanzaraki.com/
Hanz on Twitter: https://twitter.com/hanzaraki
Hanz on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hanzarakimusic
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