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May 2015
Bands: Wayne Horvitz, Royal Room Collective Music, Koehne Quartet, Gravitas Quartet, Sweeter Than The Day, Zony Mash, Pigpen, The President, Ponga, New York Composers’ Orchestra, Naked City
Websites: waynehorvitz.net, theroyalroomseattle.com
QRD – How old were you when you first realized you wanted to be a professional musician?
Wayne – Fairly late - I was already in college.
QRD – What are a few highlights of your musical career?
Wayne – Yikes, that is a tough one. I guess in the end it’s all the amazing people I have gotten to meet & work with. I have been lucky. I have been able to record & perform a lot of music & a lot of my own music. Not everyone gets to do that - I count my blessings every day. Which isn’t to say I don’t complain every day as well!
QRD – At what age did you decide you wanted to become a father?
Wayne – I always thought I’d have children.
QRD – What are some positive & negative impacts your family has had on your career?
Wayne – Well the positives are obvious - I love my children & they love me & you can’t ask for much more in life. The negatives are the same as doing anything worthwhile in life. There are only 24 hours in a day & you can’t do more than one thing at a time.
QRD – What are some positive & negative impacts your career has had on your family?
Wayne – I don’t really look at it that way. Sure, if I was a lawyer I’d have more money & less stress about what comes next. But then my family wouldn’t be my family... we are what we are because of who we are!
QRD – Have your children effected the music you make &/or listen to?
Wayne – Yes - especially as they have gotten older, because they share music with me or I just hear things they are listening too. But I think having children just affected me emotionally from the very beginning, it would be hard not to. & that has always been profound.
QRD – Do you think being involved in music has made your children different than their piers?
Wayne – Probably, they are both pretty clear that the “artist life” might not be as romantic as it seems to others. They see us dealing with it every day. They also appreciate a broader range of music than some their peers I would imagine.
Robin & I are both lucky that our kids actually like our music.
QRD – Have you had problems with the lack of steady money from a musical career providing the security you feel necessary in your household?
Wayne – Sure.
QRD – Given the limitations having a family has on being a touring musician, would you have toured more earlier in life if you‚d known?
Wayne – My choices about touring have all had to do with business & what tours are worth doing, financially & artistically.
QRD – Do you think being a father or a musician has a greater impact on your community?
Wayne – Excellent question. I would say that being a father has had a large impact on the impact I have had as a musician on my community. For example I am part of a venue now in Seattle called “The Royal Room”. A lot of my motivation was artistic, but I was also very engaged in how the venue would relate to my community at large, especially for the south end of Seattle where we have lived for a long time. & we do a lot to make it “family friendly”. I am sure some of that comes from having a family.
QRD – Would you rather see your children eventually become musicians or parents?
Wayne – I’d rather see them do what they think is right for them.
QRD – Both family & music seem like things that will take up as much of your time as you’re willing to put in. How do you end up dividing your time?
Wayne – Well, for years by not sleeping enough, but those days are over. One thing I never did was drop my life & become a totally different person just because I had kids. I see a lot of that in modern parenting, trying to make the world perfect for one’s children, & I don’t think its good for anybody.
QRD – What do your kids think of your music?
Wayne – They like it!
QRD – Do you think you could ever do a musical project with your children?
Wayne – Yes, I already have.
QRD – Any words of advice to young people?
Wayne – Just remember, “young people” is just temporary… obvious but true - all the clichés turn out to be spot on.
