In this interview, Derek issues a call to artists of all disciplines to reevaluate the values that guide their work and to shape their art-making vocation around those values. Instead of genius, value greatness, and do the work required to become great. Instead of wealth, value sustainability, and scale your work so that it becomes sustainable. Instead of fame, value relationships with fans, and do whatever it takes to build and maintain those relationships.
To support musicians and authors to do those things, Derek and a few others founded Noisetrade, an online platform that helps artists build their fan email lists by giving away free music in exchange for email addresses and postal codes.
Rather than feature one of his own excellent albums here on Brehm Experience, Derek asked us to discover another artists via Noisetrade and share their work with you. On Derek’s recommendation, we discovered Josh Garrels, and we’re pleased to share his latest Noisetrade feature with you.
Listen to and download Josh Garrels’ sampler here.
Derek Webb started his music career over 20 years ago as a founding member of the Texas-based folk/rock band Caedmon’s Call. After 10 years, Derek left to pursue a solo career that quickly garnered him a reputation for being a provocative singer/songwriter, challenging the political and spiritual status quo. Webb’s innovative ways have received coverage everywhere from Paste Magazine to USA Today and the LA Times. His record, ‘The Ringing Bell’ was #27 on Paste Magazine’s Top 100 albums of 2007, having received a coveted 5-star review, and Derek was recently named one of Performing Songwriter magazine’s 100 most influential independent artists of the past 15 years. Derek is also a co-founder and president of NoiseTrade.