Local StoriesNovember 7, 2022

Conversations with Steve Patrick

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Steve Patrick.

Hi Steve, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m originally from a suburb of Chicago. My family was musical and I naturally followed suit after my brother who had played trumpet. I picked it up and learned to play by ear by listening to and playing along with recordings. I majored in music in college at I.U. and left school before finishing to go on the road with Maynard Ferguson. I got married and then went back on the road with a Christian group called TRUTH. After that, I went back and finished up school and then moved down to Nashville, TN where I started working into the music scene slowly by doing weddings, sessions, and working on the General Jackson riverboat and the now bulldozed Opryland.
As time went on I did more and more recording work until that was the bulk of my income as a musician.

All the while, people encouraged me to do a solo album, but I never really thought much of it as I very much had a “sideman” mentality and just enjoyed working on other people’s projects. It wasn’t until my friend Steve Moore encouraged me more heavily that I really contemplated it seriously. And he’s really the reason that the entire project could happen. I barely finished up the recording right before the end of Dec. 2021 and I’m glad that I got it in then because this year has been my busiest recording year to date for movies, TV, video games, and other artists along with live jobs and subbing with the Nashville symphony whenever they call me.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
It’s very difficult being a freelance trumpet player. It takes a very understanding family. Namely, my wife and that includes kids as well. With no dedicated time off for vacations, weekends, or holidays, a freelance musician is forced to either deal with that if they are going to be a successful musician, or they probably need to leave the industry. The trumpet is a very unforgiving instrument and it is very physical. Not getting enough sleep affects your chops, what you eat affects your chops, being sick affects your chops, allergies affect your chops, etc. A lot of outside factors can hurt your consistency.

And because you’re dealing with tissue along with muscle, you have to play every day to be a consistent player.

Unfortunately, when you’re working too much, you can cut or even develop a cyst on the lip from overplaying. The lip is a very small area with a lot of intricate muscles and soft tissue. A lot can go wrong quickly and the nature of the industry is that you need to be perfect when you come in, otherwise you’re not going to continue to be called. You don’t go into this occupation hoping to make a lot of money. Unfortunately, educationally, not much attention is paid to what players actually make. So by the time you realize that you may be married, or even married with a family and that’s when you really realize that it’s not only yourself that is making those sacrifices, but also your family along with you.

I’ve been very blessed to have a wife and three kids that “get it”. They understand that this is what I do and who I am, so they’ve always given me their support. But that doesn’t mean that it’s not stressful! My whole family can sing you my warm-up and warm-down. And my son that plays guitar frequently starts playing along when I’m warming up on trumpet, with his guitar. LOL

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I play trumpet and primarily record music for a living. I’m known for being an appropriate call for all styles and types of recording work. I’m proud of that and have worked very hard on that aspect of “being everything to everyone”. It definitely sets me apart from most other trumpet players because I can sound like I specialize in almost any genre. I love the challenge of playing things correctly the first time or the second time. I like the pressure of that type of work. I enjoy that my job changes every single day. One day I may be playing a pops concert with the Nashville symphony as a sub, and the next I may be playing a recording session with a full orchestra for a movie or video game. The next I may be in a small pop section playing for an artist. It’s always different and always demanding in different ways. If some music is boring, or not good, it’s okay, because the next day will be different. So every day is a good day! It’s taken a long time to get here.

To the point where almost everyone in the industry knows your name and wants you to play on or for their project.

It’s very fulfilling. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the talent all around me when I work. The reason that I have the abilities that I do, is because of the people that I’m surrounded by. The other trumpet players, trombone players, french horn players, woodwind players, string players, and rhythm players. They are ALL fantastic here. Nashville has a deep pool and longevity of incredible players. I feel like I’m simply building upon the foundation that was here when I got here. The community is incredible and I learn from every one of my coworkers. THEY are responsible for the player that I am. I’ve been pushed, intimidated, you name it, they’ve had tons of influence on me and I’ve tried to take all of it (mostly positive) and some negative, and harness it to make myself better in every way. I don’t know if I’ll be doing this for 5 more years, or 25 more years. But I do already look back and feel so grateful that I’ve been a part of now well over 7,000 recording sessions at this point. I do feel a big sense of accomplishment.

What do you think about luck?
Luck (good and bad) can steer life in the music industry in the very short term. But long term I don’t believe that it plays much of a role as a freelance musician. If you want to have a long-term career in music, you have to go to the place that has the work that you want to be doing. You have to go slow. Do not do things that alienate the people that you hope to be playing with. Many players try to take a shortcut and get in with producers etc. In my segment of the industry, this does not go well. Most of my work has been referrals from the other trumpet and brass players in town.

If I tried to circumvent them, or even appear to try to do that, it has dire consequences. I’ve made mistakes along the way in this business, but even those are forgiven when you persevere with the right attitude. The bottom line is that although there are examples of people “working a political system in the industry”, most people that have good solid long careers are there simply because they are the best people for the work. That’s hard for many people to accept that don’t make it, but it’s true. You have to have thick skin, work hard, not give up, and continue to be honest with yourself about your shortcomings as a player, and as a person. You have to be willing to work on any deficit in your personality, or playing. All while trying to not let others see those deficits.

Simply put. A lot of people want to be in the music industry but aren’t cut out for it. They think that because they have talent, and like music, that is reason enough to be a part of it. But at the age that I am now, looking around me at the different career paths of other friends, I can honestly say, that the music industry as a freelance musician and artist, is quite possibly the most inhospitable industry as a whole to try to be in if you want to have a family and “normal” life and be able to make good money.

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Image Credits
Donny Evans

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