Today we’d like to introduce you to Joshua Diaz.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I am a Singer/songwriter/producer; who has a passion for my local community.
As a singer/songwriter, I’ve had all sorts of victories and failures in my music career that have brought me to where I am today. I wouldn’t trade any of them, but I do have a passion to use them help guide the music of new artists around me. So, I’ve built a recording studio out of material from a 60-year-old barn that I grew up next to. I demolished it piece by piece and build a pro studio in lake worth Florida, where we aim to work with authentic artists and guide them on their journey.
Next door to this studio, we are currently building Lake Worths first Artisan Food Hall. We believe building community starts over meals and coffee. So, West Village Market is a place where this sort of community can naturally grow.
Has it been a smooth road?
It definitely has not been a smooth road.
In 2008, some of my best friends and I were in a band that had a young lady as our lead singer. We gave our all to this project. So much so, that the band was getting signed by a major record label. We were flown to NYC, put up in a 5-star hotel in Times Square, and showcased for this label; ultimately resulting in a deal being made, and the start of a very promising music career for all of us. Complications with some of the singer’s other contracts, as well as poor counsel from our A&R, lead our singer to leave her band out of the deal, and “fire” us from the group we started together. I still remember vividly, the tears running down my best friends faces, as we were coping with the reality that our dreams had just been shattered. Somehow I had found the gull to keep telling them, “we did it once, we will do it again.” And today, 11 years later, we are signing a major record deal of our own, and wearing authenticity as an anthem. This devastating experience only strengthened us.
My recording studio in Lake Worth is actually the second version of it. I have moved and built this old barn lumber twice now. A previous poor business relationship resulted in having to tear down my beautiful studio, after only 1 year if used. Again, this experience was an invaluable lesson about the importance of ownership. I have since bought my new business property and rebuilt the studio as it was, in all her glory.
Surely nothing has come easy. Most of what I have has been built with my own blood, sweat, and tears. But the person it’s made me wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Brier Music, KIDS, West Village Market – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of and what sets you apart from others.
As an artist, I am a purest; to a fault even. I believe that the creating process is a sacred thing. I believe that a true artist is a rare thing. I believe that many people are simply fans of good art, and learn to copy it, by reaching outward and leaning on their influences. But a true artist, who can create something unique, by reaching inward… that’s a rare thing. Such a person is also very delicate and needs to work with the right producer. That is my client.
My studio is called The Brier. I named it in homage to the old Disney story, Briar Rabbit. Briar rabbit was a creative. He had to live his life in a place full of characters that were trying to catch and eat him. He would daily have to creatively outwit his hunters; who were all faster and stronger than he is. His only refuge was a briar patch; a thorny, dangerous place, that only he could live. And he needed it to survive.
Likewise, the studio is a dangerous place for artists. We have to get vulnerable with a producer we barely know and try to creatively find our way in an industry that is designed to chew us up and spit us out. But it’s a necessary place. And it’s a place that only a true artist can thrive.
All this to say, I try to keep a reputation of being a place that encourages authenticity in an artists work.
This is why I built the studio that I built. When I was a kid, I grew up next door to a dude ranch. I spent every day working as a ranch hand; usually in the old red barn. There was a band that would practice in the back room of the barn. This was my introduction to music. I eventually started playing in that band, and that was the start of my music career. 15 years later, the owners of the ranch, sold. And the new owners were going to demolish the old barn that held so many memories for me. So, I asked them if I could have it, the whole thing. I deconstructed the old barn myself, piece by piece, and used the material to build what is now The Brier.
Environment plays a giant role in the creative process. The Brier doesn’t resemble a typical recording studio in the least. It’s earthy, rustic, and whimsical, and full of analog “real” instruments. It’s difficult to describe without seeing it. But for me, walking inside feels a bit like if I was walking into the brier patch. It feels like home. And that’s the feeling I want to bring to my artist’s creative process.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Aside from continuing to work on new music with our current roster of artists; we are excited to explore our new location, and ways to leverage what it has to offer as a community.
The Brier was just recently finished being built in Lake Worth FL. Lake worth is very active in the arts and has festivals often. We have already started the conversation with the city about working together in future events and bringing more music to our local city.
We are also adding more artists to our roster this year, and we couldn’t be more excited.
My personal project, KIDS, is signing a major record deal this month, bringing a whole new frontier of possibilities for us.
Contact Info:
- Address: 110 N F St Unit A
Lake Worth, FL 33460 - Website: Briermusic.com
- Phone: 9548373902
- Email: joshua@briermusic.com
- Instagram: @joshuacaleb777 @thebandkids
Image Credit:
Ryan Stockroll
Getting in touch: VoyageMIA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
