Muse Chronicle

Rusty Reid is a Seattle-based artist who is known for his intricate genre-bending creations that are based on modern liberal philosophical, political, and spiritual content. This is one of those artists who uses his unique musicality to create art that will bring about a change. He often talks about all the things that are wrong with our generation and humanity in general and this is what sets him apart from the crowd. I fell in love with this artist’s innovations which are mesmerising. The way Rusty blends rock with country and pop music is sheer magic! This is something to discover for sure.

“Rusty Reid is going to be the epicenter of the earthquake that’ll wake everyone up from their fantasy worlds!”

I recently discovered this artist and was hooked on his musical sense immediately. His recent release, ‘American Villain’ is one of his best works yet and my personal favorite from his discography. The track starts off with an elaborate guitar melody and then various elements flow in. The vocals are exquisite and the way he blends his vocals with the music will transport you to a whole different realm of reality. The drums are impactful and create the perfect backbone for the track. This is surely a track that you should listen to! Do give it a spin, you’ll love it for sure!

We had a chance to have a little chat with the artist and here’s how it went-

1. What is your favorite track?

I don’t have a favorite track of my own. They are all like my little babies. They are all different. Some are silly. Some are funny. Some are sad. Some are happy. Some are in love. Some are mad. Some are hard to get along with. Some are very deep philsophically. I tend to write more of those lately. A good place to get to know me is my second album, “Head to Heart.” That’s my belief system encapsulated in one album. There’s even an Indian music/spirituality-influenced song on it, “Sat Cit Ananda.” Recently, I’ve brought the song “I Went Searching” into my live show, and audiences really seem to like it. 

2. What is your biggest motivation to create music?

I think most artists just create to be creating. It’s fun. It’s what they do. They may not be very good at anything else, or even interested in anything else. To be “successful” as an artist, you only need please or impress yourself. Everything else is a bonus. Sometimes artists want to make a statement, and expect that others will react to that statement. But, really, all art is a statement, intended or not. Whatever notice, good or bad, that the art, or the statement the art is supposed to represent, receives from the public is essentially irrelevant to the piece itself. Its reason for being, and true worth, is known only by the artist. Of course, being commercially or critically successful in your art can make it easier to continue to be an artist and open up more opportunities, but even that does not speak to the actual quality of your art. Just because a lot of people like something doesn’t make it great, or even good, or even not horrible. Look at McDonald’s. 

3. Being an artist, you might face a lot of criticism, how do you deal with them?

Yes, I have had diffculty with that. I didn’t know this about art when I was younger. I mistakenly believed that what others thought about my art was more important than what I thought about it. I thought if others didn’t like it that meant it was not very good. Then I learned the tale of Vincent Van Gogh, and realized I was totally wrong. Virtually nobody thought his paintings were very good during his entire lifetime. Now one of his paintings has sold for over $100 million. Sadly, it seems Vincent, himself, did not fully understand that his lack of “success” did not mean he was any kind of “failure.”

4. How do you make sure your projects are better than your last?

I don’t think of it that way. I’m not in competition with myself, or anyone else. I have a baseline of quality. What I’m looking for is authenticity and originality. Something true to me, but different. How can you compare two statements that are true but different and say one is better than the last? I’m not doing avant garde art or trying to invent a new genre or leaving everything behind to explore where no one has ever gone. I’m working within the framework of the popular song and standard chordal structure. But I am searching for that unique combination of original melody and original lyrics that is true to me, that reveals something about me to me. 

5. If you could send a message to the young artists, what would it be?

Focus. Don’t get distracted. Practice. Only practice will make you as good as you want to be. Learn. What you know right now is not enough. Explore. Open yourself to a much wider variety of unique influences. Question. Yourself most of all. Who are you? What is your essence? What makes you different from all the rest? What do you have to say? Evolve. Don’t accept that you are fine “the way you are.” Your potential as a human being is exponentially greater than “the way you are” right now. Love is the North Star. The more you love in the world, the fuller human you will become. The Beatles said it: “And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make. ” So start making love… with everything!

Catch a Muse Down Here –

Catch Similar Music On Our Rock Playlist –