Today we’d like to introduce you to Zac Crook.
Zac, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in Jacksonville, FL, where I started to play guitar in late high school. Senior year I had decided that I wasn’t going to go to college and instead left the week after graduation to start an internship at a non-profit in South Carolina. During that year of interning, I would come home most nights & began to write songs in my bedroom. By the time that year was up & it was time to make another decision of where to go, I remember trying to talk my dad into the thought that moving to Athens was a good idea. I knew I’d be able to play music here, and also the girl that I really liked at the time was transferring into UGA, so in my mind, it made all the sense in the world. The original plan was to be in Athens for about two years, then make the move to Nashville to “make it”.
Two years into being in Athens, I started to meet people who were also writing songs and playing shows & were doing the same stuff I’d been trying to. Around that time, I had almost made up my mind to move back to Jacksonville, but I met my friend Andrew Huang, who said “what if instead of moving back, we just hang out this summer & make a record for you?”. I was very broke & making records is expensive, so it made very little sense, but I agreed to it & that’s when it felt like the ball began to actually to roll. I created a kickstarter where my friends & a few strangers raised up some cash so that I could begin tracking. We made an EP at studio 1093 in normaltown in three days going from 10am – 1am each day.
The EP was released in late July of 2018, then in August, Andrew and I went on tour with our friend Carly King for about a month or so. It was an 18 show tour that we booked ourselves, going from living rooms & coffee shops across the south. tour was a very up & down experience but really the few really special nights make the entire time worth it.
That felt like the start of it all for me. Where the reality of “this is possible” actually showed up for one of the first times.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, I feel like I’ve had it fairly easy because you always hear about the brutality of the music industry, that people are always trying to screw people over & everyone is out to get something from you. Granted, I haven’t dealt a ton with the big wigs & labels and stuff, but the culture in Athens is probably 90% everyone just stoked for each other & trying to help out however the guys that play in my band, play with a few other artists, a few of them have solo projects and they’ve all become some of my tightest homies.
I heard early on, from some people who were a lot further along than me, answer a similar question to this, saying something to the effect of “the road has been smoother because of the people I’ve chosen to let be a part of what I’m doing” and so truly, H feel like I’ve been cautious, letting a select few into the depths of what I’m doing. But also, that’s not me being a jerk because I have plenty of other friends who are involved in other areas of the music, I just have seen the benefit of keeping only a few hands on my work, and making sure that it’s the people who I trust & love, and also are great at what they do. All that being said, there’s been let downs & adversity along the way for sure, I think that’s unavoidable, but relatively speaking, I’ve tried to put myself in a situation for low drama, and smooth sailing as far the relationships & dynamics of it all.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m a songwriter & singer. I write tunes & record them, arrange them with a band and play shows. I would say that’s the big 3 of what I do, write, record and perform. Each of those are very different & demands different things from me. I probably enjoy playing shows the most, but each are really rewarding in their own way. Man, what I’m known for… this feels strange cause I don’t want to project my thoughts about myself onto others.
I guess something I’ve become known for at shows, and honestly I’m not always the most proud of this, but I consistently have people come up after the shows saying “you were so funny”, which is really kind, cause funny is good I guess? But if I don’t choose to take it well, I get frustrated because I’m there to play songs & tell stories not make people laugh. Not I’m growing into that, understanding that I think I’m glad that I get to do that, help people get out of whatever headspace they came in with, and just have a good time.
What sets me apart… I honestly don’t feel like there’s too much special things going on with me. I feel like some of my songs are pretty good, and I can sing pretty well most nights, but there’s a lot of people who are so, so talented at writing & singing. Maybe, or rather my hope would be that people would feel disarmed & less alone through my songs & shows. That it would transcend a “concert” or impressing them, and that they would feel like they have a friend in me. I’m not sure how I’m doing at that so far, but I want to continue to grow into that.
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
I think the thing that I’ve noticed across the board in people that I respect/are doing what I hope to is that they are kind, unassuming, humble & disciplined. I really struggle with the discipline side of it, more than I would care to admit. Writing songs & playing the guitar is tough, and most days, it kicks your ass. You write bad songs most of the time, and that’s not super fun typically. But it all builds upon itself & you have to keep showing up. Discipline is something I’m really trying to develop & shape more and more in my life. I do think my friendliness has played a role in helping things go well with small scale touring. Building relationships is huge in that situation & I’m really grateful that I feel comfortable in those positions. Also, I’m grateful that most people host us & that we meet on the road are such nice folks & great people. That helps out a lot honestly.
Contact Info:
- Email: zacrookmusic@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/zac.crook (@zac.crook)
- Facebook: facebook.com/zacrookmusic
- Twitter: twitter.com/zacrook (@zacrook)
Image Credit:
Photos by: Caitlin Cooper, Grayson Wright, Cole Grayson, Liam Crittenden, Natalie Tyer & Jacob Mallow :~)
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