Today we’d like to introduce you to Anton Reid.
Hi Anton, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started making music since before I can remember. My earliest recollection of making music was learning what my sister played on the piano by ear. I learned it wrong, but I liked what I did more in some ways. That made me realize that I had musical ideas and I would figure out how to play them. I grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which is not well known. But those who do know that culture knows that one of the things it’s great for is its music. A lot of both the incredible energy and musicians you might expect, and close harmonies and musical IQ many wouldn’t expect from church culture. That led me to join a choir in high school in which I became the bass section leader. I stayed in that choir from high school to college and beyond, and all that time taught me many musical lessons, one of which was composition. I wrote a handful of classical choral pieces while there. While in college, I created a band with my friends and wrote many original tracks for them as well. I also wrote solo songs and they were accepted into the yearly music album that our school made. When some of us graduated and/or moved away, I continued to make music on my own but never really pursued it heavily, thinking that what I was studying will eventually pay me enough to pursue music in my free time.
On November 6, 2017 I was in a car accident and had to move to Georgia with family to recover. The entire time my plan was to become either an engineer or build a business to fund my passion, but the accident changed everything. I was bed-ridden for about a year and a half and had to ask myself, “If this accident actually took me out, would I have been happy with what I did in life? With what I was trying to do? With the trajectory I was on?” The answer was a clear no. So I decided to pursue music and never put it on the back burner again. I came up with my name R.A.D.I.C. and began teaching myself production while still in bed. I started to use fruity loops mobile on my phone and started making music. Then when I could get out of bed, I’d start playing guitar and record into the mobile DAW with a headphone microphone in front of the guitar amp. Eventually, I was healed enough to wheel to my computer, and that’s when I got my first real DAW and continued to teach myself and make music. I released my first single “Otaku” in 2019 and have been forging my path ever since. Now I have a few projects out, working on another, and don’t plan on slowing down anytime soon. There’s so much more to that story, and maybe one day I need to write it down so I don’t forget them. I’ve come a long way.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
No, not smooth at all. As I mentioned, I was in a car accident and was bedridden for a long time. That accident made me disabled. I no longer have full range of motion in my right knee and I walk with a cane. Playing any instruments depend heavily on proper posture. Not just for health, but for the execution of what you’re playing. I play multiple instruments. But playing them now is very difficult. Standing is not an option, and sitting usually requires a straight back and knees at 90 degrees. Especially for instruments like guitar, piano, etc. Also, I’m still rebuilding my life financially. I moved to a new state with a disability. Initially I lived with family, but I moved out to rebuild my independence, but finding a job that works with my physical limitations has not been hard. It’s a bit more difficult to be sensitive to the pulls of inspiration when you’re worried about rent. Not impossible, but absolutely more difficult. I had no system of support here other than family, and they were going through their own trauma. I had to go out and find my people. The thing is, I did! I found them. And they’re all dope. And I was beginning to get gigs, get booked for events, and start forging my path in this music thing… and then covid happened… It felt like a rug was pulled under me. I had to figure out how to survive, so I enrolled myself in a cybersecurity bootcamp and now I try to do that as well as music to survive.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m an artist, producer, sound engineer, instrumentalist, rapper, singer/songwriter, etc. I’m a music creative. I just try to do what I can to make the vision come to life. I’m also a cybersecurity engineer and started my own brand there as well, but we aren’t here for that, lol
I don’t know if I have a general specialization, but currently I’ve been making a lot of what we call “Flips” in the beat community. That’s a piece of work that is centered around reimagining a particular part or element of a pre-existing piece of work. A lot of these flips I’ve made span across multiple genres, and I honestly struggle to state what genre a specific piece of work is in. Some of them are easily categorized in Hip-hop or “lo-fi”, but most of them are experimental and hybrids of more than one genre.
I’m the most proud of an EP called “Greyt Konjunkshun” its an EP I made to celebrate the Great Conjunction that occurred that day. That EP accomplished many of the music goals I set for myself while I was bedridden and represents my journey in a way I didn’t recognize when I made it. Often times as a creative, you look back on something you did before you knew more and realize that you miss that version of you. That EP is that for me.
I feel like my background in church and singing with choir has trained me to be intimately acquainted with that “still small voice” that leads every creative venture. Having the musical training to translate what I hear into notes and rhythms quickly before your conscious mind changes it too much helps a lot, but I believe that what sets me apart is that I have a very unique history with music with the choir experience I’ve had, and I pull from all those experiences to create what I create.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Apps: The basic “Voicenote” and “Notes” apps on any phone are the two apps that have saved my life.
YouTube has taught me everything I know in guitar and most of what I know in production.
gStrings <– not what it sounds like lol it’s a tuner app that I use while I’m tuning instruments or finding the key of a song
InShot, Photoshop Express, and Adobe Photoshop Mix <– I edit all the marketing visuals and videos for all my posts and releases (except for Loopback Protocol, that was a friend of mine), and these apps are what I use to do them.
Soundbrenner. It has a metronome. Every musician can benefit from a metronome.
Books:
The Decent Series by S.M. Reine
The Ascent Series by S.M. Reine
Master of Chains by Jess Lebow
Ghostwalker by Erik Scott Big
Son of Thunder by Murray J.D. Leeder
Bladesinger by Keith Francis Strohm
anything Drizzt Do’Urden
anything Sherlock Holmes
Podcasts:
Cheesy Controller Podcast
Rusty Rupees Podcast
Pricing:
- All my projects are “Name your price” on bandcamp. So they’re free, but you can choose to donate if you like.
Contact Info:
- Email: radicbynature@gmail.com
- Website: radic.bandcamp.com
- Instagram: @radicbynature
- Facebook: Facebook.com/radicbynature
- Twitter: Twtter.com/radicbynature
- SoundCloud: Soundcloud.com/radicbynature
