EZRA of Death Ray Scientific on Music and Arts Education

How did you get into making music, and how did arts education (or lack thereof) affect you and your music?

I got into making music the same way I think most people do: I had a lot of unsuccessful bands in high school. I started out as a drummer for a reggae/blues/rock band called Rezin, but that fell apart because the frontman just wanted to make one hit song and retire to Jamaica and he used that attitude to basically dick around on chat rooms a lot instead of rehearsing. Then I formed a two man industrial/progressive/Hip-Hop band called Vas Deferenz with a friend of mine – he played keyboards and programmed music; I played drums; we both rapped. That just kind of gradually faded out, though we did play one show together at the old Eclipse Records, and it also got me started on rapping in front of crowds, which is what I do now.

Arts education has definitely affected my music a great deal over the years. I started out as a drummer in eighth grade band and continued throughout high school. I consider that the beginning of my interest in making music, and I have to give thanks to the teachers who helped me understand music on a deeper level than I likely would have just from listening. College also really helped me in making music: as a film student, I had access to sound gear as well and got a lot of practice for the real thing by making self-produced, self-recorded vanity albums; college has also helped me network with other musicians and potential fans.

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