A Q&A with musician and producer, Tommy Rehbein

Chatting today with my friend Tommy Rehbein. I've known Tommy since I moved to Minneapolis back in 2003 (!!!) Tommy is a talented guitar player, producer and custom guitar-pedal maker in Minneapolis. He has written and performed with numerous bands, including Small Towns Burn A Little Slower, Robosapien, International Karate, Naive Sense, Farewell Continental, Cinema Eyes, and Huntingtons. His current project, Toilet Rats, is freaking awesome and you should give them a listen. One thing you should know about Tommy: He is one of the most creative people I've ever met, but he is also a really fantastic and caring human.

What are some of the most common challenges you face as an independent musician?

I think the area that is challenging as a musician with adult responsibilities is "getting the music out there." There are a lot of different schools of thought regarding stuff like getting onto playlists, content creation/curation vs. wanting to be a musician instead of just a "content creator," and time management. I'm trying to figure out what that looks like now.

What would you tell people are the top three ways they can most effectively support you as a musician?

1. If you like what I or another artist is doing, SHARE IT! Word of mouth is helpful to any small enterprise.

2. Attend events: physically showing up to things is super encouraging. Bring some friends, too!

3. Consider hosting a live performance if you have access to a cool space. If you don't know how, ask an artist. We have ideas how to do it!

What are the top three challenges you face as a musician when it comes to growing, achieving the level of recognition you desire, etc.

1. Time Management - balancing career, family, and home projects with music life.

2. Social Media - pressure to constantly churn out "content" and be "funny" or "deep" when my heart's desire is to focus on my craft at a natural pace.

3. Performances - Instead of playing a ton of gigs, I now treat each performance like an event and space them out. I want to honor the time of other musicians who play live with me and therefore not make them feel obligated to play constantly, and most of my friends have kids and careers so I want the performance to really be worth their time since it's a bigger commitment for them to leave the house.

How do you think you solve for those challenges and what's standing in your way?

Presenting the material in different formats. For example, doing a stripped down version of the songs for certain performances and/or spaces. In one setting, I could perform with a six-piece rock band. But for other settings, I could perform solo (living room set) or with one-or-two other people (such as an electronic version of the material). This allows me to perform a little more often and/or out of town easier, and it can make for a unique/intimate live experience.

What's standing in the way? Time management, really. Also, I have to do things that don't require a huge budget. So, that may look like labor trades with other musicians (I mix a track for someone who plays a show with me, or edit video, etc). It's a delicate balancing act. I also fight imposter syndrome, which is silly because I have a proven track record as a musician, but those thoughts still creep up.

What are some of the tasks related to the business side of your work you wish you could outsource?

Anything to do with getting (onto) playlists, press, and that whole side of things. It's overwhelming. Sweet Cheetah did a great job helping with the PR side of things with my last release, though, and they deserve a shout-out.