Meet Warick Pond | Musician, Songwriter & Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Warick Pond and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Warick, we’d love for you to start things off by telling us something about your industry that we and others not in the industry might be unaware of?
I think the intricate balance between artistic expression and commercial viability. There are not many other business models like artistic endeavors. How does one commodify their emotions into music? While creativity is at the core of what I do, I also need to consider market trends, audience preferences, and the overall business aspects to ensure sustained success against my own voice. I do not create for others. There is almost a compulsion to create. However, to make my art a viable business I must consider others, my audience.
You know, I once heard a musician was asked if he considers others when he writes. His answer was a resounding, “No”. I couldn’t help but think how limiting that was for his art.
Art and music is collaborative and relational. Emotions are vast and rich in that collective. Knowing that you are “selling” extremely personal emotional experiences and feelings must be reconciled.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Perceptually many think I am measured while others consider me as a brave risk taker. The truth is always somewhere in the middle. As a story goes I showed up late to a lake party and jumped right off a sixty foot ledge into the lake. It makes for a great story but it ignores the hour of me using a rope to measure the height of the cliff, having a fishing boat check the depth of the water and diving in the water to ensure no branches or ledges were hiding. Unmeasured risk is irresponsible and zero risk tolerance is a life unlived.
Risk-taking has been instrumental in shaping my life and career. I believe that calculated risks are necessary for any growth and innovation. By embracing risks, I’ve been able to experiment with new ideas, and expand my creative horizons of what could be possible. Whether it is releasing a song that exposes my own vulnerability or disregarding the technical limitations of physics in low latency collaborative musical performance, there is always an aspect of risk that needs to be taken in order to discover.
I am late in my career in music. I took a step back thinking I didn’t have “it”. That is something I think most creatives struggle with and I’ve come to learn is a lie. Who defines what “it” is? We all have creativity within us. My music can be rock that simply is fun and exciting to a vulnerable singer songwriter. The music industry doesn’t know what to do with multi-genre artists. Yet, the reality is that we are all multitudes and shouldn’t shy away from our expressions of those multitudes.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I have a number of these locations. Garden Bar is a very relaxing place. The new Walter Studios is exceptional. If I were to pick an itinerary:

1. Desert Botanical Gardens: start the morning off with a walk through the desert botanical gardens and see the views of the valley and Popogo Park
2. Marathon Exploration Theater: Explore the outer ranges of the universe and feel that sense of how small we really are
3. Yutaka Japanese: Head up to north Phoenix and have crispy rice and spicy tuna
4. Novel Ice Cream: Cool off with a sugar bomb of ice cream and donuts
5. Japanese Friendship Garden: End the day walking the gardens and meditating as the sun goes down
6. Walter Studio: Head into the night around Roosevelt Row with music and art

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Ritchie Fliegler, Dhyana Dahl, Max Challis, Ryan Gallagher, Arizona State University. Book, “The Creative Act”, by Rick Ruben and “Not Nice”, by Arizona Gazipura

Website: https://www.warickpond.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/warickpond/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/warickpond/

Other: Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/warick-pond/312538145 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4URxRL4FcwMPPKJgEXGlMI?si=f0Aw_vz6SOOBSthAjd1lvA

Image Credits
Mike Sanchez https://msanchezphotos.smugmug.com/