The Music Behind Nousprint
Calbert Warner
“I just feel like life is much easier when you are authentically yourself. I would encourage everyone to be focused on pleasing others around, just do what you love to do and the right people will find themselves in your orbit.”
In May of 2020, Nousprint began searching for a sound that would complement the urban, fun, cool vibe that is Nousprint. Nousprint eventually discovered Calbert Warner @schematist, and Nousprint discovered it's sound. After some trepidation, we eventually approached Calbert Warner to interview him and ask if he would be fine supporting a start-up bow tie accessory brand. To our surprise he said: Yes! Once scheduling was confirmed and ideas were agreed upon, we discovered that Calbert is much more than a musician, but he is a thoughtful human being, a true ambassador looking to make an impact. Enjoy the conversation below between the SO-CAL brand Nousprint and the NYC Digital Creator better known as Schematist:
N: Afternoon Calbert, I'm glad that you took the time to sit down briefly with Nousprint. I know we are extremely busy these few days. I know you live in New York and there are many protests happening at this moment, what has been your biggest obstacle in staying grounded with your music?
C: Thank you for having me! New York has been filled with a lot of anxiety and intense emotions these days, but I am sure the same can be said for most places. I think the biggest obstacle for me now is actually writing music. It feels like I should be doing something else during this time and that makes it hard to work on new ideas, especially when the world is metaphorically on fire.
N: Do you feel that the protests have inspired or influenced your work?
C: Interestingly enough, after attending a protest I felt more driven to be myself and express myself more than ever. It is one thing to hear about the protests on the news, but being there in person held so much weight for me and I’m glad I showed up.
N: I understand. I know here at Nousprint, it is a bit noisy, but has calmed down. I think from a marketing standpoint it really has influenced how to approach the market. As a business owner, you have to think what is the next step that is inclusive, yet neutral. But switching gears, for our readers and clients, what is your full name?
C: I absolutely agree. Finding that balance is critical to a sustainable business model. My full name is Calbert Warner. It was supposed to be Jared Warner, but my dad got creative at the last minute.
N: Very cool. Where did your musical journey start and what is in your ear right now?
C: This is a tricky question. I think it mainly started in Middle School, even though I was always really drawn to music at a young age. I played the clarinet in school band and I realized this is exactly what I want to be doing. My parents never had a chance to hear me play the clarinet so they never believed I was any good at it. This essentially meant I couldn’t convince them to buy me one, but years later I convinced them to buy me a small Yamaha keyboard and I have been hooked since. My music taste is so fluid, but lately I have been listening to a lot of Al Jarreau!
N: Amazing! I find myself back into the 90's vibes and Sineabo Say. Her vibe is down to earth urban. Have you heard of her?
C: I haven’t sadly, but I feel like I should have heard of her! Is she good?
N: Yes, she's awesome? such a good artist to pick up. With that being said, can you take us on what it takes to make a solid music track?
C: That is such a loaded question. I think most artists in any discipline understand that their work is never going to be perfect, but their work will at least be finished. Excluding all technical aspects aside, a solid track happens when a musician feels like they fully expressed their emotions in that project. Of course as they get more familiar with the tools used to share their emotions, their track clarity will only strengthen over time.
N: Woe, I did not how much time was involved. Have you ever created a track and spent a large amount of time and realized this is not going anywhere and start over? Can you give us an example, if you're at liberty to talk about it?
C: This happens a lot actually! There are plenty of times when I am writing something and it doesn’t come out as clean as I imagined it. I never fully delete these projects though, I let them all collect dust on my hard drive in hopes I can find room for them in the future. When I reflect on these discarded music projects later, usually I find the ideas are there, but the delivery was lacking and this helps me with motivation for future work.
N: Fascinating. How does your new music compare to your older music?
C: I have been writing a lot more slice of life music in recent days compared to my earlier works. I think my earlier projects were incredibly niche and a bit unpolished. I feel I can confidently say my work now is more relatable to most people.
N: That's cool, one final question, as the second half of 2020 is on its way, what thoughts would you like to leave with our audience?
C: I just feel like life is much easier when you are authentically yourself. I would encourage everyone to not be focused on pleasing others around you, just do what you love to do and the right people will find themselves in your orbit.
N: That's awesome advice! Be well and look forward to your future projects
Listen below at Calbert Warner style and check him out.