Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Ashker Kraft.
Hi Robert Ashker, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started a nonprofit to help nurture and develop a vibrant live music scene in my town. Bastrop Live Music Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that works in conjunction with Visit Bastrop and the Bastrop Music Friendly Committee (Texas Music Office) to bring national and regional artists to perform at Bastrop venues and to present a broader range of performance opportunities for local Bastrop musicians. Rural communities often get skipped over when national and regional acts are booking their tours, and rural musicians are often limited in the kind of exposure they garner on their own. Our organization bridges the gap between touring artists, rural venues, and local musicians to create opportunities for audiences, artists, and venues to experience a more prosperous and diverse music scene in their community. The Foundation was born from a health crisis and subsequent soul-searching. Around this time last year, I was battling cancer. Two days before a complicated surgical intervention, my partner of 15 months bailed on me. So it was a double gut punch that left me recovering on my own – basically on my back alone for a few months – and that gave me a lot of time to think about which things in my life were of any lasting value. What things in my life have served or given me joy, and what has allowed me to impact the world around me positively? I kept coming back to music. I don’t have much to show for all my years of political and social activism. The world is, in fact, a worse place now than it was when I started on that road. Few of my romantic relationships had amounted to anything. The moments of joy, connection, and human fulfillment I can remember most vividly over the years almost all had to do with playing, performing, creating, or listening to and enjoying music. The times in my life when I felt most beneficial like I was making my world just a little bit better, were when I brought music to people whose souls and hearts were hungry. So, I started thinking about ways to use music to serve my community in Bastrop County. As a music fan, I had to drive into Austin to see many artists I love perform live.
Most touring acts and bigger names skip Bastrop when planning tours because we aren’t perceived as a music town, with larger venues dedicated to concerts or a big outdoor festival-style facility. And, as a musician myself, I had to drive to Austin, San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas to make any money playing because, while the bars and restaurants in Bastrop do a great job booking local talent, they don’t have the budgets to sustain a community of musicians with regular work. That’s different from what most of them went into business to do. They make their money selling food and libations; music is a nice thing to have in the mix. But it isn’t an excellent investment for a restaurant or bar owner. I’ve been here since 2011 and have rarely played in my town. Many of my musician friends who live here or have moved here have had the same experience. So, I thought – what if I could start a nonprofit that would collect funds from the community and from local businesses, government entities, etc., who would all benefit from a vibrant live music scene in their town, and use those funds to pay touring and local musicians to play in Bastrop venues, taking the financial burden off of the bars and restaurants, and allowing them to book more diverse artists. And that is how Bastrop Live Music Foundation was born!
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?
Well, the community in Bastrop has responded beautifully to what we are doing. We have also received a lot of support from the city and local businesses. We touched a nerve and tapped into an appetite for live music performances in this city. We have put on over a dozen shows at various venues around town, and all have been well-attended and well-received. The only hurdle we face is a need for consistent funding. Part of our ethos is ensuring that artists and support people are paid a living wage when they perform or do sound for the shows, etc. That gets expensive, and I have been struggling to find corporate sponsorship, monthly donations, grants, etc, that allow us to plan for future shows and events confidently. I have had to dip into my funds to cover some costs, which could be more sustainable.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do? What sets you apart from everyone etc.
When I am not running around for the Foundation, I am a working musician, an actor and a voice actor, a Yoga instructor, and a substitute teacher in the Bastrop Independent School District. My band held a residency at the Continental Club Gallery for 8 years, and before the pandemic, we had a Friday residency at C-Boys Heart and Soul. I just re-released a record from 2017 entitled North Bishop Ave, and I am in the studio now, working on my next record, Soul 73. I host twice-monthly Songwriter Showcases here in Bastrop, where I trade songs and stories with local and nationally renowned guest artists, and I am getting back out to the clubs in Austin and Central Texas, both with my new band and as a solo act, under the name Robert A. Kraft. I am an actor who appears in films, commercials, and TV shows. Over the last couple of years, I worked on 2 features, several short films, a TV Pilot, and a bunch of commercials. I am also a voice actor. I have a studio in my old house in Paige, just outside of Bastrop. I am working on audiobook projects and regularly voice radio, TV, and web commercials. Over the years, I have voiced many video game characters and anime characters and done a bunch of audiobook narrations.
I am an RYT200 Yoga Instructor. I taught Yoga in several studios in Bastrop and Austin, and I used to teach incarcerated people in the Travis County Jail System. I am about to begin a Yoga program at Emile Elementary in Bastrop, teaching Kindergarteners, 1st graders, and 4th and 5th graders how to move around and have fun with Yoga. As a substitute teacher, I can step in when our overworked and under-paid full-time teachers need a break, and it gives me great joy to share in the learning experience of the young people in our County. These bright, shining souls constantly humble me. What sets me apart from others is my versatility. My willingness to follow my heart has taken me many places and offered me many ways to serve others and express myself creatively. If I can keep expanding my horizons, my various audiences and communities will grow with me, and we will never get bored or stagnant. Right now, I am most proud of my work for the Bastrop Live Music Foundation, the fantastic responses we are getting from the community, and the fantastic live music shows we have put on in Bastrop. I am also proud of the new record and can’t wait for people to hear it!
Networking and finding a mentor can positively impact one’s life and career. Any advice?
The networking that has worked best for me has always been organic – growing out of the communities that form around work, play, friendships, and social activity. Reaching out to new people is always a good idea. Still, I find that when I feel stagnant or cut off from the world, if I look around my existing communities, I am often surprised to see the opportunities for connection that I was hoping to find elsewhere were right under my nose; the whole time! I have not had much luck with “industry mixers” or orchestrated networking events, but I have always had luck when I turn to my friends and co-workers and ask for what I need. This always leads to new things for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bastroplivemusicfoundation.org/ and https://www.voicekraft.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzGrHI2OKm-/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100091643394823
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertashkerkraft/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw0Lbdxj1qxMN1pIv27qfvA
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/the-robert-kraft-trio
- Other: https://www.robertakraftmusic.com/
Image Credits
Photo Credits – Terry Hagerty, Trey Garitty, Robert Ashker Kraft, Kenny Gall, Mary Bruton
