Today we’d like to introduce you to Anthony Siegel aka AyC Music.
Hi Anthony, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My love for playing music began at the age of 15 when my father bought me my first guitar, a black Ibanez Gio. While reluctant at first, once I was able to learn a few chords to an AC/DC song (they were my favorite at the time), the rest was history.
I developed my talents as a self-taught guitar player and musician throughout the rest of my adolescence, but I always felt the strongest connection to the words and the voice in all of my favorite music. During college, I began to teach myself how to sing while playing guitar and slowly started realizing I had a talent for it as friends would come to compliment me as they would overhear while walking down the dorm hallway.
After leaving college and moving back home for a bit, I struggled with the decision of what I truly wanted to do with my life. I decided to listen to my heart and left to join some friends who had just moved to Austin, Texas. A fresh start, people I knew and loved, and the “Live Music Capital of the World”. Seemed like a good fit!
I struggled to get my start. I had to take a job I didn’t really enjoy to make ends meet and had no idea how to get into the scene. Not to mention I hadn’t really written any of my own songs, which would be an entire process to learn in and of itself. I was lucky to get an audition for a coworker’s band who were looking for a lead guitar player. Meeting at the Music Lab in South Austin (sadly no longer there), we connected immediately and they enjoyed my playing on their songs, songs which I found very unique and fun to play. We were ‘Moebius and the Ironhide”. Together we played some shows and recorded an album, but sadly had a falling out due to personal issues, and the band disbanded early 2016.
The band was a good experience, but I knew it was time to move on to what I was truly passionate about: singing/songwriting. Nothing ever inspired me more than music that was just an acoustic guitar and a voice. I began practicing covers that I loved and started frequenting an open mic at a place called House Wine. Immediately welcomed by a wonderful community of like-minded musicians, I was able to gain some practice and comfort being alone on stage.
I started finding my process as a songwriter and soon released a four song EP under the moniker “Still Up”. It got warm reception from those who heard it, and I knew I was on the right track. Since then, I have been slowly working on my craft, playing shows when I can, and building a home studio to do my own production out of. Progress can be slow at times because I still have a full-time job to make a living, but I feel that I am doing things in a way that is true to myself. I now operate under the name “AyC”, and you can expect a new EP from me before the end of the year!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
We all face challenges in our lives both large and small, regardless of our walk of life. I won’t pretend that my life hasn’t been incredibly blessed and privileged, but yes there have been plenty of challenges along the way, and it’s been a long process with a long way left to go. Besides the fact that I am still working a full-time job at a restaurant to pay my bills, I suppose the biggest obstacle has been myself. I have a feeling that most musicians/artists can agree with me that our own desire to always put out the best work possible can also be our biggest shortcoming. The life of an artist is one of self-doubt and second-guessing, and the hardest part of the process is figuring out how to be comfortable with failure and knowing when to let something go.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a singer/songwriter. My biggest passion is to sing and play my acoustic guitar while I do so. To me, this is the most raw music can be. It is unbridled emotion and vulnerability, and there is nothing else like it. I was always very shy growing up, and I am extremely proud that I was able to prove to myself that this was something I could do. I have learned more about who I am and what is important to me than I could ever imagine.
My songs and style are unique both in terms of the music and the topics that I write about. I try to explore complex, multi-tiered emotions and experiences. Ones that we all experience at some point but may not even realize the depth to which we do. As a songwriter, I believe it is my job to spool the thread of the human experience. Any connection to anyone is cherished. If I can make even just one person feel better about something and not feel alone, then I have done my job.
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
Get out to shows! Particularly open mics. Austin has a wonderful open mic community, and I owe my initial success to these kind and wonderful people.
Contact Info:
- Email: acgullmusic@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.sonicbids.com/band/ayc/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ayc_music/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aycmusic
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7tHfJtTm7tMyiRUCaWlhuw
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/aycmusic
