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What you’ll hear in this episode:

• How Gordy Quist carved out a path for himself as a musician, singer, and songwriter
• How “The Band of Heathens” was formed and a few of their career highlights
• Quist’s philosophy on earning success through consistent, diligent work

Gordy Quist has been a full-time musician almost his entire life, with the exception of exactly one year. Fresh out of college, Quist got a job as a financial analyst. He was earning a lot of money but did not find the work fulfilling. Quist explains that he was “always in bands” growing up, and that music has been his passion and calling his entire life. He assumed that he would only be able to play music as a hobby, but an experience traveling abroad inspired him with the realization that “there’s not just one path in life,” and he didn’t have to follow a traditional career trajectory.

The day that his one-year bonus hit his bank account, he quit his finance job and moved to Austin, using the funds he saved to establish himself as a singer-songwriter in the community. 

In the early days Quist prided himself on working exclusively as a musician, explaining that he was not seeking a ton of money and fame – he was just happy to be able to make music full-time, earning enough that he could keep doing it. Working for a short time as a substitute teacher, he acknowledges that aspiring artists can have a “day job” and pursue their art professionally at the same time if they are willing to make sacrifices in other areas of their life. Refusing a “day job” sometimes placed Quist in the uncomfortable position of compromising on gigs and making career choices that were focused more on money than on opportunity. He describes this dynamic as a spectrum that he was all over during the early days of his music career. 

Eventually, at the recommendation of other Austin musicians, Quist got a gig at Momo’s. He was playing every Wednesday and became friends with three other acts that also performed at Momo’s the same night. The musicians would play for each other as-needed, and became friends who also vibed well musically. Eventually, they decided to meld their acts into one longer Wednesday night spot, and this group garnered a lot of attention and fans in the community. A local newspaper that was covering their show called the sensation a group of “heathens,” and the name stuck. Thus, the popular Americana rock group “The Band of Heathens” was born. 

As a singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the “Band of Heathens”, Quist explains that they have collected a lot of interesting and unexpected experiences over the years. For example, they were invited to spend a week in Kid Rock’s house and ended up co-writing a song with him and Bob Seger. The band has also made creative and community-based business decisions which has contributed to their long and flourishing career.

While he loves singing and playing guitar, Quist also really enjoys the songwriting piece of his work. He explains the satisfaction and connection he feels when the words he’s written really resonate with the audience. Whether it’s songwriting, playing guitar, recording, or working on the business side of things, Quist applies the same philosophy: “do good work, and work really hard” and along the way, “good things will happen.”

His advice for young artist and creatives in and beyond the music industry is to do consistent work, set goals for yourself, create a process for your work, and surround yourself with a community of likeminded artists that will hold you accountable. He also encourages aspiring artists to trust that all of their hard work will pay off, and one day an opportunity will open up for them where they will be able to shine because they’ve prepared through all of their hours of behind-the-scenes work. 

As for where he’s at now, Quist practices what he preaches, and explains that he tries to “do consistent work, be kind, and try to be helpful to other artists… along the way.”

Listen to the full episode for more of Quist’s solid advice and fun stories from the road, and if you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share with a friend!

Masters and Founders is a founding_media podcast created in collaboration with foundingAustin.

Host: Dan Dillard

Guest: Gordy Quist

Transcript:

this is a founding media podcast this podcast episode is brought to you by our friends rich verse legal have been super helpful for us to work with as we started found in Austin in our other ventures rich legal has been changing the way lawyers practise since its own founded in two thousand four with a focus on utilizing technology to better deliver IP and business law services to founders start ups and emerging growth companies traverse legals latest offering provides a monthly fixed fee fractional general counsel offering to companies learn more by visiting traverse legal welcome to another episode of masters and founders this week we had the wonderful opportunity to sit down with Gordy Quist walk already started on finances you probably know him best as part of the group band of heathens is winding path to success is inspiring I’ll let him tell you more about all the twists and turns it took for him to accomplish his goals welcome to another episode of masters and founders this morning we have a very special guest Gordy Quist with band of heathens I really love the story and I can’t wait to share so when we started good I like to start with the very beginning following your passion when did you know that you want to become a songwriter singer well that’s an interesting question because that I think it hit me that I wanted to do this when I started trying to do something else I had always been planted I’d always played in bands and started playing music at a young age but you never think of it as like oh this is I’m gonna do with my life played a bunch of sports growing up in actually played sports in college but always had a band and is kind of my outlet and at one point I ended up getting a real job for one year of my life had a a kind of a straight job and that was when I realize like I can’t do this

and you told me about this one used to share with those are you know what you did and then how different it was and what you’re doing now well I had a job offer with an investment bank Lehman Brothers and out of college and actually deferred the job for a year and played in my band and then the band broke up after about six months and I sold my favorite guitar went to Europe with that money for a couple of months with another guy in the band and travel around and then thought like okay this is it this the you know the end of fun and time to go work and I I realized pretty quickly that that was not the life for me and I think a lot of that came from just a love of music but also the traveling that I did in the in the months before and just seeing some of the world made me just realize like Hey there’s not not only one path to to life and so yeah I I work for one year as a financial analyst and made a bunch of money like more money than the you know twenty two or twenty three year old probably should make and but I I you know those kind of thing where you’re sleeping under your desk in the it crazy crazy hours a lot of stress and the day that our bonus was supposed to hit and the bonus was like you know insane amount of money relative to your salary even and I was hit a hitting refresh on my bank account waiting for the money to head the day that that it had I got up and I quit well then now and I moved to Austin within a month or two of that so really journey just you had a taste that but you already had tasted the traveling the terms of the music it is all that that was really what was the calling right yeah and and I didn’t quite know how to make a living out of it

I just was like okay I’ve got some money in the bank and and that the money was a great safety net for me pay for my first two solo records and I definitely like have this advantage where I was and struggling it’s weird like a lot of time to struggle of having no money I’ve been in that situation to a lot of times that struggle is like the driver like for success and then for me and in that time period it was like I’m not going back to that I will do whatever to not have to go back to this life of in and it wasn’t like a drive I didn’t care about money I wasn’t driven to like be a rock star or making much money in music my only goal was do well enough that I can keep making art and not have to go back and do something else and so yeah I I kind of just like sorry how much money do I need to make every month to break even to not have to go back the same assesses the mother will invention that need not to go back is even yeah so important as Hillary takes of that and like I don’t want to be sleeping under my desk I want to go to what my heart desires and one of the things that you said a second ago I caught on was you know you thought of the fun was over in that last trip you you talking in the U. to this for a year in the new site now I gotta go back into some of the stuff so yeah and it was you knows so that was about you know in a fun you know on a more light hearted no but who is also just like following a voice inside that is you know saying you’re not meant to do this like this feels wrong for a reason it’s not side who you are and you know it’s funny when I when I quit that job that was in two thousand summer two thousand four

and you know I think everybody there thought he’s gonna go do a passion thing for a few years and I don’t think anybody imagine that Lehman Brothers to be out of business when go bankrupt before my music career which is kind of funny I I outlasted leaving brothers but yeah I know for me it’s a it hasn’t ever been this drive to like make tons of money and maybe that’s because I had an opportunity I had I just wanted in life to like make a ton of money I had this password right probably could have done that but he just wasn’t fulfilling to me and so for me it’s always been about make great art and and be around great people enjoy what you’re doing and make enough to be able to keep doing that well as as you know the shows about masters and founders people are you found their own business sort of master craft and just kinda pursue their passion in a previous conversation we talked about your first saw what what was that thing that made you write the first song the first saw it’s kind of embarrassing I think the first songwriting experiment was sometime in high school over thanksgiving break when a girl had been going steady with for two weeks broke up with me and and I think I wrote a few songs that weekend in a row recorded them on a tape deck but you know to do the multi tracking where you can record on one tape and you play that tape and play along with that onto another tape and you can keep like ping pong back and forth and multi track but but yeah you know the the songwriting I had always growing up as a kid it was a guitar playing and I sang as needed singing back up in whatever garage band I was playing in and then at some point kind of discovered you can you know writing your own music and how that feels to express yourself and and to try to tell a story that means something to someone else as well

and some at some point in I was in a band or the singer laughed as they will who’s gonna sing as ago I’ll try singing in and so being a singer I think fed the IR evens the no writing songs but the you know being the voice singing them in the band kind of drove that you know well I guess I need to write some more songs you know so but yeah it’s funny like of all the all the things I do now touring in a band playing live recording music for that band for myself producing records for other artists I think the song writing aspect of his is the thing that really spoke to me like early that was what I really love and so now that’s what kind of informs everything else I do when I’m producing work for someone else the first thing we do is dive in and spend weeks on the songs and making sure that there you know as strong as they can be and that they’re saying exactly what you know the artist wants some say they want and so as you know our audience Mrs we try to get out there to be able to follow your passion just do what universe is calling you to do in your path obviously it hasn’t always been super easy there’s been challenges but we talk a lot about some of the things that you did the kind of get started right after that year and in addition to records and then what kind of jobs did you have to hold to follow his passion things like that well in the early days I I took a bunch of pride in trying to make enough money to not have to go get another job which I think is kind of kind of dumb at the time like looking back it’s like there’s enough time in the day to go you can work a job and then in the evening and you may have to give up your social life or give up a lot of other things

but there is enough time to work multiple jobs and a and I for me thank you substitute teaching was one of the things I did early on where I do you know it it’s cool because you’re not committed to having a shop everyday at a certain time it’s more like you wake up at six and if you want to work you science at the time the school district needed a bunch sub there were more empty jobs in the were substitute teacher so I would I would go in and do that until three or four PM and then I have the whole rest of the day to work on music or go play gigs at night and so obviously it’s hard and and I think it takes some of your creative energy sometimes when you’re working another job but just part of the deal you know it’s like I mean I feel fortunate now that my my other job besides touring in my band is guy getting show up to work at a studio and still make art which is great but I’d you know it’s a it’s harder and harder to make a living in music I don’t know that it’s harder than it’s ever been but it’s it’s a unique time and has been for the last decade or so with the change in music distribution and I think that it’s easier than it ever has been to make art and to make music police having access to studios but you know it’s still hard work it’s hard to say something have something to say and and craft something that special and that takes a lot of emotional energy in a lot of time that no one sees its was very solitary but so yeah I mean like a lot of times you got out have the other job that supports that are within makes it possible to be able to do that but for me like the goal is always to like have enough work going on to not have to do that but which then that gets into a whole nother weird situation or you’re taking music gigs that may not be good for your career but you you take them because they pay X. amount of money and so sometimes I think what might be better to have a job or no one sees you you make your money and you only do the music stuff that’s good for your career and job

I’ve done all all all those things in the spectrum yeah tell me about the band of heathens let’s fast for a little bit and how you guys how you went from solo label and solo albums to a group and band yeah the the band of heathens was a complete accident when I moved to town and in two thousand four evil said Hey you got to go hang out with this club called mama’s that’s like where is the place to hang and if you can try to get a weekly gig there and so you know just kind of went and hung out all the time it’s some friends eventually got booked on Wednesday nights and Wednesday nights was a really cool night this guy Brian keen Colin Brooks can I’m Steve Whitmire windy Cologne other few different artists alike were on this Wednesday Wednesday night thing and eventually when I got on there I think because Steve maybe moved to Nashville a slot opened up and and then eventually add jury who was the last of the heathens crew to move to Austin and then he got a slot it became a group of four acts one right after another that had the same drummer bass same bass player played in two of the four bands and so we were all like sitting in each other sets and so at some point you know say Hey why don’t we just make this one one jammer one band instead of four separate shows were pretty much the band stays the same but the front man changes so it morphed into this more collaborative thing and then people started coming to see it it was more fun I think for the audience to see that the collaboration and it was Lucy no there were no rehearsals and there’s a lot of tequila and we called the good time supper club and more people started coming to see that in the C. R. solo sets when we figure we’re on to something and then at some point the newspaper Lycidas says the heathens

and we don’t really know who planted that cedar who did that we have some suspicions but that name ended up sticking kind of accidentally and eventually started taking that show on the road on the weekends instead of doing our solo things are playing guitar in other people’s bands and here we are you know thirteen years later you know the band is still going on all over the world still making records that’s amazing ministers last time we met for coffee or talk about some of the great experiences you’ve had through this now following this passion some of the things that people you’ve been able to meet and actually record with you wanna touch on that something that’s fun yeah you know it’s it’s just crazy that this band that was an accident has the life that it’s had we’ve gotten to do some amazing things early on we were asked to do in Austin City Limits TV show taping which was an amazing highlight and I have gotten a play the Ryman and just really cool venues of a bunch of the big festivals and then some very strange things have happened apparently kid rock of found the band somehow I think maybe from our Austin City Limits taping in that turned into us can become friends and he ended up one time he came up to us to add in myself and he said you know I have talked yet I think a moderate off on your songs as echo one okay he’s a you know check it out I changed it but if if you like it you know if you hated all our killer I won’t release it if you like it I’ll give you whatever you want publishing

okay let’s hear this in any he took us back in genesis demo and sure enough leg beginning songs like it’s our song in any totally rewrote chorus it is an interesting song because when we’re writing it I kind of knew out like the verses like straws and how this is a good melody we’re on to something and when at an hour writing a song together he we stumbled on this weird chorus idea and we both like that we knew was weird and and I said we we had this conversation a you know if we do this for totally killing any chance of commercial radio any success for the song because this is too weird for that he’s like yeah but I like it as again I like it too so we recorded that way well Bob kid rock heard it and he had sent out as a man the beginning this sounds really good but this is just too weird like what you guys do here so he changed the chorus and he changed the when it got through the course the last line in the title of the song is fuck off and die and it’s called foad F. O. A. D. is the is the way the songs recorded that aside never would have imagined I’d be okay with someone taking one of my songs and turning into a kid rock song called fuck off and die if but but it was it was fine and he’s a he’s a great guy and the way he went about it was like kind of funny and so he ended up inviting us up to Detroit and we lived in this house for a week

and we were the band on about half of that record of his and so we had a record with them and which is again another like just a weird thing that I would never have pictured aligning in one of those nights we get into an argument over Bob Seger who played a slide solo on some Bob Seger track and and Bob Ritchie kid rock several others ask him so he he text Bob Seger he just lived down the road the text Bob Seger is like you know who play the slide solo on this track any says the answer and solves the argument or you know then the see your response and says you know Hey I got a new record down on a plate for you sometime you know what are you doing and by Richie looks at us and saying you guys once a year to come over I guess so Bob Seger came over that night answer to Bob sitting in the control room and see your has a new record any Sykes chain smoking just like this pump and listen in to to his right his record and singing his record to us it is awesome and then Bob says one here what we’re working on yeah these are the heathens that you know they’re the band on this record like let me place of tracks we place on like three or four tracks considers the unit and and then it gets to the song that ed and I had written together that Bob borrowed and see your search for bands like this is the hit and that but that’s one of the most like rewarding things for me was like because when you know when you’re writing all you can go with is like your god like I think this is good I like this but you have no idea if anyone else can like it do you think you know but you really don’t and it felt good that like in the instant where like see heard that melody and those words he he they resonated with him in the same way that we kind of felt and then when I got to the course is a guy you you fucked up you can’t say fuck in the chorus knows gonna play on the radio and they get into the argument and then the next day Seger calls like I wrote I rewrote all the words

so there’s two versions of the song while one call to say goodbye and it’s a co write with myself an ad by Richie kid rock and Bob Seger saw the car I was Bob Seger was really crazy and kid rock on the same side and then and then there’s the the the explicit lyrics version which anyway the two different versions of the record but yes so weird things have come from from the band of heathens things I never would have imagined great experiences we’re some of some of things you’re doing now we see here in your own studio now and you want a little about what what the student means to you and also what you’re doing for the community with with your teacher yeah it’s really weird how this has come to be our our dear friend George review produced a couple of the band of heathens records it’s kind of a mentor for us in studio and we’ve done a handful records here in this house and he got sick a year and a half ago and passed away from cancer and that that was like it was really a tough we were on tour in Europe and that happened and he had been sick for a while but then his like passing happened fairly quickly and unexpectedly kind of or how everyone is very helpful is gonna pull out of it but when we got back from tour a couple months went by and and that opinion an email from his brother about what they’re doing with all of George’s gear and so at first I was like shocked nobody wanted to keep the studio together in acts such a great just to get a great sound and and the gears are really nice collection of gear the George but a lot of time into so I kind of put together a plan to try to get all the gear and keep that alive I couldn’t you know I thought it couldn’t swing the house too but and they’re having a friend come in and help me by the house and so we’ve we’ve been able to keep the finishing school which is the name of his studio that he had we’re keeping the finishing school live and it’s been just incredible in something again I never would have imagined that I’d be here and but it feels good to keep kind of what he started going out for the band

even this great to have a home base for us to you know just screw around and and make stuff in our own place and then it’s been also very cool and rewarding to I and I spent the last decade on the road most of the time and feeling kind of removed from the Austin scene just because we spend so much time on the road and so it’s been rewarding to like consciously okay get more plugged and more tuned into what’s going on and I’ve had a lot of artists you know come by and and make records and that’s been really rewarding and fun too because you you get to wear but to hats you know you get to the songwriting hat and you to play on the records and engineering is a whole nother you know round that diving into which is just been really fun so yeah it’s it’s weird how I’d I’d always dreamed of having the studio my own space by never I did not think it was anywhere you know nearby the universe works yeah it’s funny and it’s funny too I like the way of my mind works and like the drivers for me was never like I wanna studio I’m gonna do whatever it takes to get there it’s kind of just been like good work work really hard along the way like little things happen that kind of you know boost the profile of the band or song gets placed here like you know just you make just enough money that the band you know we don’t all have to go get jobs and do something else like it just kind of keeps building and now over you know a little more than a decade with this band in in doing this doing music for for much longer than that but it’s just kind of funny how it keeps building on on what she did before and I think I’m trying to stay focused on just say Hey just do good work the kind you know and and try to be helpful with other artists and kind of open to elaborating an open to just like helping people along the way because we’ve had amazing people step in to be helpful with us and so just trying to consciously go back kind of get back into the Austin scene and be and it’s great to it’s worked out with the band we don’t tour as much as we used to so it’s nice to be home the last time we chatted you talked about being able to offer a place where we will write write more music is that still something you’re working on

yeah I’ve got a few ideas working that I haven’t fully formed but the the writing process is a is a big saying that I’m in and sons is as much for me as it is for for anyone else I love I love the idea of structure and process inotes songwriting is mystical and weird and you know you can’t really like explain this is how you do it and then have a good song at the end of it it’s it’s much more unpredictable but I do think there’s a little bit of is it is a numbers game and in like just doing a lot of it and then also having process and goals and that does keep you from being lazy and and keeping out put up in and that you know that’s that’s hard for me like you know I I’ve got two kids in and my wife and so when I’m not working like in the studio or on the road I want to be present with them at home and so it’s like I have to have dedicated time structure for writing to be able to like keep having that output and I’m trying to think of ways to to build that and where to a community of of writers committed and there’s a lot of that here in Austin is great actually how much was little accountability groups for for songwriting but I’d love to integrated into the studio and then be able to like have a group of people write a song every week or every month or whatever the deadline is and then have a day where everyone comes in commercial song ID be cool but instructions on his name one of these that you mentioned last time that I really stuck with me was that in the songs that you’ve written all the songs written and your career before he never knew which would be that it was not just like oh this is going to be at right it’s really a numbers game you input the work camp and you put the work in and and as you put the work in several of the songs you honing your skills to hone your skills honed skills and everyone’s well one pops and it’s really resonates with the audience and does really well so the state me you said to me was like if if you just put in that the numbers and need contain wholeness skills things will come out of that things will force on that side of those really insightful for anybody out there this let’s listen wondered how do I how do I make my own Banamex on some song writer the it’s really really good advice on on that aspect at I think it even applies outside of music you know I think with anything it’s like if you just put in the work you’re creating output that is going to you know hopefully do good things for you but you’re also getting much better at your craft whatever that may be and so it over time if you just if you believe in that being a process of doing the work in that it will compound on itself and you know in the end pay off I don’t know hopefully hopefully that works

since there’s a story wanted to share is is we we talked about your dad being a top compiling and you having to bring it to shown teller you hello yeah yeah yeah I just think that’s an interesting not that has to do with the we’re talking yeah yeah no my parents are great they’re really supportive and always have been and it’s interesting now being a father and husband and I and I travel a lot obviously with the band which is a heart which is a strain and difficult but it’s it’s it’s interesting I I kind of grew up with my dad being gone a lot to use a a navy fighter pilot they flew a fourteens and at a certain point decided to get out of active duty and get in the reserves and go the airline route at so he could be home more when I was in second grade he was invited to Miramar California which actually were I was born but he got invited back to top gun to the naval fighter weapons school to instruct and I think this was a maybe a year or two after the Top Gun movie came out second in mid life is like eighty seven maybe when this happened I think that movie came out in eighty four eighty five maybe six but I was obsessed with the movie looking back I mentioned I really have been watching that movie at that young age but but anyway it was kind of our life as my dad’s life like doing that and so he had to leave I don’t remember how long he was gone maybe six weeks or a couple of few months I’m not sure but he had to leave go back California we’re live in Houston and yeah I was tell all my friends about it and my teacher called my mom and said you know Hey we need to have it you know it’s a serious talk Gordy’s having a problem telling fibs so my mom is very concerned

she went in and and they had a talk and she told her that you know of course been telling stories at his dad’s at Top Gun like the movie and so my mom had the the pleasure of telling her that that’s actually where he is right now it’s not just a movie it’s a real thing then for show and tell I I brought it when he came back I brought his plaque into for show and tell really you know rubber nose in it so find it’s pretty funny well who last question I have for you is what advice do you have for a young artist that starting out he wants to you need to mentor do the right thing to the right path so what would you say I mean there are so many different pathways for music that I it’s hard to give singular advice other than just to like work hard and trust that that diligence and not hard work will pay off you know and and know that the I. K. comes at a cost to like the hard work means especially if you’re working in a job during the day it’s like our that means at night thank you don’t go you don’t get to go like have beers like you’re going to sacrifice that to sit by yourself try to create something or to get better I your instrument and so yeah I I just think the the thing that I still have to tell myself as a guard do the work and then trust trust said it will pay off trust is so important I agree with other persons nobody has a book the story written says here just to these anzacs same step for your particular life in your particular passion so is this really dance that you have with the universe and trust as part of it is I’m gonna do the workman’s contrasted the doors are from me they’ll just opened for me as I’m doing the work so I think that’s K. and and when they do open you’ll be ready I feel you night you’ll be prepared to to like you know you get an opportunity finally something good happens and your good aircraft are you you’re good enough to actually do something so yeah very cool thank you very much so in the morning with us we really enjoyed learning the story and get inspired by your story thanks Dan sacrifice and doing the work you have to trust that your passion will lead you in the right direction thank you forty for sharing your story band of heathens is currently on tour if you wanna see them live you can click the link in our show notes for the listing of all the tour dates the message the Vandersteen includes me Dan Dillard producer Mariah gossip and audio engineer take Wallace thank you everyone I found the media for your support want to connect to other measures of founders fans make sure your member of our Facebook group the link is in the show notes in our usual reminder to share the show with a friend or leave us a review on I tunes to help others find the show thanks for listening