Staying Productive with Clint Breeze
A shot from behind the scenes at Clint Breeze’s “Invitation” video shoot
Carrington “Clint Breeze” Clinton has some simple words of advice for any artists out there looking to sharpen their craft.
“If you enjoy doing what you do, you should just do it everyday,” he says.
Despite circumstances surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, Breeze has managed to maintain solid output this past year, releasing several projects of his own along with a music video. In light of the Indy musician’s continued stretch of productivity, our Seth Johnson sat down with Breeze for a quick interview, taking a closer look at his daily grind.
Also, be sure to catch Breeze as the latest guest host of MFT’s weekly show on 90.1 WQRT. The show will air on Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. and again on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 11 a.m.
SETH JOHNSON: What all have you either released or accomplished between the start of the COVID-19 shutdown and now?
CLINT BREEZE: I released three projects. I released a solo album titled We Good in late summer. I released an album with my band, Clint Breeze and the Groove, around Black Friday. In between the solo project and the band project, I also produced and co-created an album with Pernell from Pike called The Misfortune of Fortunate Change. And then lastly, I did a Christmas project (I’ll Be at the Crib).
JOHNSON: You also recently released a music video. Where does that fit into all of this?
BREEZE: The music video is a product of my solo album. It’s for the single “Invitation,” and it features my brother Camo, Jared Thompson and Nick Tucker. It was produced by Turner Fair, directed by Anna Zanoni and filmed by Joe Sailer. The music video took a while to make, but at the same time, it was still very culminating for my album and how creative I was able to be.
JOHNSON: What went into the concept behind that video?
BREEZE: That was really Anna and Turner’s development. They wanted to highlight different art hubs in Indianapolis: Broad Ripple Fountain Square, Mass Ave and Indiana Avenue. In the middle of the pandemic, they wanted to still portray a good, honest, artistic representation of Indianapolis.
JOHNSON: What were your initial feelings and overall mood when the COVID-19 shutdown first happened last March?
BREEZE: My first thought with the pandemic was that it wasn’t going to last that long. But then when I realized how serious it was, I was like, “Well, it’s time to make the best out of this.” I had wanted to get creative things done anyways, so I saw it as an opportunity to challenge myself to be more creative than I normally would be. I mean, I’m always creative, but with more time there’s less excuses.
JOHNSON: You posted regular videos of you practicing during the shutdown. Do you feel you got more of a practice regiment down during that time?
BREEZE: Yeah, for sure. I practice everyday now. That’s something I wasn’t always the best at because I would rely on just playing gigs. But the pandemic really made me reevaluate how important practice is.
JOHNSON: Were there any other habits or regiments that you found yourself picking up in the midst of the shutdown that helped you stay on top of your game?
BREEZE: Coffee. [laughs] I drink more coffee in the morning. Not going out helped too, in an inverse way.
JOHNSON: Now that you’ve been able to get out and play some gigs here and there, have you noticed any positive outcomes that stem back to your diligence during the shutdown?
BREEZE: Every show has felt different. But as the pandemic has gone on, I’ve felt stronger as a musician. Outside of actually playing, it’s also cool to see other musicians and regular showgoers. The pandemic has just made the entire experience of live music more precious.
JOHNSON: Lastly, would you care to share what projects you currently have in the works?
BREEZE: Courtesy of a couple grants, I’m working on a solo project. It’s going to be much different than anything I’ve done before. It’s not going to be beats. It’s actually going to be live instruments, but I’m going to play all the instruments. I don’t want to say I’m gravitating away from the band, but it’s a different spin.
*Be sure to check out Carrington guest hosting this week on our radio hour on WQRT 99.1 FM. 7PM on Thursday and 11 AM Saturday! Or, following the airtime, check out this and all other MFT shows on our MIXCLOUD.