We had the good fortune of connecting with Hilary Lankford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Hilary, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

Risk is a funny thing that has a lot of components to it. As a kid, there are a million things that I said not only that I wanted to do, but that I was going to do as an adult. One thing that you don’t realize as a kid is that so many things as an adult come down to money, time and will. Most kids have the safety net of school or home to try new things and fail, without it costing their houses, livelihoods, relationships and many other things. As an adult, a lot of us don’t have a safety net, and comfort becomes a huge goal. Not having worry becomes a huge goal and replaces things like dreams and risky behavior. I have taken some risks, sometimes with a safety net, sometimes without, but one thing I do know is that risk doesn’t have to come with an instant gain or loss. I have planned tours without knowing how I was going to pay for the travel and stay, but I did it anyways. I did a local open mic tour in San Diego years ago when I was first starting out.

 

For the first few years of performing, I had a lot of mediocre performances, but the key was that I never stopped. I’ve even had friends say that I should stay at home and practice more before I plan another show. The only thing to do at that moment was to scoff in their faces and remind them that the best guitar player in the world will never be known because they will never leave their bedroom. They will never take that risk. One hour of stage time is worth weeks or months of practice sometimes. There is such a gut-wrenching feeling to going up in front of people and doing what you love and showing them that you love the world enough to share your stories and life lessons with them. When I think about risk and putting myself out there, with feelings of insecurity, I always remind myself of one of my Rentie ancestor that came to North America out of Nigeria after the international slave trade was made illegal and traveled through Jamaica. If he could make it in the worst conditions for transport in the Atlantic Slave Trade’s history, be bought and sold multiple times, only to experience freedom within his lifetime, I think I can make it to an open mic to live my dreams. We don’t always have the security of family wealth, but we have something worth the world: resilience, drive, and grit.


Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist looking to bring what I see and hear in my head to anyone that wants to observe it. I am most proud of my a cappella singing. It takes a whole lot to be able to get on stage and just belt it with no other music playing and entertain people. I have never had a show that was solely a cappella, but I love the mix and it adds a variation and depth of excitement to every performance. I like seeing new faces and their blasé attitudes toward me before I sing. Sometimes I get these looks of almost, “Who does this person think they are getting up on stage with just a mic.” It usually takes about ten seconds to completely quiet a loud space and garner the attention of everyone in the room. I think it’s cool that I can do that with just my voice.

I am most excited about this next chapter in my music. The pandemic put a halt on live shows and I was on a one-way train to performing all the time and becoming stagnant in my career. I spent all of last year learning more about music theory and understanding who I am as an artist and creating a clear vision for the future. I told myself for a long time that all I wanted out of music was to eventually be able to go to any city and play shows in intimate spaces, having the ability to get booked when I wanted to visit. I met that goal decades earlier than I expected and I know that if I visit a new place, I can definitely play gigs. It just takes some planning.

It is so electrifying for me to be out in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the moment, literally living my new musical dreams. I am finally learning how to play the drums from a monster drummer, Juli Blumen. He has been guiding me and challenging me since we started back in March. I am also learning new elements in dance and movement from the best dancer I have seen since I’ve been out here, Luci Moia and I am recording weekly with arguably one of the best engineers in Buenos Aires, the spectacularly talented, Randal Bradley. I have never had the right situation to record so often with such a talented engineer and with such an amazing setup that my raw vocals can stand alone without any filters. What it means for me, is that any filter I do add to my vocals only enhances them and doesn’t bring them down. I am also collaborating with folks on four different continents to allow this next phase of my music to propel me to where I know it can go.

I got to where I am professionally just by showing up. If I went to an open mic, I would try to be first on the list. I used to arrive early and place myself in the middle or the end of the night’s lineup so that other people didn’t feel bad or apprehensive about performing after me. One thing that I learned is that I shouldn’t diminish my art so that others don’t feel bad about their art. It’s one of those things that took me a long time to realize that I am great and I believe in myself, so other people will too and they will support my vibe, regardless of other artists’ insecurities. I am here to share my art, not to make sure that someone feels better about their art.

I once met a retired professional dancer at a show that gave me my most important lesson about live performance that I will never forget. He claimed that he was not even close to the best, but he always showed up. There were times when he should not have gotten picked for something, but he was the only one that responded to a call for dancers. He emphasized that no matter what, I always have to show up and that’s what I do. I show up early, play first, stay humble, and stay focused. I never drink before a performance and I always have my wits about me.

I just want the world to know that I am trying to create a more well-rounded art: musically, visually, emotionally, and with compelling stories. I am in the process of taking two steps back in order to take a giant leap forward. I am putting myself through training out here in Argentina, I am changing my framework and learning about how to write for film. I don’t want to be a screenwriter, but all art can inform your art and I am trying to bring more elements of other types of art to my music. It’s such an interesting and exciting time for music and with so much of it out there, and with tens of thousands of new songs being made available for streaming every day, I want to stand out and create something unique and valued.


Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
It was hard to narrow down what to do in a week of fun in San Diego. The biggest spot for me by far is Balboa Park. There are so many things to do and experience there. It has the organ show on Sundays along with the International houses in the same area of the park. You can go and have a lot of different types of food, drink, and entertainment right there going from house to house. The Centro Cultural de la Raza and the World Beat Center have great art and interesting events. The Botanical Garden is a nice quiet spot in the middle of the park with great water features right outside of it. There are some wonderful museums there, like the Natural History Museum, The Museum of Us, the Museum of Art and many more. Also, the Art Village is something to not be missed. The colors are epic and you can do things like learning ceramics on your visit there. I could probably spend a week at Balboa Park alone, just checking out the cool trees, the dogs at Dog Park, the Japanese Friendship Garden, and so many other things.

I would also take a visitor to the beaches. Mission Beach has Belmont Park, where you can ride a sketchy rollercoaster, eat some fun food, have some drinks, and maybe take some classes, like surfing and boating. Also, there are some cool spots to shop and chill out in Ocean Beach and you can catch the sunset at Sunset Cliffs just a short drive or walk away. Every beach has something unique to offer, from checking out seals, to cool drinks and food, shopping, water sports, skating, and just enjoying some fun in the sun. There are so many more things to do that just a week cannot cover them all. I love catching music downtown at the Shout House or Onyx Room. There are physical activities that are hard to pass up like hiking at one of the many great spots, brunching, and just exploring the area. If someone needs a reason to come visit San Diego, the awesome weather and great spaces are enough to cover anyone’s needs for a week of fun!


Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There are so many people in my life that deserve some credit in my story, be it for the good or the bad. However, I would have to say my biggest mentor, cheerleader, advocate, and sounding board has to be my twin cousin Jarred Causly. I have literally been calling this guy for twenty-plus years as he patiently listened to my poems, little songs, sorrows and triumphs. He has guided me through the jungle that is the music industry with his more than 15 years of experience. Jarred has always taken time out of his busy life and career to make sure I knew how to publish music for myself, how to keep going when I wanted to stop, and so much more. He has always given me clarity in direction and is a true weatherman of the industry. He knows what is going to happen before it happens and keeps me in the loop. I would be completely lost in the world of independent music if it were not for him and I wouldn’t have the confidence to know that I don’t need to be signed to a major label to make my music happen. Sometimes all you need is one person to make a difference in your career and Jarred’s it for me. He’s a beast of a music supervisor, a loyal cousin, and a great friend and I know one day Jarred Causly will be a household name.

Website: hilarylankford.com

Instagram: instagram.com/hilarylankford

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hilary-lankford-a2949013b/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hilary_lankford

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hilarylankfordmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOoBHPEy5pKoeWjLv1W9XTw

Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/58Kon0hs4jfqgwrduqx7mA?si=y4lr3rdLTPqM2l_DZNtXxw

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.