Meet Jesse Brennan | Executive Board, Director of External and Member Relations

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

Hi Jesse, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We saw a gap in both knowledge and access to the music industry. As more and more artists are expected to be able to produce their own music and know and understand music recording software to just get their foot in the door, it becomes harder for someone passionate about music to start. Providing the tools and the education to get your career started and build a presence with your music just felt like a gap. Most schools and studios are also extremely expensive for many people, and artists are often not the ones getting scholarships for this education outside of the rare few.

As we developed this vision, we saw a gap in all digital arts as well, the ability to get your hands on the tools and the training can be limited or expensive. Building a non-profit that can provide these services affordably or even for free is a huge value add to the community where more and more creativity doesn’t pay the bills or doesn’t give a platform for experimentation. Gallery 130 is a community resource and an opportunity to explore and create, and we are proud of what we are building here.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
The Gallery is a home for Digital (or analog) creatives to have a place to call home, make mistakes, and advance as an artist. As a 501c3 Non-profit music studio and school, what sets us apart is everyone who is involved is involved for one reason – they want to give back. They know what it is like to be forced to spend thousands of dollars and/or thousands of hours to gain knowledge or access to proper equipment. Not only that, as a young artist with few connections or resources, that hill to climb seems almost impossible. We aren’t here to make money. We aren’t here for recognition or to take royalties from the artists. We are here to help people achieve their dreams. In a world where the script tells you to not follow that creative light you have inside you, to fall in line and keep feeding the machine, there needs to be someone that will tell those willing to listen that it’s ok to follow that voice you hear in your head that maybe there is another way. Maybe the world wants to hear or see what you have to create.

This feat is not easy without the community coming together to support each other. Since we focus on making our facilities and access to equipment affordable, it can be hard to properly compensate people like engineers for their time, as some of them are also trying to make a living, but they want to be part of the cause. We are here now because of some early donations, and now that we officially have 501c3 status, we hope to be able to fundraise to provide better equipment, facilities, and free workshops for our members and the community.

What do I want the world to know? If you have ever wanted to be an artist but didn’t have a place to feel comfortable as you figure it out, Gallery 130 is for you. If you are an artist and are looking for a community to help support you and keep you accountable for working on your craft, Gallery 130 is for you. If you are an established creative and are looking for a way to give back, the Gallery is for you. We are not a collective, we do not compete with anyone, we are the foundation and ecosystem that supports artists, no matter where you come from. Artists from all different local collectives call Gallery 130 home, and we look forward to building a community in every major city across the globe one day.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Oh man. This is a tough one. Well, personally, I am a total foodie, so a lot of the trip would be based around food and likely music. An amazing outcome of the pandemic is so many local music collectives just erupted (some were already built and gained a lot more traction), so there is always great music around the community every week. Fngrs Crssd, LED, WAFFL Haus, Church of Music, Soul Work, Umbrella Friends, In The Bag, Terracotta, Festi Vibes, EgoTrip, Duck Duck Roar, The Template, Music is for Lovers, The Deep End, West Coast Weekender, Love Machine, Casa Del Sol, and The Little Dipper to name just a few that are doing some amazing things that originated locally. I’m sure I missed some so I apologize to any great groups in San Diego out there that I did not mention. Also quick shoutout to Revel Revel, Spin, 1835, and some of the other local underground warehouses many of these collectives get to call home for an evening.

Food-wise, we would be sure to hit all the major spots. For sandwiches, Ikes (even though it’s a chain, it is so good), Rubicon deli, Mona Lisa for a great Italian sub, Carnivore in downtown for a great Jewish deli, Crack Shack, etc. Little Italy would have to be a stop, so many great places and lots to see. Obviously the Mexican food here in San Diego is some of the best, The Taco Stand is a staple or Puesto (specifically for the tacos, not too much of a fan of the rest of the menu, but the tacos are fantastic). There are countless late night Mexican spots to hit, but a personal favorite would have to be Vallarta’s (this will be contested by many, but I’m sticking to it). Shoutout to some local secrets: Kikos Place Seafood food truck, this place will blow your mind, it is amazing. Also, Birrieria Don Alvaro. He is set up outside of Mike Hess Brewery. Also no San Diego trip is complete without a trip to Cocina 35 – best Chilaquiles you will ever have. Some other great spots – Olympic Café for Greek food, also shoutout the Doner Mediterranean in Downtown on 5th. These guys are open to 3am on the weekends and some of the nicest guys working late-night eats. I now crave Greek food after long nights because of these guys. Also, Convoy for some amazing Asian cuisine. Absolutely would have to get some Korean BBQ and Ramen. Bahn Thai for Thai food, Plumeria if one were to be Vegan.

Special shoutout to Balboa Bar and Grill – some great burgers and awesome staff. We are in the same building as them and we spend a lot of time with that team.

San Diego is also well known for it’s coffee scene, big highlight to Achilles Coffee. My wife and I used to live across the street from their first location and they roast their own beans and supply coffee to many restaurants in the city. I used to wake up on Wednesday mornings to the roaster on full blast and I’m not even kidding, they made me a coffee drinker. Also shoutout to Lofty Coffee – also one of the best Acai Bowls you’ll have. Copa Vida and Moe’s Coffee I think deserve a shoutout as well.

For some of the finer things in life, Juniper and Ivy or Callie are probably in the top 3 restaurants in the city (this is an opinion, but I’m sticking to it). Although it is a chain, Eddie V’s is also a great spot in Seaport Village (their La Jolla location has an amazing view, but far and away the Seaport Village location has better food), and it’s always nice listening to live jazz when you are eating great food.

For other Bars/Restaurants, anything by Consortium Holdings or the Cohn Restaurant Group. Also some great spots The Lions Share (probably the best drinks in the city), The Nolen for a rooftop bar, Encinitas for just a whole strip of fun bars and places to stop in. Bopping around Hillcrest and North Park is always a fun time for new people to San Diego. Also, OB on Wednesday nights for the Farmers Market, Saturday for the Little Italy Farmers Market, and Hillcrest on Sunday for that Farmers Market. There is some crossover, but definitely some unique finds at each… especially OB.

For some sights, have to go to the Museums at Balboa Park, Glider Port in La Jolla, the Midway (really touristy, but it’s cool to see).

Obviously, the beach as well. So many amazing spots to catch sunset and most don’t get to go to the beach all that often.

I could keep going, but this feels like a good list.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
It’s tough for me to talk about my inspirations to what brought me here to this moment because it feels very singular and individualistic, while Gallery 130 was built by a community, for the community. I would like to dedicate this shoutout to the team that makes this all possible. I started as the first official paying member of the organization in early 2021 as someone that has gone in and out of waves of self-taught music production. Since there is no “right way” to digitally create (while some guidelines should generally be followed, there are no real rules, creative expression is limitless) in a sea of endless information where everyone has their own approach, trying to make music in a saturated market can be lonely and even demoralizing at times. The team that brought the gallery together wanted to create a space where anyone at any point of their creative journey could be supported and have the ability to overcome the obstacles that they faced, whether they knew the answer, or it was a journey that was taken together. Finding the Gallery honestly has given me the strength to be the most consistent with music I have ever been, helped me overcome obstacles that felt daunting, and has allowed me to get my music to where I have wanted it to go for a long time.

I would also like to make a shoutout to Lee K from Circulate Records. Lee K is a local superstar in San Diego, commonly known for her residency with local powerhouse collective Fngrs Crssd, who found us when she was trying to find like-minded individuals to give back to the community in a meaningful and interactive way. She approached us looking for a home and collaborators for Artist Development Workshops, which funny enough we had already been talking about. Our partnership has blossomed into some amazing offerings to the community through her connections and time in the industry, and we look forward to an inspiring and bright future of educating the community at large.

Extra personal shoutout to Hyperbits from the Hyperbits Masterclass. Likely one of the most talented and globally recognized producers in San Diego who flys under the radar, but his online class is also one of the best in the business. He has become a dear friend and mentor and has influenced my approach to music that I take with me to every session, as well as to those members I have the privilege of being the audio engineer for. We have other students of his that also call Gallery 130 home.

Website: https://www.gallery130.org

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gallery_130

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Gallery130

Image Credits
Rodrigo Cortes – Gallery 130 Creative Director