Building as Nomads

In this episode of The Rise, join Skrizz and Adam as they catch up on each other's lives. Skrizz is leaving New Jersey (for now) to start a nomadic lifestyle - joining Adam on his own nomadic living. They also talk about Skrizz's music, where he reveals that he is planning to release two(!) albums this year. They talked about traveling, experiencing new cultures, and how meeting new people from all over the world can spark creativity.

Transcript

Adam: [00:00:00] Talking music, building businesses, and the grit in the journey. We're Skrizz and Adam and welcome to the Rise,

Skrizz: and we are back. It is Skrizz and Adam with the rise. I am very, very happy to be here on this locally Valentine's Day. Um, Adam, happy Valentine's Day. Glad to be here with you. How are you? Where are you? Talk to. 

Adam: I am good. No one else. I'd rather spend Valentine's Day with than you. And I'm in Oahu right now, so I'm in Oahu for another two weeks or so.

Adam: So come March I'll be gone from the, uh, the sunshine and the beaches, but that's okay.

Skrizz: Cool. I love it. I love it. I think you're in a much more romantic place than I am. And , sunny north jersey, but, uh, it's good to be here as you know. Um, it is Valentine's Day, which is in February, and, uh, To kick it off, I think, um, with this kinda new season and new year, we just kinda wanna talk about where we're at.

Skrizz: Um, uh, I know a lot of you guys that [00:01:00] listen to this podcast, thank you for listening. By the way, their eyes all the way, um, are, are fans of my music. So I kind of wanted to do a recap of like what's going on in s Grizzly Adams world, as well as what's going on in Daniels Navarro world as well. Adam, ask me a question.

Skrizz: What's on your mind? 

Adam: Yeah, so the whole thing came up and we were talking about what, what topics should we, should we bring up on the podcast, get a new season going, trying to figure out what, what's next, and. Me and you, we haven't really been able to communicate as much as we normally would. So even for me, I don't know, totally know what's going on in your world, but I see you putting out music.

Adam: I see you have big, big, uh, visions for this year, and I'm curious to know what's going on from a music standpoint, hiring standpoint. You're in a new studio, a new house, and then just in your life in general, what are you focused on? What, what, what, uh, what tours you have coming up, all that stuff. So let's start music wise though.

Adam: Obviously a lot of the people that are listen, Are big fans of yours and even me being a fan of yours, I'm curious. So what should we expect as Grizzly Adams fans in terms of new music coming out this year? 

Skrizz: Totally. Um, [00:02:00] so I am very happy to say this is an exciting time. Um, I'm. I can't make any promises, but I wanna be a man of my word and say that this will be the most volume of music, most quantity and quality by a landslide.

Skrizz: Um, I do on the calendar, have two albums coming out. One is my third album, which I think in, you know, very much in classic rock history. Your third album is your biggest album. So I'm, I'm really hoping this, uh, I'm betting pretty hard on it. Um, so that's coming out. Um, the fifth single for it Disarm You is coming out March 10th, announcing that now.

Skrizz: I think it's, Top three, top five grizzly tunes. So check that out. And then we are dropping the mixtape just a few months after that. Um, which, uh, is the, the, we have whole heart foresight. A lot of the stuff with me on acoustic guitar, the artwork is always like a, a Polaroid picture. Kind of, just kind of a reflection of the side that, you know, you met me just being able to show up at a bar and play an acoustic guitar set for three hours.

Skrizz: I kind of wanted to make a project that reflects that. [00:03:00] And then the albums like the. Big, the big, you know, the big stadium rock kind of kind of thing. But I, I'm really excited about both of it. I mean, I, obviously, I've spent a ton of time working on it, but I, I profoundly believe in it and you'll be getting singles from either project, uh, pretty much every two to three weeks.

Skrizz: Um, so I'm, I'm couldn't be more excited about it. And I hope, hope you guys are just as excited as I am, cuz. I think it's pretty good. 

Adam: So what, uh, like how many songs do you expect to, to come out with this year and how many of those songs are already done, ready to go in the back burner versus what do you need to finish?

Skrizz: Um, that's great. And that'll actually segue to the next question. Um, so, uh, 20 minimum songs. Uh, I think it's like 20 to 26 songs I'm gonna put out this year. Um, if you know anything about me, I'm constantly changing the track list. So I'm like up, like down to the mi like to the, like, the absolute cutoff is when I fi like, like Kanye West, like down to the very, very cutoff is when I finally sign off on the record or what the order of the songs is or whatever that is.

Skrizz: Um, so I do drive people [00:04:00] nuts that way. So we gotta get 20 done. 20 minimum done. 10 songs are fully recorded, packaged up Pro Tools file in a zip folder. It's gotta send him off to Brent who finishes the production and mixing. Shout out Brent Cola crushing album three. He's the co-producer of album three and he's doing like a really, really, really, really good job.

Skrizz: It's like, I think the, the relationship between me and him, which we've been working on for like 8, 8, 10 years, I think that just kinda. That just something happened where one and one became 10 with our work relationship. So he's really doing this thing. 

Adam: We get Brent on the podcast. 

Skrizz: Yeah, we, that's, we should definitely get hit next.

Skrizz: Yeah. Brent, you are on next. He will. He, yeah, he will. He's, he's good. But, um, yeah, so we got, that's all done. But, um, uh, You know, and other stuff is very close to being dumb, but it's, you know, like as always the devil's in the details. I mean, I've, I have this song I'm working on right now off the mix tape, and it's one of the singles off the mix tape.

Skrizz: And I re-recorded the first verse like four [00:05:00] times, and then I listened to it today. I'm like, well, it's not even close. You know what I mean? And it's funny, it's like, you, you know, you can see me at a show and sing. It's like, oh, this guy's a great singer. But it's like, the devil really isn't the details. I mean, and that's, you know, what separates hundreds of millions of people wanting to listen to song.

Skrizz: And then it's being like, . It's okay. You know?

Adam: Yeah. It's everything. Like we just watched the Super Bowl this past weekend. Yeah. And there's a lot of players with a lot of talent, but the difference between being a great Division one player versus making it to the N F L versus playing in the f l versus being a starter in the NFL Superstar.

Adam: Exactly. So much of it is a small details like a Tom Brady who obviously just retired again. Okay. Yeah. The big thing with him was knowing the details better than anybody. and practicing the on those details and perfecting those details. So it doesn't matter if it's music, business being a teacher, sports, whatever the devil is in the details.

Skrizz: It, it really is. And I, I think, I think that's kind of, I think the part that, um, deters people from getting into the, you know, getting knee deep in the dirt of [00:06:00] details is the mis the disproportionate of the effort that goes into it. It's like the hours, everything's a proportionate at the end of the day.

Skrizz: So it's like a hundred hours goes into 95%, but another a hundred hours goes into the 5%. So it's like, do you really wanna put a hundred hours into 5%? Most people don't. But then, , those that do Tom Brady's of the world, the Kobe's, LeBrons. Um, so yeah, I mean, so I'll, I'll segue to the next thing. The big thing in, you know, my personal life, which obviously will reflect my, uh, My, my professional life deeply, and it's very inspired by you adam. 

Skrizz: This is the first time you're hearing it. I have not told anyone this, but um, I am leaving my house. I am ending my lease and I am going nomadic. Wow. Definitely. Whoa. Adam Rosen style. This is big. I am buying the cargo trailer tomorrow. I got the hitch put on my truck today. I sold my van, um, I bought a storage unit.

Skrizz: and, uh, already been at [00:07:00] places. I'm staying for months at a time, but, uh, I've kind of committed to just like I can make records on the go. And, uh, I, I have a, you know, a staff of people I work with to make records. And we're, we have, we have five, we have five weeks to get everything done. And then from that, just new music.

Skrizz: So it, it's a really exciting time personally. And, uh, And creatively as well. I mean, obvious, a lot of pressure. Like I ha like I said, like , like getting the right, ver the right recording of the verse. Hard. But, um, yeah, it's an exciting time. 

Adam: The, we're not messing with the audience when we say, I had no idea. That was no idea. We, we've never talked about that once. So I'm finding out right now live so. The interesting thing, I think it's gonna be do for you cuz I've seen it for myself, like I've been bopping around now since November of 21. Yeah. And for me, it's always inspiring to go to new places, experience new cultures, meet different types of people.

Adam: Like for me, that's very inspiring and very inspiring from a creative standpoint. Totally. You being a musician artist, [00:08:00] uh, you know, you're, you're a writer. I feel like that's gonna be such a huge benefit. Look for any of us when we get stuck in the monotony of life, it's like you just go through the same stuff day in and day out.

Adam: And it can be a a, it can be a deterrent from us being creative. So for you, you're gonna be experiencing new shit constantly. So I've gotta imagine we're all gonna benefit, uh, from the music standpoint cuz of that. . 

Skrizz: Um, I, in theory, from my experience with traveling and staying home, um, back to proportions here, my amount of writing songs on the road versus writing songs at home is, it's a seesaw that's totally off kilter.

Skrizz: You know what I mean? Like when I'm traveling, there's just, and this applies to any business and I, I think it's so deeply rooted in songwriting, is you, there's a, it's like a Nashville mentality where someone says something, you're like, oh, that's the song. Or like, that's the thing and. . There's just something about being around like kinetic new energy, all the, I mean, you definitely deal with that on a regular basis, kinetic new [00:09:00] energy, and being on the responsive side of it all the time that you're like, that's it.

Skrizz: That's the idea. That's the emotion. I mean, I love where I'm at and I love North Jersey, but even, even now, like I have to find ways to inspire my wealth and I'm so grateful for the job I do have, but it does feel like. And it is work. You know what I mean? But you wanna, you wanna find ways to inject, I wanna say chaos.

Skrizz: Chaos is probably the wrong word, but like chaos is what it is, you know?

Adam: Exactly. No, it is that and, and it's like you want. Where your work to inspire you and you want to find ways to inspire the work that you're doing and to bring more outta your work. And that's where I think being on the road's gonna be helpful for that.

Adam: Cuz you're constantly gonna have new experiences, you're gonna have shit thrown at you that could easily throw you off. , but because you're trained for that, you'll be able to take that and be better because of it. So tell me more. Like, so where are you planning on going? What's like, what's the focus? 

Skrizz: Well, I'm not saying [00:10:00] anything. I'll say you that much. I'm not saying anything, but um, I'm going all over. Um, I mean also, well, I wanna, I want to focus more for what, you know, applies to the actual fans. Also, I don't want anyone stalking me. Um, but like, uh, like I am going on tour, you know what I mean? So I just announced yesterday actually Rizzley Adams Debut World Tour.

Skrizz: Um, you know, we got a bunch more dates coming, but we're, we're crushing, you know, Texas to Colorado to the Midwest, good old Middle America, which. Always a good time. Um, I will not be doing either coasts. I, I love you guys, but I will not be doing either coasts on this tour. I will be doing all of Canada, stay tuned for dates and I will be doing UK and maybe some other Europe, um, you know, Australia or South Africa or anything like that, or South America.

Skrizz: But, so I will be doing that. Um, I will be, Yeah, I, I don't wanna say where I'm at, but I, I think fans will eventually figure out where I'll be. It's funny, like, I, like [00:11:00] even, I'll, I'll say this cause I mean, I don't even know, like I have so many other things I'm working on. Like, I avoid Los Angeles like the plague.

Skrizz: Like I, I'll just say it cause I'd rather be real with you guys. I have a lot of friends in Los Angeles and fans in Los Angeles, and I hate it. I just fucking hate Los Angeles. It doesn't mean I hate you. I mean, I, when I play there, I'll be signing everything and super grateful to be there, but like, I'm like, you know, Let's go to Los Angeles for like a month, you know what I mean?

Skrizz: I'm starting to do a couple things in film, which I haven't really talked about, and I'm like, I want to immerse myself in that more. Like I wanna, I wanna be, I wanna be in a situation I'm more uncomfortable with to be totally honest, you know? So that's all to do. Um, and a lot of like desolate, like away from everybody type of situations, you know.

Adam: I won't ask where you're going. Sure. But I will tell you, I'll be in Austin for two weeks in March. So if you're gonna be anywhere in Texas, we gotta find a way to link up there. But I, I, I do wanna know.

Skrizz: I'll be, I'll be in Texas in, in, um, I'll be in Texas for a week in, uh, [00:12:00] April four 20 weekend. Actually, if you're right, 

Adam: That's my birthday. Yeah, that's my birthday. Four 20.

Skrizz: Come to Texas. Let's do, I'll do, I'll throw you a birthday party. Let's do a dive bar thing. I'm about making money. Just have a good. 

Adam: As, as much as I would love to do that, I'm, I'm once April hits I'm going to, to Europe. So I'll be in Europe. In Europe for a little while. Uh, the plan is a mixture of Italy, France, and I'll, I'll probably go to Montenegro for a bit and maybe find a few other spots to go to.

Adam: But I wanna spend the summer in, on the Italy, on the Italian coast. 

Skrizz: You're doing it right. So that's the one thing with the studio and all that stuff, like, I gotta stay, I got, my truck has to be able to get there. I can't be shipping a car. Can't afford. 

Adam: Just get a boat, get, get the Skirzz boat, just get the yachts 

Skrizz: Once, well, once the rise takes off, we will both buy power yachts and

Adam: I like it. I like it. We'll park 'em in, uh, in Monaco. But 

Skrizz: yeah, I mean, we can, we can talk about this forever, but at the end of the day, if I were to break down what is going on in my life, there are other things too, which maybe we'll talk about. Another thing, um, is [00:13:00] a lot of music like a really. and it's, it kind of goes back to the sports analogy.

Skrizz: I was just on the phone with my mom yesterday and like, like I originally was like, I have, in short, I have like four different deal situations that enter the free market this year. So it could be a really big payoff if I, if I choose to capitalize on it, you know what I mean? And a part of me was like, okay, let's, let's live cheaply nomadically and then.

Skrizz: Capitalize on this thing. And then, you know, I wanted to buy like a bunch of land and like build off that land. And then I kinda had a revelation yesterday, and again, I changed my mind all the time. So take everything I say with a grain of salt, but it's like a part of me is like, , and this is true, and it goes to sports as well.

Skrizz: It's like I really only have a absolute best 12 years left in me as a songwriter who can deliver great music commercially as an artist at my best 12, 12 years. Which, you know, seems like a long time, but it's not a lot. So I'm like, I need to, I need to get 30 songs outta year to my fans and, and that's gonna be my number one [00:14:00] priority.

Skrizz: And it kind of hit me and it was like, you know, I'm not gonna be 70 years, oh no, 90 years old on my deathbed being. . I'm not gonna be 90 years old on my deathbed saying like, man, I really wish at 31 I bought that big house with the farm. Like, I'm not gonna regret that at like, there's so much life left to live in time to buy the big farm.

Skrizz: You know what I mean? But I'm like, but I will regret, like, man, you really should have bet on that third album a little harder and invested in yourself a little more. You know what I mean? Um, there are other friends I've talked to and other things, and it's like, I know people like the, the, the Amazon model, Jeff Bezos, that man scaled up breaking even every single year until he was making a billion dollars a day.

Skrizz: And that was kind of what came to me is like, like, you're doing great, but like, why not just keep scaling? Like, um, I mean, I have just a lot of examples of that scale until you're, I mean, you can scale to the point where you have enough cash to. Buy the, buy the farm in, [00:15:00] in cash in a week. You know what I mean?

Skrizz: So it's like, for me, this is where I'm at and I think nomadic applies to that business mindset, if that makes sense.

Adam: Well I think some people, when they hear a nomadic, they think you're living out of a van, hanging out all day just trying to find yourself doing nothing. It's lot work that is not exactly, and there, and there's a lot, there's different ways to be a no.

Adam: The way that I'm a nomad, the way that you're gonna be a nomad is it's to help our work, to help, uh, be more productive in our work and to get more out of our work and to inspire our work. And like for me, a big thing that I talk about and and seems like you're on the same path is now is the time to be and stay aggress aggressive.

Adam: Yes. You know, for exactly, for me and my business, it's like, Hey, things are working. Let's get more aggressive. Be more aggressive, be more aggressive for you. Same thing, you know, you have 12 years you say left of, of doing what you're doing. So let's get aggressive. Let's put out more music. Let's be more aggressive with advertising and marketing our music.

Adam: Let's be more aggressive. We're trying to get to our listeners. Let's be more [00:16:00] aggressive with everything that we're doing. Not, Hey, let's pull back, but let's do more. 

Skrizz: I'm so glad you said that. That is like, exactly. It being nomadic is optimizing inspiration, minimizing like actual things that make you lazy or distracted or anchored down.

Skrizz: Um, and then it's just like financially a leaner, simpler operation. Like, um, I know I've been chatting a lot with my parents and it's. . It's like the details of the cargo trailer and what fits in the cargo trailer and how I'm able to absolutely minimize my life for simplification and the ability to do whatever I want to do and get the job done is like is, is, is essential.

Skrizz: Like how I execute these next two months are so pivotal to my next rest of my life, maybe, you know? So yeah, there's no laziness to it. It's working smart. You know, that's kinda the name. 

Adam: It's kind of, it's uh, it's Valentine's Day, so I'm using an example of trying to, you know, pick up a woman. If you, if you meet a woman out, you know, you're at the, you're at a c a coffee shop, you're sitting down, you see a [00:17:00] cute girl, you wanna go say hello to her.

Adam: Like the second you walk up and you say hello, like you're in, you've already dove into the deep end. It's like, let's make the boat most out of this. Let's, let's try to bring our, our, our swagger, our confidence ourself, and let's try to make the most of it. We're already in, we've already embarrassed ourselves.

Adam: Like there's no going back at this point. And it's what, what you're saying, like you've already gone in, it's like at this point you're either gonna sink or you're gonna. and right now you're gonna be forced to be more efficient. You're gonna be forced to be more creative. You're gonna be forced to deal with uncertainty more.

Adam: You're gonna be forced to do quality work without your comfortable surrounding that you've had for the past X amount of years. So it's kind of like that sink or swim thing where you either go all in and it works, or you go all in and it doesn't work. But either way, you don't have a choice. There's no going back.

Adam: You already burned the. 

Skrizz: For sure. Yeah, I know. That's it. I mean that, that triggers so many other thoughts in my mind, but I, I think the ultimate thing it comes down to is like when you put yourself in these chaotic situations, like [00:18:00] the ceiling for growth is limitless. And that's kind of the thing. It's like if you really are betting on yourself, it's like, well then.

Skrizz: jump in the water, you know? And that's what it comes down to at the end of the day. 

Adam: Well, you prob you knows, it sounds like we were, we were similar in this when I had, my first tech started, the first five years, really? The minus the first year. But it was, I thought you had to be in the office. It was, for me it was seven days a week.

Adam: It was just constant. Early mornings, late nights in the office, Monday through Sunday. And I thought that was the way you had to be, to be success. . And then as I've started to live this other life, I realized, hey, there's different ways to get the best outta yourself to be successful, be happy to grow all that.

Adam: And I feel like for you, it's pretty similar where, you know, for the past X amount of years, you've had your comfortable environment, you've had your studio you go to, you would do your tours of course, but for the most part, you had your stability in the home base, and now you're kind of stepping out of that and saying, all right, I don't know what's, you have no idea what the hell's gonna come out of this nomadic life.

Adam: who the hell knows what it's gonna lead to? It might turn into a TV show, you know, screws on the road, like who the, who the hell [00:19:00] knows. But you're taking that first step and once you take that first step, the dots tend to connect themselves. 

Skrizz: Totally. And, and I think just, just for the specifics of any, any fans that might care, I think, I think the big thing is it took.

Skrizz: it took, you know, a dozen plus years of learning how to make records with the resources of people having in, you know, in person like the Kens and the Brents and all these people, and the confidence of having it all anchored in person. Now it's like, now it's like, I'll be at an Airbnb in Kentucky. You know what I mean?

Skrizz: Like, that's huge million variables. I go, why? That's different. 

Adam: Yeah. But what you're saying is huge because what you're saying, You built the muscle to do this. Yes. You didn't step into the gym for the first time, you know, putting up 2 25, 20 reps. That's exactly like you had to first build the muscle.

Adam: That's like for me, I couldn't have be doing what I'm doing today when I was 22, coming outta college, starting my first business. I needed to build the muscle of discipline of, you know, the, the highs and the lows in [00:20:00] building a business, everything that goes into that to prepare me to do what I do today.

Adam: And the same exact thing for you. You needed to build that muscle over the past, you know, decade, decade and a half to be ready to execute on this new lifestyle that you're about to be living. 

Skrizz: That applies on so many levels, even to like the business infrastructure that allowed me to be nomadic. Like there's the discipline of the creative part, the work part, the actual financial operate.

Skrizz: Everything. Like everything brought me to this moment and I realized like, It's time to leave . You know what I mean? And that 

Adam: was it. So, so kind of, kind of the, the two big things for you right now that different from a, a Music Rizz Daniel standpoint is yeah, you're gonna put out 20 plus songs this year.

Adam: Sounds like you might, you know, get 30 or more. I would love so that, so one, putting out a ton of music. Uh, so that's number one. Number two, you're ditching the house, you're gonna be on the road any time, timeframe. What are you thinking, like three months, year 

Skrizz: indefinitely? I'm out. I'm out March 20. . I already got a, I got a studio [00:21:00] date already set up in, uh, Indiana, and then, uh, then I'm gone.

Skrizz: You just gone? Yeah, no, I'm gone. I'm gone. I mean, I've got my first destination already set up, um mm-hmm. , but, uh, that's, but, but then like, you know, then 15 days later I'm gonna be in Texas, like on tour for six weeks. And then

Adam: So you're just gonna be living outta your van for two weeks or just Airbnb? 

Skrizz: No, all of my stuff's kinda set up at, at, at a, at a certain reside.

Adam: So that, that sounds good. So one, putting out a bunch of music. Two, you'll be bopping all around, all around the country, putting out music, torn. Anything else before we, uh, before we call it today? 

Skrizz: Um, There are other things we'll talk about in other episodes, but, uh, I think it's just a big, big time for betting on myself and, and that's kind of the message I wanna preach to everyone.

Skrizz: Just really bet on yourself, optimize on yourself. Be proud of how you got here, and realize how much farther you can take it. You know what I mean? It's like, um, The [00:22:00] feeling of being full and hungry at the same time. And that's kinda, that's kind of where I'm at. So. Cool. That was that. And uh, Adam, happy Valentine's Day.

Skrizz: It's uh, it's been good. And this is The Rise, with Skrizz and Adam.

Adam: All right, I'll see you. Enjoy your Valentine's Day. 

Skrizz: You too, boss.