Life & Work with Brian Hanner

Today we’d like to introduce you to Brian Hanner

Hi Brian, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It’s been a long and winding road for sure. As a musician, I started off playing saxophone in the junior high band in sixth grade and moved over to drums and percussion two years later. In high school I decided to make music my full-time occupation, and there was no looking back from there. I taught junior high and high school band for about 15 years. I took a number of years away from music, and now I perform as a freelancer and co-own and operate a recording studio and label.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I don’t think anyone’s road is smooth, but some look that way from the outside looking in. Mine has certainly taken me places that I didn’t expect. When I decided I wanted to be a musician, I didn’t really have any idea what that meant. Freelance musical work, just like every other freelance career, is all about finding the next gig. I primarily work in groups that aren’t my own, both in the classical world and the popular music world, so it’s all about getting hired for the next gig. I’m a perpetual sideman.

There’s tremendous pressure that goes with that. The saying goes, “You’re only as good as your last gig.” If one night goes badly enough and “that one person” is in the audience, I may lose out on a gig that I didn’t even know might have happened. Dwelling there is a recipe for time on a therapist’s couch, so I find it’s best to just acknowledge that luck is a huge part of life and the performing arts are no different.

I had a teacher once who said, “Love the music and it will love you back,” so that’s what I try to do every single day, even if I’m not feeling it. The love will come back around.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Primarily, I live a musical life. Most of the music-making I do is as a freelance dummer/percussionist in the Tucson, Arizona area. I’m Classically trained, so I play in symphony orchestras, rock bands and everything in between.

I have two big projects I’m involved in. I’m the Principal Percussionist for the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra in Flagstaff, Arizona. I’m also the drummer for a World Music Fusion band in Tucson called Baba Marimba. I’m fairly new to that group, but they’ve been playing music around Tucson for twelve years now.

The next musical bucket is I own and run Hanner House Records with my lovely wife, Snydenn Sweet. We are a home studio in Tucson, Arizona, and we are a full service recording studio and label. We record, engineer, mix, master and release music, primarily for artists in the Tucson community.

I just love to make music happen in people’s lives. All of the things I do weave themselves together into a daily tapestry of music.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
I had some great mentors over the years. I’ve learned a lot, and there are some things that I still feel clueless about. As a freelancer, I’m part business owner – me. And no one wants to business with someone who doesn’t know how to communicate or is unreliable. If you’re not a person who is reasonably organized and can follow through with phone call, emails, text, etc., it will be very hard to develop a positive reputation. And your reputation is your brand. I don’t care how good your special media presence is or any of that. What people say about you to your peers is your brand. At the end of the day, some people will only remember that you were on time, prepared, and easy to work with – or not.

I guess the next thing would be learn to say no and learn to accept no as an answer. If you say yes to everything, you will eventually run yourself into the ground and if you can’t accept no for an answer, you’ll just be frustrated ALL OF THE TIME. It’s a recipe for disaster. No is a complete sentence, so learn to speak and hear that sentence kindness with grace.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bhannermusic.com
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@brianhanner2889
• Soundcloud: ttps://soundcloud.com/brian-hanner-2022
• Other: Hanner House Records: https://sadsaladstudios.com

Image Credits
Syndenn Sweet, Phill Kelly, David Irvine