Story & Lesson Highlights with Asim Nichols of East Valley

We recently had the chance to connect with Asim Nichols and have shared our conversation below.

Asim, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
This is an interesting question for me. I would slightly reframe the question. I would prefer to say “following” rather than “chasing”. Chasing implies to me, trying to catch up or keep up with something but what I actually feel I’m doing is following where the universe is leading me. In my case I’m following not only my artistic endeavors but more holistically I’m following a path of balance; balance in terms of living the fullest life I can achieve.
Were I not to be free to follow my artistic goals, which is part of living a balanced life, I would be a very unhappy and unbalanced person. This is not a guess or speculation as I’ve definitely been there before. At that time in my life I was not only extremely unhappy, I was really not good to be around. My vibe was off, I was unable to support the people in my life like they deserved, I was unable to find joy in my daily life. Overall I felt a drain on my energy that I know was not sustainable.
At a certain point I decided to make a change. I slowly started to put together the pieces of my life that I felt was lacking. That was not always a comfortable process. While I was immediately coming to understand that I was growing stronger spiritually it was also disturbing for some who were more comfortable with my former self. That was an eye opener for.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Asim Nichols and I’m a Mesa, Arizona based musician. Categories are often confining when it comes to music so I usually describe my music as soulful and chill vibes. My sound is influenced by funk, hiphop, classical, Afro-Caribbean, and jazz. Those sounds were all around me starting at a very young age so I just organically absorbed them.
My formal musical education was mainly through my public school years and a few clinics. I played in school orchestras from elementary through high school. I started out playing violin, then trumpet, finally settling into the drum section. Simultaneously at home, starting around the age of 5, I was playing a drum kit. Outside of school I was listening to James Brown, Sly Stone, the Ohio Players; all those great 70s funk bands. Looking back I know I learned so much just trying to copy what I heard. I think most musicians start off like this.
Today I lead a few bands and perform regularly around the Phoenix area. One of the great things about performing is it gives me and the band members opportunities to reinterpret the music and find new ways of expressing ourselves through the music. Our performances rely heavily on improvisation and it’s very satisfying when the audience thinks what they heard was a rehearsed piece.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
I love this question. My very clear answer is religion. Coming from a family with deep Southern roots and ties to the church, religion was always a presence in my life for a very long time. At a very young age I began to ask questions about bible verses and religious teachings in the Christian/Baptist church. Those questions were never satisfactorily answered, which led me in great part to Islam. That was also a time in my life when as a young man I knew I lacked discipline and direction. Islam provided that for me and for many years served me in that purpose. However eventually I saw the same shortcomings in Islam that I experienced in Christianity. I began to test my faith and ask myself some very uncomfortable questions. After a few years of wrestling with this, I had to admit to myself that what I was searching for could not be found in organized religion. I had within myself the tools to be a good human and develop or realize my own moral code, as well as the discipline to be consistent in my character. Today I consider myself a spiritual person but for me what counts are (to quote the great drummer Max Roach) “deeds not words”.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
There was a period in my life where things were really bad. Although I didn’t outwardly admit this or even realize it, I was starting to shut down. I was being overwhelmed on several fronts and I had no idea how to begin to dig myself out.
I can remember the exact moment when I began the process of regaining my power. I’ve been an aikido practitioner for a very long time. In fact at that time, aikido practice was one of the only things that gave me at least a few minutes of space..
During one particular practice my instructor, very unexpectedly asked me to test. I was extremely reluctant because of all that I was going through. I was just so stressed. In any event he finally convinced me to test and to cut to the chase I performed extremely well. I can remember in the middle of my test feeling a sudden sense of clarity and calm. Those feelings stayed with me long after that practice and I began to focus and address each issue I was dealing with. I was able to drown out the noise all around me and focus. It wasn’t easy at all but clarity allowed me to get through it and come out on the other end with some valuable life tools. I found that no matter how difficult my present situation may be that I can focus, make a plan, and execute what needs to be done.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. How do you differentiate between fads and real foundational shifts?
The key for me is to do what feels right and exact in my soul. I’ve learned to listen and trust myself. I don’t follow fads and I don’t try to anticipate shifts. I observe life, pay attention to what’s going on around me, and follow where the energy leads me. If a person is true to themselves and following their nature, they can never be wrong. I find a lot of musicians upset that they don’t have many followers or streams or some other external validation. I confuses me because I know no one picks up an instrument to become a celebrity. We all start that journey because we love music, we gain value in seeking mastery on our instrument. So it seems somewhere along the journey those seeking external validation stopped playing for the sheer joy of it.
I make music simply because I have to. It brings me joy regardless of the fads and shifts.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
Well you can’t control what others may or may not say about you but I do recognize that I’ve impacted people’s lives in some positive way. Obviously as a father I can see the impact I’ve had on my children whether good or bad. But one thing I can safely say about my kids as well as others I’ve been fortunate to mentor is they are all caring and believe in serving others. So if people were to tell any story about me when I’m gone I hope they know I tried to be of service to others.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Asimnichols.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/asimnicholsmusic

Image Credits
Casey Olson