This episode dives into what it means to dedicate your life to an art form that’s constantly changing, even crumbling, beneath you.
Greg Brace, a lifelong metal musician, composer, and performer, began his creative journey in an era when music still lived in CDs, magazines, and sweaty live rooms. He watched the industry shift… from analog to digital, from albums to algorithms… and had to rebuild not only his career but his identity as an artist, all while staying true to the magic of music.
Now, finding new momentum and recognition in midlife, Greg’s story becomes a meditation on resilience, evolution, and the courage to stay devoted to human-created sound when the entire landscape changes around you.
Join me in conversation with my friend, guitar teacher, and partner in life as we dig into his creative path as a professional musician, artist, and performer.
00:00:34 Cold Open: “All my answers are provided by Claude.”00:01:00 Welcome + premise: the constant fight to stay creative00:01:33 Core question: the artist you are and the fighter you’ve had to become00:02:16 The calling: identity, instinct, and why you do what you do00:06:51 When the fight starts: band dynamics, limits, money, survival00:10:11 A break + the industry shift + “bursting out”00:11:28 “It’s not about the business” expression over fame00:14:06 Craft origins: composition degree00:18:08 The Skeleton Key: craft, theory, and creative freedom00:25:37 Play, language, Morning Pages: the mind that moves things around00:39:41 The modern fight: overload, comparison, finding traction00:46:31 Rituals that hold you: meditation and making space01:05:01 Armor, endurance, and keeping the flame alive01:15:36 AI era context: doubling down on the human process01:21:52 Closing words: trust intuition and tap into the subtleties
GREG BRACE
Greg Brace has had a multifaceted musical career spanning more than 25 years.
Based out of Oakland, CA, he is an active recording and touring musician across multiple instruments (guitar, bass, vocals) and is a film/media composer and music educator. Greg’s musical writing and design styles range from virtuosic and darkly cerebral to ambient and meditative to orchestral and cinematic.
In the recent past, Greg has worked in Dispirit as live and recording guitarist with John Gossard, known as the godfather of American Black Metal (Weakling, Asunder), and shared the stage with artists like Blood Incantation, Yob, and Drab Majesty.
His current focus is guitarist and backing vocalist for the band Vastum, where he serves as co-creative and pre production director for their upcoming sixth studio album.
As a music educator and mentor specializing in guitar, Greg helps students deepen their musical capabilities through a blend of self-directed creative exploration and thoughtful study of music theory and composition.
Drawing on his experience across vastly different musical contexts, he believes that adept musicians must develop their own voice through dedicated creative experimentation while grasping the core elements of music, and understanding what’s come before.
He emphasizes helping students understand themselves through music and connect with the world through performance, showing how the same foundational skills serve both crushing death metal riffs and delicate ambient soundscapes… and everywhere in between.
STRUKTUR SOCIETY
This episode has been brought to you by Struktur Society… a multimedia publishing and community platform tracking and translating how creativity, business, and technology shape culture in the age of AI, across design, art, and music. Through writing, podcasting, and live events, we share insights, prompts, and practices for modern creative leadership.
© StrukturSphere llc 2026. Original music by Greg Brace Music.
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