Street Smart
This episode is with Corbett Frasz, owner of Corbett’s Rock & Roll Barbershop. It is known as the coolest barbershop in Calgary. Corbett is also recognized as a well-renowned drummer in the Canadian music industry. He has collaborated with other artists such as Aaron Pritchett, Clayton Bellamy and The Clayton Bellamy Band, Gord Bamford, Jason McCoy, and the Road Hammers.
This interview starts with Corbett describing his teen years living in Regina, Saskatchewan. He illustrates his interests in sports and particularly music. He talks about how he developed, pursued, and became proficient in playing the drums.
There is nostalgia in this episode as Corbett explains his musical influences, and how he grew musically. He takes the listener through his journey from rehearsing or jamming in his mom's basement, to playing bars or clubs and becoming an established musician. His experiences working with the artists listed above give the listener an inside look at the music industry during the '90s and early 2000s.
Corbett illustrates the life of a musician, which comes with many surprises. One such surprise is having a day job to provide a steady income to override the uncertainties and turmoil of a musical career.
The business segment of the music industry is discussed. This includes networking, interacting with other musicians, and moving around in the industry. Money, traveling with other artists, living in hotels, and dealing with an array of personalities that this type of life brings are all discussed.
Corbett highlights his life-changing experience as he and his bandmates were offered the opportunity to go to Nashville to sign a record deal. He reveals how he stopped and took a break to assess his values as an artist and a person and shifted his career to the hair industry. He talks about what it was like leaving such a lifestyle, the doubts he faced, and how he overcame them.
The conversation then moves into what the hair industry is like. Corbett talks about his schooling and then apprenticing in this industry. More importantly, he talks about how he developed his unique barbershop, Corbett’s Rock & Roll Barbershop.
This episode will appeal to anyone interested in the music industry and anyone wanting to pursue a career in the hair business. Listeners interested in business or entrepreneurship will also benefit as Corbett explains how his barbershop came to be and grew. In addition, there are many lessons on business and life in general as we cover topics such as networking (before social media), reading, and dealing with people.
Above all this episode illustrates how to move on and start the next phase of life as Corbett is a prime example of this. Be it in music or now his barbershop, Corbett followed his intuition. He made decisions that best suited his needs without destroying past relationships. He is true to himself and is not afraid to show his true colors, accepts his wins, and takes his losses while having fun. His story has valuable life lessons and leadership.