Meet Rafe Carlson | Country Music Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rafe Carlson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rafe, what role has risk played in your life or career?
The aversion toward risk is rooted in fear, and is why we have things like pensions and salaries. The scariest, yet most liberating realization you can make is that there is no such thing as security. The world could end tomorrow. An employer offering you a steady, reliable salary is actually keeping you from achieving what you are capable of. Evolution of character is achieved while in a vacuum. When you quit your job, move to a new city, commit to doing something and learning as you go, you create a vacuum in your life.
I’ve never had a steady income. After graduating high school I worked a handful of sales jobs that were commission based before working my way up to selling luxury RVs and making a very good living, at only 20 years old. I was used to getting paid only what I was worth. But the greatest challenge came when I left my job in early 2021 to be a country music singer. Prior to quitting my job of 3 years, I’d never played a show, sang in front of a crowd, or written a song. One month after leaving my job I played at Bayfront Festival Park in Duluth MN, the biggest outdoor amphitheater in the area, in front of a huge crowd.
Risk is the only path forward. Without risk, you’ll always be a character in someone else’s movie or a pawn in someone else’s game. I love risk for the simple fact that it weeds out the people that don’t have the guts to make things happen. It’s the only thing separating a life of quiet misery and a life of fulfillment.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I grew up in northern Minnesota, where it’s not uncommon to get over 100 inches of snow a winter, and have multiple days 20, or even 30 degrees below zero. Growing up, I listened to country music- maybe to forget how cold it was outside, or maybe because I loved singing along to artists like Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, and Blake Shelton. Soon enough however, the combination of my Viking blood, and years of building a certain level of Northern-Minnesota toughness, led me to Rock music. Bands like Breaking Benjamin, Pearl Jam, and Audioslave were the soundtrack to my high school years. All of this came together to form a Country/Rock sound and unique songwriting style I’ve been able to share with tens of thousands of fans live. Last summer I toured with my band through the Midwest, opening for acts like Jon Pardi, Trace Adkins, Chris Janson, Sawyer Brown, and many more. I’ve had the opportunity to meet and make music with country music icons, and prolific songwriters in Nashville, all while staying true to my roots and my sound. It has not been an easy path, especially having had to watch life changing opportunities pass me by, because my sound and style was a little too rough around the edges. But with the recent success of artists like Jelly Roll, HARDY, and Jackson Dean, I know my more rockin’ style will find its place somewhere soon.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love going to see shows, and support friends of mine that are making music, so I would bring anyone visiting Nashville to 3rd and Lindsley, or The Listening Room. Growing up only 15 minutes from Wisconsin, my kind of night life looks a little less like the places downtown, and a little more like Bobby’s Idle Hour. That’s typically where I take people on their first trip to Nashville.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My producer, Jeff Huskins, picked me up from the Nashville airport in his Toyota Tundra in May of 2021. It was my first time in Nashville, and only 2 weeks since I’d quit my job to chase a dream. Jeff had a résumé in Nashville and country music that, over the next few months, would continue to blow my mind. From his stories on the road with Little Texas, to producing and working with some of the greats, Jeff had no business associating with a 22 year old kid who hadn’t payed his dues, let alone had the time to establish himself in Nashville. But we got along great, and he told me from the first week we spent together making songs, drinking beer, and trading stories, that we would stick together. And we have. Jeff has become one of, if not my most trusted mentor, and one of my best friends, and I would not be where I am without him believing in me. It’s not only his guidance that got me my start in music, but it was knowing that there was someone like him who believed in me that gave me the strength and courage to never give up, and trust in myself.

Website: Www.rafecarlson.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/rafecarlson

Facebook: https://facebook.com/rafecarlsonofficial

Youtube: https://YouTube.com/@rafecarlsonmusic

Other: Www.linktr.we/rafecarlson