Meet David Zilmer | Musician/music teacher/producer/band leader/community organizer

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

Hi David, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I chose to pursue a career in arts/music/entertainment because it was a reflection of my personal life.Being that creating was something I was doing almost subconsciously on a day to day without giving it the label of “creation” I just thought this is what people do.Shortly I found myself trying to enter into the traditional workforce working as an electrician apprentice,ax throwing teacher,food runner,jet ski rentals,basically every job you could think of,but yet in every spare moment I had,I found myself creating or trying to squeeze in these moments of writing or plotting the next project or endeavor.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ll start by talking about some recent achievements that I have been able to accomplish through my art/music.Last year my band Tewahedo got to be apart of give miami day which is the largest non profit fundraiser in Miami,we played music and entertained the people as they raised 35 million dollars for non profits around miami.Another great achievement was playing at the historic old post office in the heart of downtown Miami for Olympia stages.It was great to be able to share the music with people down there and brighten there day.Our most recent performance this past month involved playing for breaking sound a company that throws shows all around the world,we were selected to play there miami edition at none other than Naomi gardens which is a staple of the little hati neighborhood which ironically is where Tewahedo used to practice in a tiny house in the middle of it all(shout out Akete for putting up with the noise as we cut our teeth).The music of Tewahedo is a unique blend of every genre you can think of,often times people ask us what type of music do we play only to be confused when we tell them freedom music,As they’ve never heard this term being used before,only after seeing us play and agreeing that there’s no pinning us down to just one genre or style.The music is as free as we are,as people expressing how we feel,and encouraging people to do the same regardless of any preconceived notion one might have of them.music is healing and we wish to heal the nations with our words,power,and sound,our motto is forward ever backward never,so even what some consider setbacks has been inspirations to us to approach any problem from a new perspective.All in all we would like everyone to know that Tewahedo means unity,and that’s what we’ve come to bring every time we step on stage or in our daily life’s,we just want people to be happy and forget all there troubles,we want to create a space where you can be yourself and accept others for who they are.

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?
You can’t have a trip in Miami without stopping at the beach,I wouldn’t recommend southbeach as it’s a bit to crowded and to be honest it’s dirty,as people seem to not respect the beauty that we’ve been given,so I would recommend 81st and Collins ave it’s a nice big park where locals go to bbq and escape the tourist,as for local eats,I’d recommend B&M market since I love Caribbean food I’m always munching on some veggie roti,as well as any of the many Indian restaurants down here,if your into skating there’s a cool pump track by haulover by the nude beach,there’s also skate bird which has dope music as well as local skate competitions,lot 11 as well is a similar spot.you can head to dub wise on wednesdays at coyo taco if you like reggae music and dancehall,as well as 1800-Luckys for more Latin vibes with some decent eats.wile your in Wynwood by some paint and try your hand at some graphitti(just don’t paint over anyone else’s stuff) and head to savage labs which is a new place where a lot of local musicians are playing now.if your into working out check out muscle beach in south beach it’s a strip where you can work out outside and meet people from all over who share the same hobby’s,Miami is a small place and it’s not really about where you go it’s more about the experiences and the people you meet along the way,if your here long enough you’ll see something crazy I can guarantee.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would like to give thanks to the most high first and foremost as I know without him I am nothing nor would I be the man that stands before you,After my mother who has always supported me whether with a kind words,or a kick in the but to light my fire again.My good friend Dave Humble over at eternal studios,who has believed in me and helped me through the process of bringing my creations to life through recording and giving me the space to perfect my creations.I would also like to give thanks for raianaa grant for being there to back me up no matter the circumstance,as well as vadim shmidov who I haven’t know for very long but has proven time and time again that I can trust him to rise to the occasion.I would like to thank symone and frankie from context of a generation who have continuously given me and my band Tewahedo tremendous opportunity’s to showcase our talents around miami and give a platform for artist in Miami.as well as all of my music students past,present,and future who have given me the chance to share my talent and experience with them and allow me to learn and grow from them as well.

Website: https://instagram.com/tewahedoband?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Instagram: https://instagram.com/kill_the_phonies?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCj0-Gj9Iw_JyLHVbtkkgGyA?sub_confirmation=1

Other: Tewahedo ig: https://instagram.com/tewahedoband?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/1540136651 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6jKANiEiy1v9bSxtSAgxS4?utm_medium=share&utm_source=linktree Daily Ritual pre save link: http://li.sten.to/dailyritual Buy freedom music t-shirt: https://davidzilmer.bigcartel.com/