Meet Gabe Lehner | Musical artist 9 Theory, Producer & Mixing Engineer

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

Hi Gabe, is there a quote or affirmation that’s meaningful to you?
I actually have a few go-to’s that I really enjoy and that keep me motivated, inspired and driven. They mostly come from hip-hop culture and rap songs, which is fun because they’re simple and they rhyme while also getting down to some serious truths. Here are my favorites and why:

“Aint nothing to it but to do it.”
I don’t know who first said this, but this quote is great because it reminds you that lots of the things you want in life are really as simple as just taking action rather than thinking or talking about it. It’s a lot like the Nike slogan, which is also a favorite of mine: “Just do it!” That’s what separates a lot of successful people from those who aren’t; going for it.

“Quit all the yappin’, lets make it happen.”
I like this for the same reason as the previous quote. It’s just a different way of saying the same thing, and comes from a Talib Kweli song. Maybe he’s quoting someone else when he says it, but that’s where I heard it.

“Get in where you fit in.”
This is from a Too Short song, and while he might mean it in a different way (lol) it is such a great idea. Don’t force yourself into situations where it needs to be forced, know your boundaries in certain situations with certain people, go with the flow, be like water, etc… This is what this quote means to me.

“Do it like you’re used to it.”
I’m not sure who first said this one, but it’s a great reminder that anything new can be scary, especially when you find yourself leveling up in your career with success, but at some point this new experience will maybe be something you’ve done hundreds of times and it just becomes normal, or for other people it already is like that, so just mentally don’t be psyching yourself out, and do it like you’re used to it 🙂

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I have been obsessed with writing and recording music since I was 15, so that’s been about 26 years now! I think what has always set me apart from others is my unique set of major influences, which cause me to combine all sorts of genres and flavors into my 9 Theory sound and style, which is its own thing. The main influences for me were The Beatles, Radiohead, and Blur, but then you combine that with my extreme love for hip-hop since I was 10 years old and you get something pretty interesting. On top of that mix in my love for electronic music that I developed closer to my 20’s with artists like Moby and The Chemical Brothers leading the way, and you’ve got something really interesting. There are so many other artists and bands I’m not listing here who I got super into that shape my sound, but what everything has in common is a strong sense of melody and good songwriting. I think what I am most proud about as an artist is that I do have such a unique style of pulling from all of these vastly different influences, and I’ve never wavered from that. I’ve never sacrificed the integrity of my artistic vision and who I am just to “make it” or be more commercial or marketable.

My journey as an artist has not been an easy one, and I think a lot of that has to do oddly enough with the same thing I’m most proud of, which is that my sound is very eclectic and not easily marketable. It’s been hard finding booking agents or record labels who know what to do with me, so I’ve been going at this independently for pretty much the whole time. The greatest lesson I have learned along the way from all of this is that I actually get to be the sole person who defines what success means for me. For so long I was caught up in the story of what success is “supposed” to look like where you have to become a big touring artist or have this many numbers on Soundcloud or Spotify, or whatever. But focusing on that made me unhappy, and I had a huge turning point when I truly realized that success is whatever it means to me, period. And what I define success as for me is doing the best I possibly can when I make my music to make the dopest songs to where I feel I can’t do any better, and I’m proud of my work. As long as that is what I always put out then I’m being successful. It was challenging to get to this place mentally, like it took a few years of working towards that perspective until I truly owned it, but everything got so much better once I did. I urge any other artists to try this perspective, and especially new aspiring artists to just take this perspective out of the gate.

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 am currently living in LA so I’m not sure if that’s what you’re looking for. I unfortunately can’t give you any good recommendations for anything in Denver, but if you were going to come visit me in Los Angeles I would want to take you on some hikes where you get awesome views of the city, I would take you to The Arboretum in Pasadena for some relaxing nature vibes, we would check out Little Tokyo and the Arts District downtown, go to a baseball game if one was happening, maybe drive Sunset Blvd. from Hollywood all the way to the coast in Malibu and hit Zuma beach or the Self-Realization Fellowship temple, play VR games at Two-Bit Circus, and then just eat food at as many incredible spots as possible! There are way too great restaurants in LA to eat and drink at to hit in just one week, but the top spots I would want to share with a best friend visiting would be, in no particular order: Majordomo, The Girl and The Goat, Cascabel, Sushi Yuzu, Guerilla Tacos, Fig Sprout, Red Bird, Korean BBQ in K-Town (maybe Quarters), and Summer Canteen (Thai food). Surely there are more, but these come to mind first.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
This is an easy one. If I had to give a shoutout to one person who deserves credit and recognition in my story it’s my dad, Dan Lehner. He has been my biggest fan and believer in what I do since the beginning, and has supported me in so many ways that have helped me get to the point where I even am today. He deserves a LOT of credit.

Website: 9theory.com

Instagram: instagram.com/9theory

Twitter: twitter.com/9theory

Facebook: facebook.com/9theory

Youtube: youtube.com/9theory

Other: 9theory.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Marissa Parsons, Eric Morgensen, Liliana Astiz