Bryson Schmidt talks music, faith and Embering
Written by Sara Terrell
Photo by Emily Prado
Not many students have as many accomplishments on their resume as Bryson Schmidt. A second-year advertising major — and the face of solo act Embering, formerly known as Soup of the Day — Schmidt has independently produced four albums and written as a music journalist for Venture Magazine … all before graduating high school.
Schmidt originally came to SCAD to study writing. After a friend of his sparked his curiosity in copywriting, he found himself talking to Luke Sullivan, chair of the advertising department, for half an hour.
“The more he talked to me and the more of his book that I read, I just realized that you’re the idea guy for companies,” said Schmidt. “It’s almost funny that you get paid to come up with the stuff that you do because it’s so much fun.”
Schmidt names Satellite Beach, Florida, as his hometown, though his father’s work as a marine and a pilot kept them moving. Schmidt’s involvement in music came early on through his involvement in the church.
After receiving a drum set for Christmas when he was 8 years old, he began to play for his church with his older brother, eventually teaching himself the piano and writing his own music. While featuring his childhood friends as the guitar on his tracks, Embering is a solo act. Schmidt does admit that finding bandmates would be beneficial for a career in the business, but he says it’s difficult to find others with similar musical tastes.
“[There are] lots of incredible jazz and blues musicians around here — which is fun to play with — but I had a different vision for Embering, which is why I kept it separate,” said Schmidt.
He goes on to name Ben Folds as one of his main inspirations, as he admires the thoughtful satire in the lyrics and the incorporation of the “piano into a rocking song.” Schmidt also listens to a number of punk rock bands and melodic alternative rock groups, all of which influence his music.
Now at 19 years old, his latest album, “Negative Reinforcement,” was released this past October. The album stands as Schmidt’s debut under the name Embering. The album’s 11 songs are the product of his struggle with his faith as a Christian at a time when he felt the need to step away and question things for himself. At first glance the music can be misinterpreted as his loss of faith; even the cover art depicts two crows burning a church. But just as the cross in the artwork still shines, Schmidt affirms his belief holds strong.
“My relationship with the Lord is the most important thing in my life,” said Schmidt. “I definitely consider myself a follower of Christ. With that being said I’m a very cynical personality just naturally […] I spend a lot of my time analyzing and picking apart what is wrong with so many churches and what is unbiblical about the way they did things, which came off very negative.”
He titled the album “Negative Reinforcement” because he felt critically analyzing his church helped reinforce and strengthen his relationship with God.
“I was being critical of the church and of false practices, but by no means bashing religion or Christianity in itself,” said Schmidt. While at SCAD he is a member of the Reformed University Fellowship, the main campus ministry.
While he’s expressed an interest in copywriting, working professionally as a musician is where he hopes to be in the future.
“It’s kind of hard to put all your eggs in that basket when you’re doing things independently,” said Schmidt. “That’s why I’m always pushing it. My music isn’t quite as marketable as most music is, so there’s really no guarantee that I could make a living off of it.”
He hopes to eventually find the right people to play shows with him and go on tour, saying, “It’s just a process and I’m being patient to wait for the right musicians and open doors.”
His circle of family, friends and church group here and back home have provided constant support for his music, regardless of content.
“That’s one thing I’ve always stood for,” said Schmidt. “I’m going to be unashamed of what I put out no matter what.”
Schmidt currently plays at open mic nights and music festivals in Savannah. His music as both Soup of the Day and Embering can be found on iTunes and Spotify.
