If you had a B.A. in philosophy, Latin honors, an LSAT score in the 99th percentile and full scholarships to top law schools, it seems there would be only one career path for you.
But Barrett Yeretsian, who graduated from UCLA in 2001 with this resume, decided to work as a musician.
“(Law school) was enticing, but that was the time when my music career was starting to take off,” Yeretsian said. “I had a song on Yahoo! Music that was being played 4,000 times a month. When something like that happens, you think, “˜Maybe I should reconsider this law school thing.'”
And it wasn’t a bad career move. Yeretsian’s symphony “Anahid,” a project incorporating the sounds of his Armenian cultural roots, was performed at the Hollywood Bowl event “Spirit of Armenia!” in Los Angeles on July 29. In addition to composing the piece, Yeretsian accompanied the 15-part symphony on a traditional Armenian hand drum known as the dhol.
“The organizer (for “˜Spirit of Armenia!’) and I had been talking about doing an event together, (and) he asked me (if I had a song to present),” said Yeretsian, “and I said “˜I actually do.'”
Yeretsian’s song was a rough recording that he wrote for his aunt who had recently passed away. Yeretsian explained that the organizer loved the song, and the rest fell together.
Yeretsian first was drawn to music at the age of 12 during a vacation to Armenia. After seeing people play the dhol, he begged his mother to get him one, who in turn promised she would buy him one if he took lessons for three weeks. The lessons fueled a lifelong passion for making music, with Yeretsian eventually teaching himself how to play the drum kit and other instruments.
Yeretsian credits this percussive beginning as an important influence on his musical perspective.
“When you come from the drummer world you see music differently. … Instead of coming from a classical training, where a lot of producers come from,” Yeretsian said, “I come from a self-taught perspective. … It’s all about the song. If you think of music as a song, an emotion, then all the questions along the way answer themselves.”
Yeretsian first attended UCLA in 1997. Although he was a philosophy student, he took advantage of UCLA’s musical opportunities, from academic classes to performance opportunities. His band Aviatic performed as an exhibition band during Spring Sing 1998 as well as competed during Battle of the Bands 2003.
“I think UCLA was a stepping stone in a lot of ways because that was where I was first developing my craft, my recording skills and my songwriting skills and making music for a lot of large crowds,” Yeretsian said.
“There were a lot of musicians (at UCLA). … Even though I am self-taught in what I do, UCLA was a big part of (my musical education).”
He listens to music ranging from ethnic to heavy rock, pop, dance, hip-hop, downtempo and classical, and this has allowed him to avoid limitations based on genre. The mutitalented artist is also a producer, a role that allows him to work in disparate musical styles and to gain insight into the changing industry.
“A lot of people are confused about … the state of the music industry, but it’s actually a really huge opportunity for people who are ready to take the challenge,” he said.
Yeretsian has produced the MTV2 contest-winning band, Art of Chaos. The hard rock band’s song “Coward” was produced a month and a half before the band was picked by MTV2 to open up for Linkin Park at the Los Angeles date of the Projekt Revolution tour.
“It’s really cool to be a part of these artists’ careers and help them take their sound to the next level,” Yeretsian said. “As a producer, you have to have talent to help their talent. If you are starting off with bad music, you could be the best producer on earth, but it doesn’t mean anything. When you are a producer, and you are dealing with an amazing artist, you are sure to create something.”
Though Yeretsian had the makings for a successful career in law, he has never looked back on his decision. He has found that his scholarly background is an asset even in a creative field.
“Essentially, law and music don’t have much in common,” he said. “Law seems to be more practical and related to the mind. But, in this day in age, to have success in the music industry takes a lot more than just music and talent. … You have to combine all these elements in order to make a difference.”