Jenny Deveau and Seth Misterka of Dynasty Electrik: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist
Be kind to yourself. Don’t forget to love yourself and the reason that is inspiring you to make art in the first place — love, joy, freedom, creativity, beauty, emotional release, healing, fun, or any other feelings the process may bring.
As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Seth & Jenny.
Dynasty Electrik is the music and sound healing duo of Jenny Deveau and Seth Misterka. Initially formed as an electronic group in Brooklyn, the pair were initiated into a practice of shamanic sound healing in 2012, and subsequently combined this ancient wisdom with their knowledge of music to create a unique style of sound therapy — the Dynasty Electrik Crystal Sound Bath. This experience combines original electronic soundscapes intertwined with the celestial tones of singing bowls, soothing nature sounds, and ethereal vocals, guiding the listener on an inner journey of profound exploration. As resident sound healers at the renowned Mystic Journey Crystal Gallery in Venice, Dynasty Electrik had the privilege of collaborating with a number of celebrities and brands, including Usher, Rachel Platton, Marvel Studios, SnapChat, and YouTube. Their exceptional work has garnered recognition and acclaim, making appearances in esteemed publications like Forbes and High Times, as well as captivating audiences through various television shows and films. Beyond their artistic endeavors, Dynasty Electrik has also catered to a diverse range of commercial clients, including MTV, Victoria’s Secret, H&M, Bath & Bodyworks, Microsoft, and Visa.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
Seth: I grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts, which is a college town with a bohemian vibe. It’s a great place for music, and I was able to see a lot of legendary musical artists perform when I was growing up, from Sun Ra to the Beastie Boys and Bob Dylan, and so many others. It definitely inspired me to start studying music and I had a great first music teacher Jim Armenti, a virtuosic multi-instrumentalist who taught me to play both guitar and saxophone.
Jenny: I grew up on the south coast of Massachusetts, in a town called Westport. This is where I met a few friends in middle school chorus, and formed an all-girl Beatles cover band named “Girl.” During my early teenage years, we played local clubs and festivals and toured all over England and New England. My interest in music really blossomed during this time. I would often practice guitar for eight hours a day. I also spent some time living in Germany and Italy as a young child.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
Seth: I always really loved music, both listening to it and playing it, but I didn’t really consider it as a career path at first. But I was passionate about it and I was practicing and studying different aspects of music all the time. When I was 19, I was enrolled in a jazz ensemble class at Wesleyan University taught by the great composer/saxophonist Anthony Braxton. It came as a complete surprise when, one day, as I was standing in the hallway outside of class, Braxton came out to me and said, “Excuse me sir, would you care to join me for an improvisation tomorrow afternoon at 3pm?” I nervously agreed, but I really had no idea what I was going to do. The next day came, and I showed up at 3pm with my sax. Braxton said, “See you on the other side” and we started playing. I fell into a kind of trance, and musical ideas started coming out of the sax that I had never heard or practiced before. I couldn’t even tell if it was me that was playing. It was a telepathic, out-of-body experience. I wasn’t even sure how long we had been playing. And then we played a chord together and I felt, “This is the time to stop”, and the music ended. A silence hung in the air. Braxton looked down at me and, and said “What is your name sir?” He then invited me to perform a concert, and eventually, I ended up being hired to join his group on tours and recordings. It was as if a portal opened and I became a professional musician seemingly overnight.
Jenny: In 2012, we were initiated into the practice of “Svaha Yoga,” a Shamanic energy technique, under the guidance of Master Energy Medicine Practitioner, Lisa Ishwari Murphy. When we arrived at Lisa’s wooden yurt in Fairhaven, we discovered a circular room filled with massive planetary gongs, Tibetan and crystal singing bowls of all shapes and sizes, a variety of crystals, Native American flutes, drums and rain sticks, sage, incense, palo santo, and an adornment of statues from a multitude of spiritual backgrounds. Our first task was to record a cacophony of instruments, in seemingly no particular order or structure, for a piece called Rhythmic Entrainment. We were given various instruments at different moments and asked to play them, guided by our intuition. The power of vibration was palpable as the sound ceremony commenced and the wind blew through the seaside wooden yurt. Soon after, we discovered this was the music that would be used in Lisa’s private energy sessions. Her clients consisted of people diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer, multiple sclerosis, rare diseases, severe emotional trauma, among other imbalances. All of these clients had one thing in common: they were symptom-free, or mostly symptom-free after working with Lisa for a period of time. It was clear that sound healing and energy medicine were very powerful healing modalities.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
Dynasty Electrik: Well, there’s been a lot of crazy things that have happened. Here’s one of them — It’s interesting how being at the right place at the right time is so important in life. One time, we were playing a rock show at a dive bar in Harrisburg, PA, and there were only about 10 people there. It was a funny night… I had to run out of the bar at one point to keep our van from being towed, but Jenny kept on singing and the crowd seemed to love it. I remember an audience member giving me a high five at one point. Well, that audience member ended up emailing us and offering us a six figure record deal later on. Sometimes even a small gig in a small town can lead to big opportunities.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Dynasty Electrik: Currently, we are working on combining our sound healing work with our songwriting and electronic music. It’s very interesting to find the common ground between these different fields of music and we’re excited to continue exploring this territory. Right now we’re recording a new single called “Wildflowers”. We’re also working on an album of channeled vocals and ethereal music called Pleiadian Sound Healing Volume 2. You can check out Volume 1 here.
Also, we just released Journey to Tranquility, an album filled with cosmic frequencies, binaural beats, and channeled vocals that leads listeners to a destination of peaceful relaxation and meditation. Soft synths, singing bowls, and atmospheric sounds create an ideal soundtrack for chill time, yoga, work, or study. The creation of the album mirrors our personal and artistic journey, as we moved from Los Angeles to a remote beach town in Nova Scotia, to establish a sound healing retreat center called Seal Harbour Sanctuary on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. Themes of space travel, cosmic bliss, and harmonic brainwave states are woven throughout this collection of songs. Their ethereal sound is a unique fusion of ambient, electronic, and new age classical styles that will appeal to fans of Brian Eno, Deuter, Jon Hopkins, Enya, and more.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
Dynasty Electrik: We used to perform a live sound bath every Friday night in Venice, CA on Lincoln Blvd. After the performance one night, someone from the audience came up to the stage and said how much they had enjoyed the sound bath. When I looked up, I immediately recognised his face — it was Usher! We ended up collaborating together on some sound bath and meditation events. He’s a beautiful soul and we definitely felt blessed to work with him.
Where do you draw inspiration from? Can you share a story about that?
Dynasty Electrik: Inspiration comes from all around. The beauty of nature, dreams, meditation, love, yoga, walking, swimming in the ocean. Life is music. If you go to a very quiet place and become very quiet yourself, you will hear a subtle mystical ringing sound known as nadam, the mystical sound of creation itself. All music and sound is emanating from this primordial energy field. If we can tap into it, it is like an endless fountain of creativity. The mind can become like a radio station, and new songs just start playing all the time.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Dynasty Electrik: We believe that music is a tool for planetary healing. Our vision centers around nurturing a sense of emotional wellness, interconnectedness, and spiritual empowerment. Through the nurturing of community, harnessing technology, and cultivating a deep connection with the natural world, our music and sound healing approach enhances the lives of individuals worldwide, promoting resilience and unity. This is a time for the collective… for working and playing together… for collaboration… for cosmic unity. For us, bringing goodness to the world is an important part of being successful.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
1 . Art is Business and Business is an Art.
The reality of being a professional artist is that you will be in business for yourself, so in addition to creative skills, musicians and artists also need to be able to negotiate contracts, manage budgets and schedules, market products, and other details. It’s not always the most exciting part of being an artist, but it’s important.
2 . Don’t be afraid to say No.
Sometimes as an artist you will want to say “Yes” to every opportunity that comes your way, but the problem is that if an opportunity is the wrong fit, you may actually spend a lot of time and block yourself from a better, more aligned opportunity. If something doesn’t feel right, just say “No.” It’s powerful.
3 . “Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.” — Buddha
Getting angry and hating-on others is self-defeating. In the music industry, it can be easy to fall out with bandmates, managers, labels, etc. When things fall apart, try to stay calm and cool. Hatred and anger will definitely not improve difficult situations.
4 . Life is a kind of music.
When the body and mind are balanced and “in tune,” we feel light and our experience can be like a beautiful symphony. Make sure you are taking care of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally.
5 . Be kind to yourself.
Don’t forget to love yourself and the reason that is inspiring you to make art in the first place — love, joy, freedom, creativity, beauty, emotional release, healing, fun, or any other feelings the process may bring.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Dynasty Electrik: Our environment is a product of mental activity. Just look at the word itself — environ (to surround) and ment (mind). Environment is the surrounding state of mind. If we change our minds, the conditions around us will change. If we all collectively start working on harmonizing our internal environments, our inner mental states, the external world will begin to grow more peaceful and harmonious as well. Meditation is an excellent tool for this work.
We have been blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she just might see this.
Seth: I would love to have lunch with Bob Dylan and talk about sound healing, poetry, art, and the mystical dimensions of folk music.
Jenny: I would LOVE to have tea with the YouTube astrologer Pam Gregory and Bjork.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Subscribe to our YouTube channel, we are posting new sound baths and music every week! http://www.youtube.com/dynastyelectrik
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
Jenny Deveau and Seth Misterka of Dynasty Electrik: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.