NEW ORLEANS — The big grin is hard to miss and hard to scroll past. But nothing puts a smile on Joshua Starkman’s face quite like the music.
“Music brought me here. Music is the reason why I came to New Orleans,” Starkman said.
Starkman was trained in jazz guitar at UNO and never left.
More than a decade later, it’s an understatement to say the “Have A Great Day” guy is well-known across the city and across the local music scene.
We met for coffee on the balcony of the iconic Columns Hotel to talk about the crescendo of his career.
“That’s my only job I’ve ever had, playing music for people,” he said. It was mostly gigs until the pandemic, when the tempo of life really changed.
“I was isolated, because all of my family’s in Miami,” said Starkman. “I also got COVID really bad, and I also just think the mix of mental health pandemic going on during that time worsened my symptoms.”
Starkman started messaging artists on Instagram to collaborate, all while growing his trademark, “Have a great day!”. He says stepping out of the cycle of daily live gigs allowed him to think bigger.
“I think that time of getting me out of the habit of ‘show up for four hours, play the gig at XYZ’, it allowed me to think outside the box. It changed my relationship to how you make money as an artist,” said Starkman.
Over the last three years, he’s played alongside brass bands, singers, songwriters, comedians, and up-and-coming artists.
One video with The Crowe Boys went mega-viral, helping them piece together their first tour.
He’s interviewed Gary Chambers, Big Freedia, and Tank Ball, worked with New Orleans and Company, and hosted a variety talk show at the Ace Hotel.
He’s re-writing the score of his career; past the stage, and deeper than likes and comments.
“I really think if you make your community stronger, you receive whatever payoff. Whether it’s money - we all think about money - but also just the spiritual side and the human side of being alive. The energy exchange,” he said.
Lately, he’s been collaborating with New Orleans rappers. On his page, you’ll see the trained jazz guitarist grinning behind some of the city’s newest hip-hop artists. It’s something he says is not exactly an odd combination.
“Having an understanding of jazz music and how it formed in New Orleans, I see how bounce is forming and how rap music in general in New Orleans is forming and how that can potentially be taken to other places as well. Just how jazz music did or whatever R&B styles came out of [New Orleans], too,” he said.
But sharing those sounds with the rest of the world means continuing to support the artists at home. Starkman says he’s soon launching his own creative agency under “Have A Great Day, LLC”.
He hopes to mentor young musicians on the business side of musicianship and create more opportunities and partnerships.
“That’s the other thing really too, I’ve learned. It’s never really what can other people do for me, it’s how can I be of service? Whether it’s in business or personal relationships,” he said.
Big plans to create more Great Days, more big smiles.
“The irony for me is that I spent all these years being very serious about studying guitar, being very romantic about the idea of being a jazz guitarist. And It’s like, cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm music… just be goofy! Make a joke out of yourself a bit. And that’s what you become known for, you know?” said Starkman.
Because a career can change. Like a musical arrangement from serious to playful, soft to loud,
from jazz to rap, from gigs to building community.
“What’s the other option, to not believe in yourself? That gets you nowhere,” he laughed.
Starkman performs regularly and shares his show information in Instagram.
He’s also hosting a “Have A Great Mardi Gras!” party at the Columns Hotel on Mardi Gras Day. It will feature food, music, musicians, an open bar, and a private balcony overlooking the St. Charles Avenue Parade Route. You can buy tickets here.
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