Meet Abe Rosenberg and Morgan Velasquez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Abe Rosenberg and Morgan Velasquez.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Sweet Radish Music began in 2010 when we (Abe Rosenberg and Morgan Velasquez) got together and started writing and recording music on the Rancho Tierra Rica, which is Morgan’s family’s 320-acre organic ranch in Alamosa, Colorado. Abe earned his degree in video production at Adams State University and Morgan is a certified architectural draftsman. Music has always been big in both our families. We recorded our first album in 2010 titled “Imagination”. We were also selling veggies to our community which would become the starter seed to Jack Rabbit Hollow Farm. We founded our video production company, Jack Rabbit Hollow productions, in 2012 and 2013, we recorded our second album “The Thickwood Bramble”.

In 2014 the family ranch we had been living on and raising our small flock of rescued chickens, ducks, cows and an old horse on was listed for sale. We rushed to get a plan together not wanting to let go of our little farm animal sanctuary, we acted on the advice of a friend and consulted our local Farm Service Agent who put us on the path to becoming first-time farmers with the USDA. In 2016 we were the first off-grid organic permaculture farm to be approved in our area and we purchased a 35-acre tract of vacant agricultural land located on the San Antonio River. We lived in a 7×14 camper with all our rescued pets while we finished building our tiny house/studio out of repurposed wood from old concrete forms and beetle-killed pine. We moved into our home in 2017. We operate 100% off-grid. We use solar power to record our music and create videos. In 2018 we welcomed our son Izzy into the world. Now this year 2020, we are recording over 50 original songs that we have written since 2014. We plan on releasing them all on 4 CDs by the end of the year.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t always been a smooth road. It took us a very long time to get set up and being in such a wild place with no protection at first was terrifying at times. The windstorms here can and do blow houses away. Our low temperatures can reach -47 at times. Going off-grid can be a huge learning curve too, at first even if you feel prepared. Our first night, we arrived on our vacant land with our last load being our cats and our old horse at midnight. We had no heat and no light. Also building a house from scratch is incredibly labor-intensive and before we got our solar equipment assembled, we were using hand-crank drills and hammers for construction. We do not have on-demand access to water, so we fill storage tanks and boil water for baths.

We also like to fire up the wood-burning bathtub every now and then which is literally and old bathtub with a fire burning underneath it. The bottom gets really hot. We use composting toilets which are separate from the main house which can get tricky in the winter if you need to go out at night or while it’s snowing. All of those challenges are things that have gotten much better as we progressed. But still, one of the greatest challenges as an artist living in a rural area is connecting with the greater arts community who are interested in our music and video creations.

Please tell us more about your work. What do you guys do? What do you specialize in? What sets you apart from competition?
We are a culmination of three separate but interconnected businesses. Sweet Radish, Jack Rabbit Hollow Productions and Jack Rabbit Hollow Farm Animal Sanctuary. Our band, Sweet Radish, is our greatest passion and we are known for playing heart-pounding, original acoustic music and share it with anyone who wants to listen. Jack Rabbit Hollow Productions is our video production business where we film, photograph, edit, animate, score and produce videos for personal and commercial use. It is our mission to focus on creating visual and audio media that brings awareness, healing and positive information to our community at home and online. Then there’s Jack Rabbit Hollow Farm, which encompasses our lifestyle and commitment to sustainability.

What sets us apart from others is our ability to weave these three areas of our lives together and produce original content that is unique. We take and wholistic approach to everything that we do. From the concept to the final packaging, we are always thinking of the environment and seeking a sustainable model that includes everything. We weave our farm life into our music and video content.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
We believe that the characteristic we possess that has been the greatest influence of our success is our faith in ourselves also backed by a burning desire to create and the drive to never stop learning. We are optimists and we believe that any failure can always be transmuted into success if we learn from them.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sweetsweetradish.com
• Phone: 719-992-1432
• Email: sweetradishmusic@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sweetradishmusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sweet-Radish-150573244988281/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/velasquezmorgan
• Other: patreon.com/sweetradish

Image Credit:
Morgan Velasquez and Abe Rosenberg

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