David Schaefer is a multidisciplinary creative and founder known for his projects such as Everybodys and Mintbash, David has successfully navigated the onchain world while blending a love for music, art and community building. Jim sat down with David to dive into how he fosters community-driven projects that bridge the gap between the digital and physical. From his roots in the LA music scene to his adventures onchain, David gives us a look at his creative endeavors.

J: Before sitting down we briefly chatted about music. What kind of music are you into?

D: I’m into all sorts. The music I make leans towards soft rock, but I also love some niche subgenres like sophistipop. There's a whole world for that kind of thing. I’m really into a lot of seventies stuff—big Steely Dan fan. And I love soul too. Honestly, a bit of everything.

David Schaefer 🌋 JAVELIN ON AIR 006

Playlist · David Schaefer 🌋 JAVELIN ON AIR 006 · 21 items

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J: And you make music yourself as well?

D: Yeah, I’ve been involved in the LA music scene for a long time. I haven’t released much, but I’ve got a few records recorded. I’ll be releasing the one I’m working on now soon.

J: Is music what led you into the on-chain world?

D: Not exactly, but it definitely played a part. I was trying to figure out how to fund this expensive album I wanted to make—something in a ‘70s hi-fi mold—but that’s not what labels are after these days. So, I got into this space by trying to figure out how to make money. I’d been playing online poker and met some people in that world who led me to NFTs. This was in 2021.

I was lucky to get in during a hot streak and made enough to record an album. But then the engineer I work with got Covid, and he was booked for months after that. So, I reached out to my friend Sean Solomon. We knew each other from the LA music scene—he played in bands I used to gig with. But Sean's also an animator, and at the time, he had a show in development with HBO Max. The process was moving slowly, so I convinced him to launch an NFT collection—and that became Everybodys.

D: This was my first step into Web3 as a founder. I used the network I’d built from trading to grow the initial community and spent about seven or eight months figuring it all out in real time. Part of that came from being on the other side of things as a trader, and part of it was using what I knew about outreach and partnerships from the music world.

We ended up doing 70 or 80 partnerships with smaller communities, and then landed a big one with OpenSea. We became one of their first featured mints, part of their primary drops. That was really the start of my professional journey onchain. There’s been some cool stuff with the project post-mint, but my main role was getting it off the ground and handling the go-to-market strategy. It’s more of an art-focused project, so it’s not one of those ongoing utility things—it’s more of a collectible. Sean and I still collaborate on it occasionally.

J: So from Everybodys you naturally moved into the idea of a character builder with Mintbash? How did that evolve?

D: We actually considered making Everybodys like that from the start. We were curious about experimenting with metadata, since it was primarily a collectibles project. We wanted to make it more fun to own and interact with. One thing we did was create an automated process for large-scale animated metadata updates.

We thought it was fun and leaned into those interactive elements. Part of my thinking was that we’re past the initial speculative frenzy in the NFT space. Post-Blur, it’s less about flipping rare items and more about self-expression. Especially now, with the role NFTs play in meme coin subculture—where the liquidity and activity are—it's more about showing off your personality.

I’ve always been into things like Allstarz and the avant-garde NFT scene on Solana, where it’s more about unique layers and creative elements. I wanted to explore those kinds of ideas.

J: Definitely. It reminds me of the Ralph Lauren’s Grand Leisurist drop with Poolsuite. They had a similar mechanic where you could customize and mint your own.

When I first saw Allstarz, I think it was Raihan from FWB who had one as his PFP. I wanted to get one for myself and I found out they had a separate collection with all handmade designs for the OG Allstarz community.

D: Yeah, those were cool. They were one of the first collections to mint honoraries like that.. I ended up befriending some of the creators through FWB and even hung out with Golira at FEST.

J: FWB seems to be a common thread for both of us. A lot of the community is LA-based. Before web3, you were active in the LA music scene. How does the web3 scene in LA compare for creatives like you? Is it as vibrant?

D: There's a lot happening here, and plenty of people to collaborate with. When I first got into web3, I didn’t realize there were others with similar subcultural interests. I came into it through gambling and game theory, not the creative side, so it was a pleasant surprise to meet other artists and musicians in the space. A lot of people who were hesitant to experiment early on have since reached out to me to discuss their own projects.

I think web3 appeals to people, especially given the way careers work today. You can gain expertise just by experimenting and talking to others. I found people to be very open to cold outreach, which was refreshing—there’s not a huge gap in seniority, so people are approachable and interested in collaboration. There's growing overlap between the music and art community I came from and the web3 space.

J: Yes. A lot of the skills you learn as a recording artist or when organizing music events—like collaborating with other creatives and brands—are quite similar to my work in web3.

D: It’s interesting because many strategies that didn’t gain traction in the music world actually work well in web3. The space is less saturated, with fewer established institutions. I appreciated how grassroots it felt, like when a simple group chat evolves into something bigger. The Internet’s ability to facilitate coordination and collaboration seamlessly is really intriguing to me.

Even now, with the music I'm working on, I have several remote collaborators, which I wouldn’t have considered before entering this space. It’s amazing to see how people who have never met can achieve great things together online.

J: I like to end these interviews with a quick lightning round of questions—just answer without overthinking. What’s the best DJ, mix, or artist performance you’ve ever witnessed?

D: I saw the Dirty Projectors at the Wiltern in LA when I was younger, after the release of Beta Orca, and that was pretty amazing.

J: If you weren't in LA, where would you live?

D: Probably New York. A bit of a boring answer, but a lot of my friends are there.

J: Are you a morning person or a night owl?

D: Definitely a night owl.

J: What’s your favorite cuisine?

D: Tough one. I love Chinese food.

J: Anything you want to shout out?

D: Check out Mintbash, Wandbot and Purity Finance.

Discovering Onchain Expression through the Lens of LA’s Music Scene with David Schaefer (Mintbash, Everybodys)