Jeff Saxon

How did you get started with all this??
I wrote a few songs when I was in college and naively deluded myself into believing they had hit quality (LOL), so I booked a recording studio and was immediately smitten with the entire recording experience. I received added incentive to continue with my musical inclinations, as the studio owners heard something they liked in my sound and asked to submit that material to clubs, producers, etc. These guys (who I later learned were a writing team signed to a well known music publishing co.) nurtured me along and eventually got me signed to a staff songwriting deal. That marked the start of my career in music.

What's the message to transmit with your music??
Every song has its own unique message, but very often my writing has a triumph-over-adversity theme.

What's your method at the time of writting a song??
That varies from song to song, but very often I'll start with a title or a concept and build the song from that. Or I'll start to free-write or brainstorm about a topic that I find inspiring or troubling. Most of the time I’ll strive to match up a song title with a melody or chord pattern that complements the mood of the topic. Then I’ll proceed to expand it, structure it and then rewrite it until I’m satisfied with it.

Which is your music influences??
That varies from song to song, but often times I start with a title or a concept or a snippet of melody and build the song from that. Or I start to free-write or brainstorm about a topic that I find inspiring or troubling. Most of the time I’ll strive to match up a song title with a melody or chord pattern that complements the mood of the topic. Then I’ll proceed to expand it, structure it and then rewrite it until I’m satisfied with it.

What plans do you have for the future??
After releasing 3 eclectic recordings, I would like to focus on specific styles I love. So I want to record a jazz album, a Brazilian album, a blues album (of original songs in those genres) as well as a cover tunes album (of famous songs that I would present in very different ways than the original versions). I’ve been slowly but surely cultivating a worldwide fanbase so I will continue that process and then tour the world and bring my music to as many places as possible. Hopefully I can touring with a band, but if not, I’m ready and able to do it as a solo performer.I also want to try my hand at writing a musical. I already have a couple of book ideas in the works—one a memoir, one non-fiction. I also want to work with a symphony orchestra and hear my songs take on a new dimension with strings, brass and woodwinds behind them. The Hollywood Bowl is where I’m envisioning this taking place.

Which has been the funniest prank you have been or took part while on tour or after a show??
While I didn’t view it to be purely as a prank, I was doing a 4-hour gig with a band at a somewhat fancy banquet place and the person who booked us refused to provide meals for us. So I told the band not to worry—that they’d get fed one way or another. I then proceeded to call every local pizza place in the area until I got one to agree to deliver pizzas to this rather upscale catering place. Somehow the management got wind of my plan and called off the pizza delivery and agreed to feed us the same meal as the 100+ other people were eating. And while the place never booked me again, hey—a band’s gotta eat dinner, right?

If you were stranded in the middle of nowhere after a show or while on tour. The help is 65 miles away from where you and your band (If any) are, ¿Who would you send to look for help? And if while the rest wait, there's no food and the only way to feed yourself is by eating each other, ¿Who would you eat first?
I would probably elect myself to seek out help. As far as the cannibalism implication of your question, I lean towards being a vegetarian, so the idea of eating a bandmate to survive just doesn’t stir up my appetite all that much. Too much fat and gristle, anyway.

Which country you would love to play?
England would probably be my first choice, but Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Japan are also high on my list.

With which bands you would love to share stage??
The Dave Matthews Band, Jamie Cullum, James Taylor and John Mayer.

Are you OK, with the direction the band is going actually?
I better be—I’m steering the ship!

Check out more: http://www.jeffsaxonmusic.com