Jeffrey Gilliam A few words with pianist and singer Jeffrey Gilliam - he’s also studied the saxophone and a little bit of bansuri (bamboo flute) Leicester Bangs: Tell us a little about yourself. Jeffrey: It’s amazing what you can do when you really put your heart and mind into something. With more than 10 years of singing / songwriting, performing, and recording / engineering, I’ve independently produced Treasure Island, a fantastic group of upbeat pop songs, both fun and thoughtful all with my own hard earned professional skills. With a strong piano style and my voice floating above it, imagine taking the pop sound of Coldplay, mix in a little quirkiness of Ben Folds and a dash of Bruce Hornsby’s versatility. It’s something like that.   I’ve paid my dues playing in bands that were doing shows with Elton John, India Arie, Ani DiFranco, STS9, Mickey Hart, Particle, The Flaming Lips, String Cheese Incident and more. Music was my focus all through school in Southern Oregon. I’ve played many different roles including singer / songwriter, rock n' roll band member, solo pianist, jazz band member and choir accompanist. In the school of real life I’ve also independently written and produced two instrumental ambient CDs. A song from one CD became a finalist in the Song Of The Year and aired on radio shows nationwide. LB: How did you start out making music? Jeffrey: I'm told that I went to my parents at 9 years of age and asked if I could take piano lessons. They graciously said yes! I had a great teacher that taught a nice balance of classical technique and creative jazz improvisation. Thanks Jerome Moffit! LB: Who did you grow up listening to and how do they influence what you’re doing now? Jeffrey: So many great artists. I remember my sister and I putting on a Simon and Garfunkel record and singing along to Bridge Over Troubled Water.  Also, Queen's Another One Bites The Dust sounded great on our little phonograph. Then I listened to some jazz greats like Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and Miles Davis.  I also enjoyed fusion artists like Andreas Vollenweider, Yanni and Vangelis. So much amazing music! LB: Tell us about your latest release. Jeffrey: I had so much fun writing, recording and producing Treasure Island It's mostly all upbeat pop piano with fun and thoughtful lyrics. Look, I want everyone to enjoy my hard work, so if you can't afford to buy the CD, email me and I'll send you the mp3 album for free!   LB: Do you get out and play your music live, and if so, what can an audience expect at one of your shows? Jeffrey: I'm just now booking gigs mostly around San Francisco bay area in California. So you can check my website for dates and venues. I'm a solo artist with a keyboard and I use a laptop for high quality backing tracks, like bass and drums. So it sounds like a full band and I strive for the best performance I can give. LB: What aspects of playing and recording music do you most enjoy? Jeffrey: When you're playing along and out of nowhere you find yourself in another world. It's like the power of music comes over you and it's almost like you're floating. Those magical moments are probably why we all love music so much. LB: Where can people find (and buy) your music? Jeffrey: I have my own website, also CD Baby and I’ll be on itunes (and other digital retailers) hopefully by November 1st. http://www.jeffreygilliam.com http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jeffreygilliam3