How Jeffrey Stevenson Turned His Passion for Saxophone into a Career

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So, welcome everybody to Less 1%. I have an amazing treat today.

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Although it does reveal a darker side of my personality, I stalked this young man on social media because I thought he was

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so talented and amazing that I really wanted to sit down and have a conversation with him, but um he decided not to press charges and um and he decided to come to the podcast today.

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So, welcome Jeffrey [laughter] Stevenson. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming, you know. Oh, yeah. It's an honor. It really is. I've been I've been excited to do this.

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Yeah. And it's crazy, too, cuz you're like, who is this person? Why are they reaching out? But you you seem like, and we'll talk more about your music, but

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you seem like you're a pretty open person when it comes to anything. I try to be. I definitely try to be.

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Yeah. It's uh you know, you never know what cool opportunities can come your way. And it's a you know, there's a certain point where you do have to say

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no to people. But this is one of those things I wanted to say yes to.

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[laughter]

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Now, how how how is that for you like right now? Cuz I you know, you're obviously gaining popularity. I mean, obviously you're on the rise and um is that daunting or is that you?

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That's crazy. It is. I like just yesterday I hit 100k followers on Instagram, which is so crazy.

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Um but it's just I've found some way for my videos

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to reach people. And it's just so crazy for so many people to be leaving so many nice comments, just liking my videos,

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interacting. Um, I it doesn't feel real and it's hard for it to feel real because I'm not like seeing these people

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in person, but when I do get to perform or just meet others in real life, it like that's when it it really feels like

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something real and it's and 100%. I I got goosebumps when you were saying um cuz obviously I'm an audio file, love music.

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Oh yeah.

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Musician like it's like when you hit that mode where people are inspired especially today, right? Everybody today

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is like angry about this or angry about that. Oh yeah.

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Want to you know complain like you you look on Instagram or you know any social media and the complaining videos have like 10 million views.

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Oh yeah. The ones that are inspirational or you know not Yeah. No you you can get some good engage engagement with some complaining

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negative videos cuz there's a lot of people out there that want to complain. Um yeah.

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What what made So So tell me so tell me when did you start when did you start playing? I started playing in it was the summer before the sixth grade. I started

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taking saxophone lessons because I wanted to play saxophone and you had to start on clarinet in middle school band.

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I didn't want to do that. So, I took saxophone lessons so they they had to let me play sax.

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That's the whole thing, right? Because you go in that sixth grade and they're like, "What instrument do you want?" And everybody wants sax and then everybody you end [laughter] up with something you don't want.

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And I there was no really good reason. I just thought it was a cool instrument.

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Um, like looking back, I kind of wish I started on clarinet because there's a lot as a professional

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saxoponist, you're often expected to double on other woodwind instruments, like the clarinet, flute, bass clarinet, stuff like that. And going from saxophone to clarinet is tough.

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It's tough. Yes.

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Yeah. The other way around, I think definitely easier, but going to clarinet, it's a it's a different beast.

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Yeah. Clarinet clarinet is I feel like it's tough to make a clarinet sound good, too. Oh, it is. It is. But when it sounds good, it sounds really good. I love the sound of clarinet. Definitely.

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All right. So, you got to cuz I mean the t the Okay, let me get my things right. Uh alto. You play the alto. No, you play tenner. Tener. Ter.

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Oh, yeah. But I also have an alto and I play that sometimes, but most most of the time is the tener.

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All right. So, I'm going to share something with the audience that I'm very nervous about.

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I have I have a few I played a few instruments or played a few instruments because now I don't play anything really. But what do you think my instrument was?

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My guess I'm going to go with bass. Bass. I'm going with bass. Okay.

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But given your reaction, it's not bass.

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I know it already. [laughter] It's you're you're really far off. Am I really far? Safe guess. I'll give you a safe h Let me think.

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Well, if I'm really far off, then I want to go I want to go for like a a wind instrument then, like trumpet. I think I I think I know.

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What is What do you think, Jordan?

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Isn't Hold on. I'm just going to pick something ridiculous. No, Bo.

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No, I mean that's not ridiculous. I mean, that's almost close. Flute. Flute. Oh, flute. Really? Flute?

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Yeah, that was Hey, well, I got a lot of respect for you. Piano flute drums.

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Dang. That's so cool. Yeah, but flute was my and it was my I wasn't smart enough to take the lessons in sachs before. Then I went there and

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everybody's saxs were all gone like, "Hey, play the flute." So, I was It was interesting being an athlete and playing the flute cuz

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You don't see that too often. No, that's cool. That's so cool. Yeah.

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You know what? You're already my friend because [laughter] you said something in a way that was still supportive.

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Oh, no. I think that's so cool. No, I absolutely I play a little bit of flute. Um it's hard. It takes a lot of air. because there's no resistance at all.

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There's no resistance.

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There's no resistance and to play it well and loud. That That's the thing cuz I was like I am not playing the flute and not being heard which is typical.

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Yeah.

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Right. I mean you just being to be in background noise. Exactly.

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Yeah. So I played I played angry flute man. That was like [laughter] it was angry flute.

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Oh yeah. And I was more buff like I was more buff back then. I mean, I'm [laughter] still, you know, sort of solid, but I was buff and I'm I'm playing this flute like angry flute man

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and like, you know, Oh, yeah. Oh, I love it. I love it.

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You can also hum while you play the flute and it sound okay.

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Oh, that makes it Yeah, that makes it sound a little bit angrier. Same thing with saxophone. That's called growling on saxophone. When you do that, it's that. And then when I want to sound like

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extra crunchy, I do flutter tonging, which you probably do you know what flutter tonging is? Yeah. Where you roll your Rs while playing, which is a little bit easier on flute, I will

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say, because saxophone, you got the mouthpiece in your mouth. So you got to you got to roll your Rs while there's a mouthpiece in your mouth.

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So you so you play obviously you start but at some point you decide that you know music's going to be your thing.

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Took a while. It did take a while. So my first passion was actually meteorology since I was a kid.

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Um and I'm still a big weather nerd. I am. But I went to school University of Oklahoma for meteorology. Got a degree in meteorology. Wow.

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All the while I was really like starting to take saxophone seriously. And that was one of the toughest decisions for me

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is choosing between meteorology and music, which is something I never really wanted to do. I really wanted to do both. Um, but it got to a point where

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the meteorology was taking up too much of my time. And I really wanted to do music. And I think I love music just a little bit more. Just a little bit.

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Weather Channel, I'm telling you [laughter] right now. Right. I mean, oh yeah. I just I got a comment from the weather channel on one of my videos the other day and I was like the crossover

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that's crazy. It's crazy. Oh yeah. No, I thought it was so cool. I'm I I responded to him. I was like, "Yeah, I have a degree in meteorology. I'm musician now, but I know how it goes."

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So you get a So you get the degree in meteorology. Yep. And then you go on.

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So there's there's like actually two big moments. I got the degree in meteorology. Um and then I started grad school for meteorology at same school,

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University of Oklahoma. I did one semester that was like my breaking point. It was I was doing well in

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school. Um but I just had no time for music and I needed I needed music in my life.

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Um so I ended up leaving that with no real plan. Um and then a professor from a nearby school, a jazz studies

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professor from nearby school heard that I was on the market. He reached out to me. Uh, and I ended up going to University of Central Oklahoma to get my masters in jazz studies.

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That's amazing.

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I did that, but then there was a second moment. So, I did all that. I got my masters in jazz studies. Then I moved to Austin. Um, and Austin's a little pricey

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compared to Oklahoma for sure. So, I needed I needed a job.

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Um, so naturally I look for a meteorology job. And I actually got a job with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality as a air quality

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scientist. It was a little bit more complicated than that, but um I enjoyed it, but same thing. I just feel like I didn't have enough time for

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music. So, I quit that uh last year and I'm doing music full-time, happier than I've ever been.

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I'm going to So, you I mean, this is he's speaking to me right now, right?

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cuz [laughter] I'm, you know, you have this and we talked a little bit about pre-show, like you have all these things that are passionate to who you are,

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you know, and I always say the best life in the world is um being able to do something you love, being good at it,

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and then being able to make a living from it. Like that's the holy grail of, you know, my best life. And it's hard. I mean, it's hard for people, I think,

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right? Sometimes you don't always get that opportunity. Mhm.

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So I'm I'm I'm I'm enthralled and amazed that not I mean not only right you just you made that decision and you feel like

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it's so so so you're but you're running around now trying to do shows or all sorts of stuff like really

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like I spend most of my days doing social media stuff. I I started out sending my emails in the morning just I

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get like a bunch of random inquiries for a lot of different things. Um, and then I'll spend a few hours a day making videos and and getting those out there.

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Um, and from the all the saxophone videos and stuff I do, I get all sorts of random

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work. Um, I teach saxophone lessons to people all around the world. Uh, I one of the big things is playing saxophone at weddings. Right now

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there's Everybody wants a saxophone at their wedding and it's it's fun. It's fun.

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But I mean, why not have the flute at the wedding? Like come on.

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Exactly. Exactly. You know, I was like I was thinking about it recently as one instrument I've never really seen. I'm sure it's happened, but I haven't seen at weddings too much is the trombone.

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And I think that would I think that would work well at a wedding. To memb Oh, definitely. You'd have to have a good player for sure. But

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people who play trombone well, they it sound because of the It's not like a a fixed note instrument.

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I think it's like one of the closest wind instruments to the human voice.

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Like you can make a trombone to sing violin too. Yeah, just like violin like that. Yeah.

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So my uh so my my favorite I still want I want to get him on the pod. I hope I hope he's watching.

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Um but Gerald Albbright is Oh yeah. I saw him in LA a few weeks ago. I didn't talk to him but I saw him.

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I was at uh Do you know what NAM is? Yeah.

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It's so you know what N So N is I hope I am getting this. I'm pretty sure it's North American Music or No Wait, no. National Association of Music Merchants. That's what it is. National

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Association of Music Merchants, but it's just like one of the biggest like popular music conferences in the world. Everybody comes to it.

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Um, and I had the chance to perform there with a band out of Austin named Kzi. It was so much fun. It was my first time there. Um, and first thing that

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happened when I walked in, Stevie Wonder was there just walking walking on the floor. That's That was the most recent one, right? the most he's there almost every year, I'm

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pretty sure. Um, but it's it's one of like the the checklist things for people to go to NM is to see Stevie Wonder and I saw him and I

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thought it was the coolest thing. But then like a few minutes later, I went over to the Saxon area. Gerald Albright was there. So cool.

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Yeah, he he um obviously he's been around for a while. I've been to so many of his concerts, but I um he has a song called Father's

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Lullabi and uh I used to blast. It was actually annoying for my neighbor cuz they used to blast like [laughter] you know cuz people don't if you're not a

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musician you kind of think oh it was elevator music the amount of comments I get like that I know like how difficult some of the stuff he was doing was and it is it's a song that

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actually gets me choked up all the time but yeah so that's so that's so so now so you made this decision you're the happiest you you've ever been

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but what's your future like what what is ultimately like you're like oh I made it this is awesome I get to do this.

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That's something I've been thinking about a lot recently is like I don't know. I think one of like the most exciting things for me is not knowing what my future is going to be.

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Wow.

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Um I because like if I in my head if I like have one specific thing that's like I made it then what's the point to do anything else? Like I always I just

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continually want to grow. I continually want to learn. Um, one of the ne one thing that I would really like to

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do um is record with or go on tour with some major artists. That's amazing.

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Um I I think I'm working that way for sure.

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Um but even then I don't I don't want that to be my end goal. I want to I want to keep working. Um a big thing also is getting

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more original music out there. More of my original music. I have some stuff in the works. Um, but yeah, I want to Well, what would you say you for your

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original music? What genre is it? That depends. Like right now, I have uh an original album out, hipsometric.

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Um, and that was actually a master's thesis for me that instead of writing a master's thesis, I recorded and produced my own album. Wow.

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Um, and that was like jazz fusion because I was doing a jazz degree. I really leaned into the jazz thing of it

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all. Um, but I really I don't limit myself now. Like I am very very inspired by the blues. Um, I want to get some

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blues stuff out there. Um, a lot of 70s8s rock, specifically like some of the first like

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saxophone influence I had was Clarence Clemens with uh with Bruce Springsteen. Wow.

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So, a song I'm about to put out is kind of that vibe.

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Um, but I do jazz stuff all the time. I want to get blues stuff out there, R&B. Yeah.

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Um I think a lot recently is that I've been hesitant to release music because I

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think I need to like stick in one lane with it. But I don't need to do that. I just need to put stuff out there. See what happens with it.

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One of my my I mean we call each other brother but we're not related. Um but uh Demola uh the violinist. I don't know.

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I want to connect you guys cuz Ubies talented.

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He's uber he's probably has like what what three or four million followers.

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Oh yeah. Um, and he he just like like yourself, like it's like a Savant, he just picked it up, picked up the violin.

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Um, but I think what you guys both do, and I want to talk about that a little later, but what you guys both do is there are already hits out there. It's

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very interesting, right? like when you play an instrument because you have this vibe where you want to write song like I wrote this song for my parents you know on the piano and I you know

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played it for you know at some thing in uh at in college and everybody's like oh you're okay [laughter] but you play

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someone else's song that's already amazing and it's almost like that's like that makes you even better especially if you kind of riff on it a little bit. Oh definitely. Oh definitely. Yeah.

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That's that's a big big thing. I'm just with any musician in general, but it's like specifically coming up through jazz. Yeah.

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The way you get better is by they call it transcribing others, but it's that makes it sound like you're writing it down. You're not writing down copying

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others is really what the word I like to use. Um like specifically saxoponist.

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There's so many saxoponists that I listen over and over to their solos and try to copy that. Yeah. Um but other instrumentalists as well and even trying

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to emulate the sound of the human voice on saxophone which is which is I've seen that too. That's it's crazy.

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A lot of that's jazz. It definitely is.

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Yeah. And but I mean like so much popular music comes from Phil Bailey. Philip Bailey from from Earthwind and Fire.

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Oh yeah. Oh absolutely. Yeah. I mean like even any really anything that is in the top 100 now you could relate it back

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to to jazz like that was just such an influential influential music for the world.

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So you're playing because you love it but you're also I mean do you and you're seeing the

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reactions to your music. Is there a is there a part of you that realizes I guess that you have an you have influence on those people? I mean, you

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actually I mean I mean yeah, you know, you're celebrating your followers, but they're coming on.

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They're they're looking for, you know, what you're offering. Do you Does that resonate or are you just like, "Hey, I'm just playing like, hey, whatever."

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You know, at first when like I started gaining a little bit of traction on social media, it I didn't quite feel that yet. But there's I get comments all

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the time where people say that I inspired them to go buy a saxophone and learn it or pick the saxophone back up or that their kid just

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is just so into any of my videos or something. I think that's just like the coolest thing that I am. I'm in it. It

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feels weird to be influencing other people, but um yeah, those those comments, they make my day and like I I remember each of them.

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So, you you um I'm mostly amazed you're here. I'm excited you're here, but you did disappoint me.

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Oh, no. Why?

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Because every video that I watched had all you know, I'm I got a hair issue.

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Obviously, [laughter] I got a hair issue, so I'm a little sensitive. And you What happened to the hair? You missed it

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by by two days. Two days ago, I got the haircut. It's It was getting so long. It was there.

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It It was It was probably It was probably like down to like here. It was That was the longest [laughter] it's ever been. Like by far like the longest it's ever been.

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Um but there's so much maintenance. It's crazy. It's windy.

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I It's uh But that's a Is it It almost is a little signature.

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I That's the thing. That's That was something that made me really hesitant to get the haircut. Yeah. Yeah.

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But I uh I just felt like it was grow back if I need you posted since you cut it.

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I I'm post I posted a hair reveal video, but other than that, no saxophone videos yet.

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I don't think so. I'm going to post one today though with with a new hair.

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Um your So I I could tell you which one that I that popped for me. Uh, but I

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want to I want to know first which is of all your videos, right? Some of them have gone [clears throat] crazy, some of them, you know, varying, right? But

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there's some that have really gone viral.

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Which is your favorite of all my videos or the ones that like really popped off?

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H cuz I have I have some different answers. Give me Yeah, give me give me both.

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I think my favorite one, it definitely got some attention, but it wasn't like viral level like all my other videos were. um was a saxophone

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solo over Olivia Deans, let alone the one you love.

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Yeah, that song or that whole Olivia Dean just one of my favorite artists. Like just I absolutely love her music. Um but yeah,

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I added, you know, I I add saxons to a lot of pop songs. Um I added a saxophone solo to that one and it was just like something about that one just resonated

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with like the way I want to sound and I felt like I I really got something on that that that I really liked. Um, but as far as like the

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big big viral ones, that's a tough question. I think the most viral video I had both on Tik Tok and Instagram was

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adding a saxophone solo to Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer. Yeah, I saw that.

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Oh, yeah. And that one Yeah, that one was all over the place. That was crazy.

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That one was fun. But that one um I wouldn't necessarily say was is one of my favorite saxophone solos because I

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it's always a balance for me of trying to do like have my own soloistic ideas but also have like the original melody

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of the song cuz you got to Yeah.

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You know people [clears throat] kind of want to hear they want to hear what they've heard before. Um, and with Cruel Summer, that was one where I leaned more towards the

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melody and I didn't do too much of my own thing.

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But even then, just adding a saxophone solo, you know, it's like or adding that saxophone part made it unique and it it was a thing like a thing that I did. Um,

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that [clears throat] was that was a fun one. Um, but I've Yeah, I've had a good number of of videos really blow up. One

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recently that got a lot of attention um was Oh, wait. What's the name of it? I'm blanking. Um, it's uh Oh, Put Your

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Records On. Put your record. Yeah. By Karen Bailey Ray. Um, I added a saxophone solo to that one.

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Uh, that one was a really fun one and it also it got a decent amount of attention on the internet. So, that one that one felt really good for sure.

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Yeah. I mean, the one that popped up on my feed cuz I'm I'm curious. Yeah. R&B obviously I grew up You saw my wall hip-hop kind of Oh, yeah.

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rapper. Um, the Klani one. Um Oh, yeah. And that one did that one's one of my favorites as well. I that one that cuz you know cuz you right

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as a you see it as a musician there are a lot of people just doing crazy whatever to it so much. Oh yeah.

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Um but that one was like I was like okay cuz it's hard I think it's hard and then I obviously started looking at you different things. It's hard to be a multigre

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person but people don't understand that musicians are always multigen that just naturally you Yeah it's natural. I mean, it's all

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so similar. And also, you need to be able to sell yourself.

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And like, you're not you can't play New Jack Swing on the drums.

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Yeah. [laughter] Until you play a rock beat, which Oh, absolutely. You know, bass kick B, you know, kick, sorry, snare, kick, snare, kick, snare. Like,

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you can't get to D before you do that, right? And then even even like uh rock and at least on the drums, like on the rock, like that that right foot. I mean,

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obviously if you're not going dual pedal, but that right foot, like there are things you have to do in rock and roll that are crazy with just the right foot, [clears throat] you know?

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Oh, yeah.

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So, it's I'm I geek out [laughter] on a lot of that. I can't do that.

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You know, you're a better drummer than I am.

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I used to be I used to be close to you, but you're a better drummer.

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I used to be better when before I got my [clears throat] wrists went bad.

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Oh, yeah. Yeah. Cuz you got to keep them loose. You got to keep them loose. Oh, yeah.

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Yeah. No. Yeah. Yeah. And I I like Phil every every bar. Like he's like, "Hey, wait, wait." You know, but it's so much fun. That's [laughter] what I want to do.

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Phil. Oh, yeah.

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Um so, which is which is another And I know we're old people, but um Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

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um with um Janet Jackson. Yeah. Was the first time I heard people use like Phils as like part of

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the song. Like normally it's just like, "Okay, get to the bridge." No, like they're like, "No, no, no. where and I'm like there you're still going like

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you're one two three bars of like it's crazy. That was the first time I I really kind of geeked out on like someone who

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was doing something crazy, you know? But Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, that's awesome. That's awesome.

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Yeah. So, I mean, I guess I wonder if this happens like do artists reach out to you and say cuz cuz you're going to

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get to the point where you're like you're you're an influencer. If I have a song and I get you on my song and you post it, do are you at that?

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That's Oh, definitely. That definitely happens. Yeah, I've I've I do that all the time. Yeah, it's it's so cool. I absolutely love that. That's one of my favorite things is

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recording saxophone for other people's songs. Um just the fact that they reached out to me and want me to do that is so cool. Um but yeah, I'll I will

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people reach out to me, ask me to record saxophone solo on their song and you know, I'll share it and everything once it's released. Um, but also I get a

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decent number of people that'll reach out to me that really just want me to help promote their song and just say, "Will you add a saxophone solo to it?" And I'm like, "Yeah, of course I'll

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sax." Yeah. No, I think it's I think it's so cool. I think Yeah. I I mean I I absolutely love it. It's just such a a fun creative.

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But you got to pay for rent in Austin, too. So, and that, too. That, too. Definitely.

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Yeah. It's uh There are more expensive places, but Austin, it ain't cheap. Yeah. [laughter] No, it's not cheap.

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It's not. Um, so you're a pretty positive person. I try to be. Definitely. Oh, yeah.

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But there's got to be a dark side.

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There's got to be something that Oh, yeah. I mean, there always is. There always like I mean, the biggest thing is self-doubt. Like the the classic the

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classic story, but it is definitely self-doubt.

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Self-doubt is in so far as like nobody's gonna like this or nobody's gonna want my music or what what kind of

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All of the above really. like I um I'm definitely not the best saxoponist out there and I'm never going to be the best

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saxoponist. Um but there's there have been a lot of times where I'm surrounded by a lot of

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musicians that are I don't want to say better than me, but they they've spent some more time practicing and they have

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more experience. Um, and it's always been tough for me to feel like

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I I can do the same thing or like after I'm around a really amazing saxoponist or something, it's like me picking up

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the saxophone, I'm like, I can't do that.

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Um, but that's something that social media actually has helped me with a lot.

26:12

It's cuz I definitely I'm not I'm definitely not the best saxoponist, but once I started doing what I wanted to do

26:21

that and specifically is playing more pop music, just like more music that yeah, people actually listen to. Um but also

26:30

music that I actually listen to. Um that is when it it really started to hit me that like I don't have to be the best.

26:39

like I just want to I just need to do what I love and things will come my way if I just stick with it. And you know it's

26:48

and that's it's worked out for me. It's not necessarily you know that's not a steadfast rule for everybody but but let me put this in your head. I don't think

26:57

um I don't I don't know if you're the best right there. [laughter] I mean it's like how are we gonna Yeah.

27:02

Yeah. I mean you can't maybe maybe Gerald is the best. Maybe maybe let's go down for Oh, yeah.

27:09

past Gerald. But I do think that the idea that you're not the best is the best way to get better.

27:17

I agree big time.

27:18

And that's that's the thing is like there there are two ways after there's two things that you can do after being around somebody that's better than you is to get depressed and not do anything

27:27

and sit there and just be sad about it or practice. Yeah.

27:30

And I almost I always try to turn that energy into practicing and just like inspiration.

27:35

Um and yeah, that's what's made me better.

27:38

You're inspirational. I I [laughter] you know, honestly, I mean, I'm not I mean, you know, um and just so everybody knows

27:45

my stalking comment, I really was not stalking him. I [laughter] kind of was. That's okay. That's okay.

27:50

But but what I like to do is really reach out to people and and people that I feel that are inspir inspirational.

27:56

And um you know I think uh people who can change the world. I mean I don't think I mean we talked about before I'm

28:04

in healthcare and I'm supposed to help people.

28:06

Um and maybe changing the world I can change the world by helping people differently, more effectively, more efficiently at a lower price at a better care, right? All that stuff.

28:15

Definitely. But I think that um people it's a hard place to really impact

28:23

a lot of different people cuz people only want health care when they're sick or when they're thinking about it. Exactly.

28:30

And that's why I love music as a as a way to connect with people.

28:34

Okay. So um I've I've well I have a few more questions. Okay. So n so what is

28:41

something that no one else will know that you're comfortable sharing without no one else you know that's

28:49

following you or that's interested in your videos would know.

28:54

That's such a like the first thing that pops into my mind nothing too crazy but I'm very close to releasing an original song. Okay.

29:02

Yes. I'll even say the name of it. It's called Second Summer.

29:06

Let's go. And I don't have a I don't have a date for it yet, but it's almost it's almost ready. I've been I've spent way too much time mixing it and and

29:14

everything and recording, but Okay. So, we have to drop this before you release it. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Get the hype out there.

29:20

[laughter]

29:21

All right. [snorts] Yeah. Yeah. Okay. And then um so you So, so who is an

29:28

artist then that Okay. So for me, Malcolm Gladwell is my, you know, I try [clears throat] to be his mini me.

29:37

Oh yeah.

29:38

Not really. [laughter] But we I mean I love the way he writes. I love the storytelling aspect.

29:43

Um and the way I write is um and you can you can recognize this as a as a creative. So I call like artists,

29:51

entertainers, uh writers, painters, we're creative and we use you know we use different parts of our minds. We don't just think analytically,

30:00

although we have analytics because you got to look at notes and all and so my writing is uh very um I do

30:07

things that probably aren't the best uh for readers maybe, but it's consistent with being a rapper, DJ magician, all those things, right? I speak in threes.

30:16

I like toiterate a little more than usual. I like to say things that when you hear it, um it sounds different than when you read it.

30:24

I like that. Um, but would you is there something for you that's characteristic that when somebody hears you play like

30:32

like G, every time I hear GA play, I'm like, okay. Like that's a note that I've never heard before. Oh, yeah.

30:39

You know, um, his top range stuff is ridiculous. I don't even know how, you know, I don't know how you make your mouth that [laughter] those notes.

30:48

Um, but what is something that's a signature for you? That's a great question and it's something I still feel like I'm

30:56

figuring out. I um I think from the background I have coming from jazz and and learning through that, I

31:04

think like having a that there is just like a specific jazz way of playing that [clears throat] I think does come across

31:13

in in what I do. Um, especially like I feel like the blues comes out in me when I'm when I'm putting a solo over a pop

31:22

song or some like hyper dance pop or whatever.

31:26

Um, where there are there are there are a lot of saxoponists out there that really have only ever ever done like the pop thing. Um, and that's also there's a

31:36

lot of what they do is exactly how I want to sound. But I think just having

31:40

[snorts]

31:40

um the improvisational jazz background, it makes me play a little bit differently um I think than others.

31:48

I I once uh had a teacher tell me in jazz there's no wrong notes.

31:53

Oh yeah. And there are no wrong notes if you can figure out how to get to the right note from that.

31:58

Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Definitely.

32:00

The bass player who has that same um Victor Wooten. Yes.

32:04

I've met him. Yeah. He gave me he I it was like a camp I did a long time ago actually, but he gave me the talk. It's so cool. He does this like demonstration

32:11

where if it's you've done Yeah. where it's it's he just he's in the pocket. He's grooving just playing the most random notes and it feels so good.

32:21

Incredible. So free. Yep.

32:23

Yeah. No, I think that's that's I mean that's if jazz can solve every first world problem.

32:31

Every first world problem.

32:32

Oh, yeah. You know, like like politics, all you have to do is get a bunch of jazz musicians and just give it to everybody and the world would be an

32:39

amazing [laughter] place because you just play the wrong note and you and you and you roll with it. You're not waiting for the right note. You're just like, "Hey, okay, we're here. Let me let me

32:48

jam on that." Oh, definitely. It's h Yeah. All I mean, it's I've just learned so much from that. And I've also feel like coming from an improvisational

32:57

jazz background. Um, it's just helped me be flexible in all sorts of genres, just using my ear and and So, so you Okay, there's something going

33:06

on. There's something going on. This is This is This is I'm I'm actually disturbed.

33:13

Oh, no. [laughter] I'm ready for it.

33:17

I'm disturbed. You are aspirational enough to pursue something you love and you're trying

‍

33:19

your hardest. I am to make sure that this can be your forever thing. Mhm. You're positive.

33:33

You're down to earth. You are like a good person.

33:38

I try to be What? Where's [laughter] I mean, what what does this need to be a parenting podcast? Like what what what combination of things Well, meteorologist. What

33:47

combination of things have come together to make you such a great person?

33:51

Well, thank you. So, I don't know. I don't know. I mean, like I that means a lot. First of all, I don't necessarily think of myself as a great person. I

33:57

just try to have a positive impact on people around me. Um, I feel like I was

34:06

raised right. My parents, they were very supportive of me. Um, doing whatever I wanted to do growing up. Um, and just

34:14

all of the people that I surrounded myself with. Um, I have made so many great friends in all different parts of

34:22

my life. Um, but it's I mean that's that's a tough question. That definitely is a tough question.

34:28

Can I can I can I I think that's your signature thing really. How so?

34:36

Because I think that um I think there's music is just a strange industry, right?

34:40

I mean it is. And [clears throat] and I mean uh I think musicians are in a little bit of

34:48

a different, you know, than the contemporary just radio stuff, right? I mean that's that's some I can't even listen to some of that

34:56

stuff now cuz talking [laughter] about stuff that I'm not supposed to be listening to, you know? Oh yeah. Oh yeah.

35:00

Um or at least not to tell anybody I listen to. [laughter] But I think that might be your thing. I think you're, you know, you got that,

35:06

you know, all American, you know, you multigre, you appeal to a lot of different, you know, corals in society

35:14

and and you're not and you're going to speak through the music and you're not going to, you know, that I think that's like that's brilliant. That's I'll I'll stick with that.

35:24

Yeah. [laughter] Well, we we got to And then the hair. We got to figure out the hair. Oh, you know, the hair will grow back.

35:30

The hair was the signature, but

35:31

[laughter]

35:32

I don't you know I don't know. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Well, I love that. What do you think?

35:36

I think somebody's got already got the hair thing. What's his name? Kenny G. Kenny G.

35:39

Kenny G. See, I [laughter] also every He's He can play. Every other comment I got on my videos is baby Kenny G or something like that. [laughter]

35:48

But But okay, Kenny. I I've never met him. I've never met him. But Kenny didn't do this. This is not Kenny. No. I

35:57

mean, maybe you're the the the, you know, the 2026 version, but Kenny was a like traditional, right, musician. I

36:06

mean, the way he came up was not making videos, right, on on, you know what I mean? So, I think that there's something and maybe that's what you just have to

36:14

do nowadays. But I don't think everybody I think there are a lot of good artists that don't have exposure. Oh, so many.

36:20

And we talked in the elevator. I think there's a lot of bad artists that have too much exposure. And that happens everywhere. That definitely happens.

36:25

Yeah. Um, it's like specifically thinking about Kenny G, he in a lot of

36:33

the instrumentalist world, he's looked down upon. He's looked at looked at as a sellout. As a sellout. Yeah. Yes. Yes.

36:39

I used to like I, you know, prescribed that idea too. I used to. Um, but when you listen to him,

36:47

he is an amazing saxoponist. Like absolutely amazing and also such an amazing guy. He was in the Super Bowl. I don't know.

36:54

And he was in the Super Bowl. Yeah. He played with Charlie Puth at the Super Bowl. He's also on a song that Charlie Puth just released. I didn't know that. He's He's doing the thing.

37:02

I think it's cuz he I think it's cuz a lot of the songs that were popular were these home note long, you know? I mean, like it wasn't it when you look at like

37:10

Gerald versus Kenny G. Gerald is, you know, like he's going.

37:15

That's the thing. But also like it says something though because a lot more people know Kenny G than Gerald. They do. No one knows Gerald.

37:22

No. Yeah. And that like my biggest saxophone influences are people that no one knows.

37:28

Um but it's the it G does appeal to the masses and I think there's definitely something to learn

37:36

from that especially like with with what I do because I could shred over every song that I play.

37:43

But people don't want to listen to that. No, they don't.

37:45

They don't want to listen to that. They want to listen to something that actually sounds good. Um Kenny G plays stuff that actually sounds good. I mean, I'm Gerald Alb. He definitely plays stuff that sounds good.

37:54

He's singing. Oh, big time. Big time. Yeah.

37:57

Who's who? So, who's the who's the goat of Yeah.

38:01

I So, my biggest like first influence was Lenny Picket, the saxoponist for the Saturday Night Live band.

38:09

What that I mean, what how do you how do you how does that end up being like you're just We might have to stop

38:17

taping. [laughter] I mean, how does So, look, so I that was like I had grown up to just hearing him play cuz he's I

38:26

want to I forget how many years he's been doing it, but he's been doing it forever. Like, definitely my whole life.

38:31

Um, but the way he plays, it's still something that I aspire to. Like, it's so technical. He plays on tener

38:41

sacks mostly, especially like for Saturday Night Live. He does tenor sachs and he plays some very high notes in saxophone land. that's called Altisimo.

38:49

It's it's notes that are higher than the saxophone was designed to play. Um, and his just masterful control over that is

38:57

just so inspiring to me, but also just so much funk and blues. He was uh

39:05

one of the main members of Tower of Power. Yeah.

39:07

Um, and some amazing stuff came out of that just like for funk music especially. Um, but

39:16

he's been doing the thing for so many years. I He also is very unconventional with with how he plays. Like I've

39:25

watched I've really he plays so differently than a lot of other saxop articulates the sound he gets. So I've

39:33

really researched into like what what it is he's doing differently. Have you reached out to him?

39:38

I haven't reached out to him. Maybe I should reach out to him. I don't know. I don't know. That would maybe I should.

39:42

He's They're based out of San Francisco, right?

39:44

I'm pretty new I'm sure. Pretty sure New York.

39:47

Probably he's probably at the show mostly. Yeah.

39:49

Oh, yeah. No, he like it's I'm pretty sure it's still the same. He's been there since pretty much day one. Maybe it was actually day one of SNL. Hasn't missed a single show.

39:59

Not a single one. So, he has to live in New York. There's no way he's going back. No way he's going back.

40:03

There's no way. Um, but there's some very like some strange things that he does. plays on a bass clarinet read on

40:11

the saxophone. I've never heard of anybody doing that. Why?

40:15

I don't know exactly why. He might have said it at some point. I don't know. But is it a little bigger?

40:21

It's I also I forget if it's a little bit bigger or smaller. It's a very It is a similar size, but he play he must play on them for a

40:28

reason. They give him an another edge. And I think I've tried that like a couple of times and I didn't quite see it. And it might just be a spe a specific thing that works for him. Yeah.

40:37

Um, [snorts] but doing that, the way he articulates is very different um than the way that I articulate. It's very like minute

40:46

saxophone stuff, but um he he just plays a saxophone in a very different way that I've was not taught to play that way. But

40:56

I've in recent years tried to start doing things the way that he does just to see like what kind of different sound I can get. Yeah.

41:04

That he's able to get that I wasn't.

41:05

There was um a show I don't know um if you remember this um Saxes and Guitars.

41:14

Um it was Gerald. It was Oh gosh, I'm blanking.

41:20

First thought I'm thinking is Jerry Mulligan.

41:22

No, he's Barry Barry Sachs.

41:25

He's He's super gritty. Like it's like it's almost annoying when he plays his baritone.

41:30

When was this? Uh, this is probably 10 years ago that the the show was going as sax uh guitars and saxes.

41:37

Um, I'm not sure. Now I got to look it up.

41:39

Now I got to think now. I'm literally going to get on my my iPhone [laughter] streaming show or No, no, no, no. Was it was actual show.

41:45

It was actual show. I went to um I went to one of them. They're different venues, concerts.

41:51

Um, but it was it was GA. It was um Gosh, now I want to look it up.

‍

41:57

I'm so curious. All right, Jordan, look it up. [laughter] Guitars and taxes.

42:03

It's okay. So, now while Jordan looks this up, um I want to ask you the question. The question. All right.

42:11

What is your superpower? Oo.

42:14

And it can't be I'll I'll give you some time to think. Okay.

42:18

It's not just, hey, I'm on time or hey, I'm really positive. M it has to be something like uniquely you

42:25

like like it's it's something that when you like you do it you feel like you do it the best or that there's no one else that has this thing that you do.

42:34

That's such a great question. Oh, that's such a great question. My h

42:42

my the first thing that comes to my head is I always

42:50

I feel like I I guess like the word is caring. I like I really am I feel like I'm very I care

42:57

a lot about how other people are feeling sometimes to a fault.

43:01

Um it's it can be tough like I always want everybody around me to be comfortable

43:09

and happy and um at your detriment that it definitely some sometimes it can be. Yeah. And

43:16

that's something uh I think it's helped me so much in life to be caring like that.

43:24

Um but there are there are like you know certain certain times where it's people are just going to be upset and there's

43:33

no way to change that and like that has like devastated me before. Um, but it's

43:40

some that's just part of growing for me is is realizing that I I can't control how other people's how other people feel, but I can do my best to make sure that other people are happy.

43:50

I love I love that. I love, you know, and I think that's I think it actually to truly be caring is tough. It's challenging. Like people say they're

43:58

caring, but they're not, you know, they're not really. I do think that um and I don't know if I've learned this or I'm still learning. Like I feel I I feel

44:05

I know I know I got the gray and you know but I feel young like in so far as like I feel like I'm constantly challenging

44:13

myself to understand different things and I've I I think I I'm a I hold grudges like so if you know everyone I'm

44:23

going to give you a copy of less than 1% when this is all done I'm going to sign it for you. But when you read that book, you're like there are a lot of people

44:31

things or mindsets that what I'm learning that is maybe you maybe the people that are the the bad ones or the

44:40

maybe maybe maybe maybe that's what they need.

44:42

Maybe they need caring, you know, maybe the challenge is is that they behave like that because they just want somebody to say, "I got you, you know,

44:50

big time." But it's hard to do that especially when someone's wrong to you or doubted you. M.

44:54

So it's it's hard to like say it's so hard. You know, I got you.

44:58

Yeah. And those are the times where it's the most important to the most important.

45:00

It definitely is the most important. And that's I've thought that way my whole life. Any any doubters that that doubted you?

45:09

I well like I'm trying to think some some or somebody that I mean there always there there always

45:16

is especi like you know like people in my life that don't I've I don't have any there are no

45:24

musicians in my well for the most part really no like or especially like full-time musicians or anything who made a career out of music like that just

45:32

doesn't exist in my family. So, no one in my family understood what a music career would look like, which is part of probably why I held on to meteorology a little bit longer than I should have.

45:42

Um, because that was something that they were familiar with as, you know, having like a 9 toive job.

45:47

Um, but I I'm definitely very lucky that I didn't have very much push back to

45:55

pursuing music as seriously as I do. And I um I'm super grateful for that because I know not a lot of people have that. Yeah. Mhm.

46:03

Yeah. Did you Did you Yeah. So, um you're looking for the the musicians that are on Yeah. They're in Guitar and Yeah. So, there's there's Peter White.

46:11

Peter White. Jeff Gallib. Jeff Gollum.

46:14

Uh obviously Gerald Albbright. Uh Kirk Wham. Kirk Wham. Uh I don't know how it's Eugi Groove.

46:23

Yeah. Huge Groove. Huge Groove. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Huge Groove. Yeah. I'm not sure if I know who that is. Jesse J. Jesse J. Okay. Oh, cool. Okay.

46:31

Well, dang. Yeah, I'm going to have to look that up. Yeah, that's awesome. That sounds awesome.

46:35

Guitar and saxes. Yes. Yes. See, see, Gerald, I'm trying to work with you.

46:38

[laughter] Come on. Performances are characterized by high energy collaborative jam sessions while where artists showcase their individual

46:46

talent. Absolutely. That's right up my alley. I love that. That would be cool.

46:50

Okay, so now we get to find out if we on this show, we always have you call somebody and we're going to call them

46:58

and we're going to ask them what your superpower is. So, if you could call and explain, hey, you're on I'm on a podcast and then I'll jump on and ask a question if that's okay.

47:06

That is totally okay. You want me to go ahead and do it? Yeah, let's go.

47:08

Let's see. I'm going to try calling my fiance here. Go ahead and put the head on. Oh, yeah. Let's get this so we can hear.

47:17

Let's see. Oh, I can hear myself really well. Okay, this is Yeah, this is like mic check. Mic check.

47:23

I'm used to this. I I sit in front of a mic for hours every day with a saxophone. So, let's see here. Let's see if my fiance's out of work.

47:33

We have had people not answer, which is always awkward. Well, we'll see. It's It's close.

47:41

Hello.

47:42

Hello. This is your fiance and you're on a podcast right now. Oh my god. Hi [laughter] podcast.

47:50

Hey. Hey. How are you? I'm well. How are you?

47:54

Good. Good. We're so sorry to bother you and sorry to spring this on you, but we on our show less than 1%. By the way, Jeffreey's amazing. He's amazing.

48:03

Oh, [laughter] I'm aware. I'm like quite literally obsessed with him actually.

48:06

Good. Good. We We were hoping we were hoping although we didn't know if you were going to answer. Um but uh so we asked him a question and we wanted to

48:14

verify or at least see what your answer is to that same question. So if you don't mind. You ready?

48:20

I'm so down. Yeah. [laughter] Okay. So, what do you think his superpower is?

48:27

I think he's he can be friends with anybody. I think that's what it is. He's so kind and welcoming and he's so good

48:34

at connecting with somebody and it takes him like 30 seconds and he'll have a best friend. I hope that's what he said. I don't know though.

48:41

We're We're kind I'm I mean, everybody's nodding their head in the studio. I'm kind of annoyed because it means that you know and love him so much that you

48:49

guys [laughter] have the same She definitely does. Good. I'm glad I passed the test.

48:54

Yes. Yes. [laughter] 100%. Well, thank you so much. And I sorry to bother you, but I I we do this question just to, you know, see if people are aware of what

49:03

their superpower is and it's amazing that you He actually said caring, which is, you know, he is so caring. No, that's like so

49:11

true. He also [laughter] was very caring. I don't want to discredit his character. Thank you. Thank you.

49:16

Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you so much.

49:19

Yeah, for sure. Y'all have fun with the rest of it. Thank you. Love you. Bye. Love you.

49:24

Bye. [laughter] That's awesome. That was great. That was great. Yeah, she knows me pretty well.

49:30

Yeah, she does.

49:31

Did we ever have Jordan? Did we ever have one that was off? I don't think we've had one that was off. Sometimes I think

49:39

Yeah, I think what people think their superpower is sometimes isn't.

49:44

And I think that then, you know, they call a family member or somebody and they're like, "Oh, yeah. Yeah,

49:51

that's not really what Wow. like Oh, that's not really what it is. Um, but we only have had a couple where they're pretty spot on.

50:00

Yeah. Yeah. This one was close.

50:02

This one was close. Yeah. Some of them were like the same like Marty, you know, Marty uh they had Huh.

50:08

Yeah. Yeah. So, we called a couple he called a couple people and they pretty much said the same thing. Really? Yeah.

50:15

Yeah. Yeah. He he called I think he calls mom and dad and they were like both exactly the same and his was creativity really which is cool. Super cool

50:23

that you know speaking of creativity I feel like that is not one of my superpowers really

50:30

that's your By the way we that we um I use a the term kryptonite.

50:36

Yeah I like that I like that term. I that's something I always feel like I'm struggling with. Um, I think very

50:43

technically. I do. And that's like, you know, coming from the meteorology background, very math, physics, technical problem solving.

50:50

Although in meteorology, you can be wrong all the time. And that's Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You can be wrong all the time. Oh, yeah. I get that one a lot. Oh, definitely. Yeah. You know,

50:57

I'm sorry. [laughter] No, that's that's part of the job. But I It's okay for you to storm out after I said that.

51:03

You know, it's it's I'm used to it. I'm used to it. But like specifically thinking about saxophone um and just music in general, I

51:11

I I just think about it very technically. The way that I've learned I am, as I was talking about earlier, copying others. Um, and when I'm

51:21

improvising, playing a solo or whatever, I don't always feel like I'm in like the a perfect creative zone. I feel like I'm

51:28

kind of just spitting out stuff that has come in to me before.

51:32

Um, but that's also part of it. That is what creativity is is you are you creation. So you don't think that what

51:40

you do right now even just you don't think it's creative?

51:44

No, I definitely think it is. I think it is creative.

51:47

I we speaking of my fiance, she's the most creative person I know. Okay.

51:52

She is an art teacher, an artist, a singer, songwriter. Um she is so

52:00

creative and like comparing myself to her, I always feel like I don't I don't stand a chance. No way.

52:05

Yeah. But I I feel that. I feel that. I think though creativity is this weird thing.

52:10

So my definition of creatives right is that it's almost like you're pushing against the status quo. It doesn't mean

52:17

all you know it doesn't mean that you you know that you can you know riff on everything like it's to me I think what I've noticed about you just online and

52:26

what you're doing is it's it's not status quo. I mean like it's not I mean some of those songs I mean I don't know how old you are but some of those songs

52:34

were around a long time. Uh your waterfall one.

52:38

Yeah. Yep. And that's one waterfall. I mean Yeah. I mean that's I mean and I think it's also creative enough where you want to play and you

52:47

want to make sure you play like the song cuz you want people to know the song, but you also want people to know it's you. Yeah.

52:54

And I think that that's amazing.

52:56

Well, thank you. Yeah. It's it's you know it's always a balance of creativity and technicality

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53:03

for me. Um, the technicality has made me the musician that I am. And I I always

53:11

when like specifically thinking about writing songs and and stuff like that, um, I always feel like I want to wait until I'm better until I write a song.

53:20

But that's just not how it should be. Yeah.

53:22

That's I I just need to do it. And I am I am doing it, but I always just have that hesitation.

53:27

Listen, I made the mistake of maniacal fanaticism. Where is it in my my first book? And I wrote that book and I I held

53:36

on [clears throat] to it forever because it was like it wasn't right. I I wasn't ready and and um so one day I just like I need to get rid of this. So I just

53:44

stopped. I'm like it's done. I'm not editing anymore. And then less than 1% like literally I I wrote that in like two months

53:51

because it had all been backed up like and I just was re-editing re-editing re-editing. So yeah. Oh, I know. I know how that goes.

53:58

Specifically with the song that I'm releasing soon. Yeah, I could have released that half a year ago.

54:06

I [laughter] could have definitely and that's like recently I'm like I just I'm just it's never going to be like 100% I'm happy with it. That's just it's never going to be.

54:15

So I just needed to get to get it out there. I just do. Yeah. So I know how it goes. Yeah. That's awesome. That's awesome.

54:20

Okay. So we we did you know what you're aspiring to but let's say 10 20 years from now

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54:22

you know what is what what do you look like? What is what is I know you don't think about hey what what does tomorrow bring but if you had to like guess if I

54:36

had to put you know say make force you to guess where you'll be and what you'll be doing that's so that's so tough it it really

54:44

is I um like thinking about the trajectory of my music career I uh while

54:50

I was in school in Oklahoma I was for a period of time gigging full-time and doing like

54:58

just the most random I I played with rock bands. I did a lot of background jazz gigs at restaurants.

55:05

Um just so many random random things. Um to where it was like I was performing once or twice a day, every day of the

55:13

week really.

55:14

And I definitely don't do that now. Now I probably perform once a week if that.

55:21

And that I like that balance a lot more cuz I I I don't think I ever really got burnt out. Um, but I did lose a little bit of the passion.

55:30

You weren't playing for yourself. I wasn't playing for myself. Exactly.

55:33

And now I definitely am playing for myself a lot more. Yeah.

55:37

Um, but given that trajectory 10 to 20 years from now, I would like to think that I am doing

55:45

higher profile performances, more quality. More quality less often. Yeah. Less quality.

55:51

Less, you know, a couple a month maybe or something like that. I mean, I love I absolutely love playing. Um, and there's

55:58

there definitely is going to be a point where like I want I want to be performing more cuz if I was only doing a huge show once a year, that's not

56:07

enough for me. I need to play with I need to make music with others.

56:10

So, now another title you have is executive coach cuz you're coaching me cuz like last year was I [laughter] I did too I was like like last year was my year where I was like I was everywhere.

56:19

I was doing talks and everybody's like, "Hey, do you want to come?" I'm like, "Yes." And I'd go everywhere [laughter] and applying everywhere. And then like this year I'm like, "Ah, that wasn't I

56:28

mean I was doing it and I felt like I mean there were people that it was resonating with, but it wasn't like that quality. So this year I'm like just

56:35

really focused on you know speaking to you know certain audiences that you know especially around this less than 1% but also you

56:42

know my day job healthcare right you know I really want I think I really can influence those who can influence healthcare.

56:51

Mh. I mean, there's so much going on in healthcare right now of physician burnout and all these things and I keep like everybody's super negative and I'm

56:98

like, guys, the the opportunity to help somebody is a blessing. Like, let's look at it like that. Yes.

57:06

I [snorts] I heard a I heard a comment, Jordan, this was great yesterday. So I was in Florida yesterday and um an executive from a

57:15

health system was giving this this talk and healthcare executives like I'm like okay I'm listening [laughter] and whatever but he actually said something

57:23

super profound and he said he was he had a weekend and his brother was his brother called him up and his brother is not a real formal guy and he's formal

57:30

and he had this whole weekend planned and the brother said hey I'm going to come this weekend. He's like what do you mean you're going to come this weekend?

57:36

I was like when are you going to come? I got stuff planned. He says I'll be there in in [clears throat] like two hours.

57:40

and and he lives far away. He flew in and then he was so he's kind of at first bummed out. He's like, "Oh, I had this thing planned." He was supposed to go to

57:48

a movie, go to dinner, and he's he's like, "I have to pick up my brother at the airport." And then he said on his way to the airport, he changed his mindset and

57:57

he said, "I get to pick up my brother at the airport." Oh, I love that. And that one word, one word changes everything because you

58:06

know like the opportunity to you know the opportunity to do things you know I mean you know like things aren't forever. Yeah.

58:13

And the fact that you get to get your brother is amazing or you get to play or you get to I love that you know help people.

58:20

I love that. Like I um there's I'm always like fighting anxiety. I feel like everybody is, but like I especially

58:27

like if I have a late night performance, which is just so common. I don't like staying up very late,

58:34

but if I have like a 1100 p.m. show or something, I'm always so anxious about it. I'm like, "Oh, I have to go play this gig. I'm just going to play this

58:42

gig." I get [snorts] there and I play it and it's always so much fun and it feel so fulfilling. And thinking about it specifically like that, it's like, I get

58:50

to go play saxophone tonight. I get to live my dream doing what I want to do.

58:56

That's the way to think about it. That is it's amazing. It's amazing. All right.

59:00

One last thing for the audience and I want you to tell them specifically. So, what's one I mean if anybody's out there they want to go into music or not or

59:09

they want to pursue their passion um whatever that could be? What would you what would you say to them?

59:15

I think the biggest thing for me is just doing what you love. Do

59:23

what you've always loved. Um I thinking about like my past, I

59:31

as I was coming up in saxophone, um or like before I even played the saxophone, I was telling you like Bruce Springsteen with Clarence Clemens was a big inspiration.

59:40

Lenny Picket with SNL was a big inspiration.

59:43

Um and somehow the Saturday the SNL guy, I mean that anyway I [laughter] No, no, you're good.

59:48

Like oh SNL guy, you know the SNL guy. The SNL guy. But it's uh when I started learning saxophone,

59:56

that's not the saxoponist that my teachers or professors looked to. So I started I I strayed away from that and

1:00:04

and focused on other stuff which I think is was very valuable for me like learning to play saxophone.

1:00:10

But it did get to a point where I felt like I was just trying to impress my musician colleagues and playing this

1:00:18

highle crazy avantgard John Col train stuff. Don't I love John Cold Train? I love John Col Train, [laughter] but there is a point where it's that it

1:00:26

wasn't quite it wasn't quite my cup of tea. Yeah.

1:00:29

Um and but I I put my self-worth into my ability to play that, although it wasn't what I wanted to play. Um, and then once

1:00:38

I started doing what I really wanted to do, which is playing in rock bands, playing pop music, doing this social

1:00:45

media thing, that's when I things turned around for me like big time. And I I was able to do music full-time in Austin.

1:00:54

Um, and yeah, just doing I think that's the most important thing is to do what you love. You're going to be happy. Um, or you you need to you need to be happy

1:01:02

in order to be successful. I I really think that's the biggest measure of success is happiness.

1:01:08

Not money or anything else, but just happiness.

1:01:11

Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. That's awesome. Well, thank you so much. I know. Thank you for your um I wanted to I actually found some footage.

1:01:19

Oh, let's go. Let's go. Let's go.

1:01:21

Moo. Remember we was talking about when he's you know, he's used to play the flute, but he buff so I was like I remember seeing some video on that.

1:01:30

Go ahead and put your headphones on it.

1:01:31

I kind of wanted to I need to see this. Are you about to put it on the screen?

1:01:35

I'm [laughter] about to put on the screen. I am super nervous right now. I'm ready for this.

1:01:41

I'm [snorts] super nervous. [laughter] The moment you said it, I was like, man, I think I've seen that somewhere before. Oh, no. Stand by.

1:01:48

Oh, I'm excited. I'm excited.

1:01:50

Oh. [laughter] Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. That was that was you right there. I had no idea you were [laughter] you were an Xactor.

1:01:59

What in the world? That that's uh that's that's uh that's fairly close. Uh actually that's good. That's good. [laughter] Was that pretty much it?

1:02:09

The good news about us is that there are only two people on this podcast cuz after that you it might be one.

1:02:15

[laughter]

1:02:15

Yeah, two might.

1:02:19

Yeah, that's that's pretty much how it looks. That's pretty much how

1:02:24

[laughter]

1:02:25

Awesome. Well, thank you so much.

1:02:27

appreciate your time and and uh thank you so much for coming.

1:02:31

Of course. Yeah. Thank you so much.

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