Jeff BRODNAX

Jeff Brodnax
Written by Christopher "Alleyne" Rudder

Jeff Brodnax frequently claims that he is a musician. This is not true. He is an Artist that uses music as a medium to create emotional landscapes; simply put he is present and future raw musical talent.

Raw is right everytime i'm surrounded by his music, i hear and feel every string in his larynx. Smooth yet rough. Loud yet quite. What a voice. Lets continue with his bio...

A tenured lead singer Jeff Brodnax has been at the forefront of two energetic rock, reggae, R&B funk bands, 24-7 Spyz, and Egypt. This fact might lead one to conclude that Rock star swagger and showmanship are at the heart of this angel voiced composer. The actuality is, that at the heart of this native Virginian are brilliantly composed lyrics and acoustic soul rock melodies, which evoke and captivate the listener whom upon hearing the passion soaked harmonies is hooked.

The evolution of Jeff Brodnax from Lead singer to solo artist lead him to New York City where his stage prowess was tested daily as a subway musician culminating in the self released CD JEFF BRODNAX: ACOUSTIC EP. A chance meeting with Jazz musician Jonathan Crocco whose residence in France lead to Jeffs forthcoming independent label release FORCING ME TO BEND. The 10-song album was recorded at ArtsSonor Studios in Paris and consists of rhythmical euphonic measure alongside poetic lyrics that harken Thom Yorke and Jeff Buckley. These influences lend to the nuance of rich dreamy vocals over mellow funky music. Jeff Brodnax now resides in a Brooklyn brownstone where with his soulful lush voice creates musical vistas.

Alleyne: With me right now is Mr. Brodnax...Jeff, how are you man?

Jeff: wonderful,how are you?

Alleyne: I wanna thank you for taking time out of your schedule to talk with me and to PulpMag

Jeff: no, thank you for giving me this opportunity.

Alleyne:...iiight lets do this!!! Aside from music and what is written in your bio, tell us something about you that your fans don’t know.

Jeff: i am a pretty good cook and i dig AC/DC

Alleyne: As an artist, the musical journey is a long (trust me I know) and can not be done by oneself. Who are some of the people in your life who have supported you and continue to support you through you musical career.

Jeff: most certainly my sister who is my #1 fan also the rest of my family my dad, mom and brothers

Alleyne: So...At what point in your life did you know you wanted to pursue a musical career and realize that you had what it takes to succeed in the messed up industry.

Jeff: it was at the age of nine when i saw this guy playing a big sparkle red drum kit.he let me jump on and play after that i was hooked for life.
as far as realizing if i had what it takes there was no choice my heart was just kinda clearing the path for me so the industry could never get in my way.

Alleyne: What experience do you value more and in turn get more personal satisfaction from as an artist: The creative process of making a song from the thoughts, inspirations and and feelings to the writing, producing and/or recording of that song OR performing the the finished track at one of your live shows and feeling/seeing the crowds positive reaction and love for your musical genius.

Jeff: the live performance is the greatest for me cause it is a feeling of freedom.sure there are rules but you get to twist them up a little when performing live.the process of writing and recording are also wonderful,it's like growing a plant and watching it grow but in this case music.you start to add all these melodies and experiment with sounds and it turns into this amazing synchronized piece of art.

Alleyne: Who are the musical legends that influenced you growing up, and/or affected your musical career and who are the unsigned artists you respect and love

Jeff: one band that really changed my outlook on music was the bad brains along with sly stone,nina simone, queen and of course led zep.as far as unsigned artist i am down with great song writers so i guess it would be kirsten gray,chris elliott and boo cousins.

Alleyne: Aside from me (hahaha) who are some indy musicians you would love to have the opportunity to collaborate and work with.

Jeff: wow! i like this one........that would be zero 7,blonde red head or tim reynolds

Alleyne: Talk about the musical environment that you consciously chose to immerse yourself in that helped foster the development of your fundamental musical skills such as the self-examination of your strengths and individuality, creating improvisational music, and writing/performance techniques; shaping your musical competence and helping you discover your unique voice that your fans are blessed with in your musical creations.

Jeff: well growing up as a southern black kid i had alot of soul and r&b in my household.then it went on to older sister listening to all the 70's funk music.by the age of 13 or 14 i got turned out by so many melodic rock bands and jazz music so as far as immersing myself in a musical enviroment it was so many types of music.i think the music and company i kept was all about being original and being true to the music so i always try my best to be unique..........a leader not a follower.

Alleyne: With the emergence of Online Independent Music Labels such as iTunes that can market/promote music primarily through the internet medium via the assistance of the burgeoning online communication networks such as myspace.com, do you think that the major record labels in the world will eventually cease to be the gatekeepers to musicians seeking lucrative sales and worldwide acclaim.

Jeff: for starters i think that this subject is about were do you want to be as a musician.so for me the whole internet things is a wonderful thing because if i am willing to work hard i can sell records.maybe not get filthy rich but be happy and happiness is what man needs to live life to the fullest.and yes i think that the major labels are running scared right now being that so many artist don't need them to succeed these day's.if you do your research you will find many artist that sold large amounts of records before signing with majors and got to call all the shots once they signed.

Alleyne: Nurture VS Nature...Do you think music talent, song writing, music producing, playing intruments, performng etc...is something that is learned or something that comes naturally

Jeff:i think it goes both ways,some of us just get it right away and some it takes awhile but it will come and come strong.if you look throughout history there some great musicians that never thought about music but after alot of pain and suffering created amazing work.some artist are not faced with there potential for long periods of time.also it's art so you makes the decision on talented or not talented?

Alleyne: Where do you get your inspiration to write your songs

Jeff: i would say the world around me.relationships,and everyday stories of my life or other peoples in short drama.so many people say they don't want drama but most of the time it can make a hell of a song.

Alleyne: How do you feel about the Indy Music scene in your neck of the woods

Jeff: first of all i think that indy is just a label. to me led zeppelin is indy they just happen to get really large and start playing the garden (ha ha).anyway the indy (music) scene in my town is great i am swimming in alot of great talent. almost everyday i am hearing some real amazing music but then again i always keep my ears and eyes open for good art.

Alleyne: P2P File Sharing. Do you think that with modern technology enabling us to share music is a heaven sent for indie artists or total hell for big record labels who lose millions due to illegal downloading of files.
Jeff: like i said before it is a question of if you want to be happy or greedy.also big labels spend millions on limos and fancy videos. i think we gotta trim the fat a little to make some sense out of this.

Alleyne: How do you define musical success? Is it a personal feeling of achievement based on goals you set out for your self? or is it “money in the bank” international stardom, fame & glory

Jeff: i think as humans we have the wrong definition of success over all.it has so many meanings,if you have a goal no matter what it is and you make it to point b of that goal it can be considered success.so i would say that i am sure it is not fame and glory i think it is all about yourself.
Alleyne: I’m gonna say a few words...tell me the first thing that comes to mind...lets start with you Jeff

Jeff: focused

Alleyne: Change

Jeff: great

Alleyne: Journey

Jeff: life

Alleyne: Destination

Jeff: happiness

Alleyne: Life

Jeff: a blessing

Alleyne: Favorite word

Jeff: peace

Alleyne: Least favorite word

Jeff: racism

Alleyne: Favorite word to cuss with

Jeff: holy shit!

Alleyne: Your favorite body part

Jeff: that's gotta be the rear end

Alleyne: Do you have sex or “make love”

Jeff: that depends on the mood i am in

Alleyne: If I stole your iPod or MP3 player...aside from my songs and all of PulpMag’s podcasts what else would i find.

Jeff: kingx, nina simone, bad brians,led zep

Alleyne: For all of our readers who will hear some of your songs, read the interview, and become instant fans; tell them where they can learn more about you, your music and your production. Tell everyone your website addresses?

Jeff: www.myspace.com/mellowdman66 or www.jeffbrodnax.com

Alleyne: Do you have any upcoming projects, events or albums coming up that you wanna give the readers and your fans the “heads up” about

Jeff: i will definitely be doing some touring in france at the beginning of 2008.got some cool stuff up in the air but not comfirmed so don't wanna get any hopes up right now.

Alleyne: Cool, on behalf of the PulpMag Familia I wanna personally thank you for taking the time out to chit-chat with me. Keep on pushing and we will work together again!!!

Jeff: no problem i am honored

Alleyne: Thanks, check Jeff out playing live at the Opus in Paris on the new PulpFiktion Video Podcast and below is Jef playing "Seems As Though" - Christopher "Alleyne" Rudder