We were lucky to catch up with Jeremy Piering recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeremy, thanks for joining us today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?

We all do both! We are professional musicians and we all have full time jobs, Gotta have health insurance! We pursued music full time for a few years, and successfully! We were able to feed our families by gigging and touring and playing ALOT. Over the years as shows slow down and speed up and slow down again, we all went back to work and we successfully juggle both. But we still play regularly and have alot of fun.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

The Effinays have been a prominent Funk/Rock/Reggae/World band in North Texas (From Dallas) since 2007. We like to bring a party to the crowd. We make mainly high powered feel good songs and some with messages that appeal to everyone big and small, green or blue. We are a multi-genre band and have played with a lot of great artists and Grammy winners over the years; Snoop Dog, WAR!, Ozomatli, Grupo Fantasma, Rebirth Brass Band, Arrested Development, and several more, not to mention all the AMAZING DFW Musicians we’ve had the pleasure of sharing stages with. We’ve won several awards, and we are proud of them all but we are most proud of our Dallas Observer awards and nominations from right here at home. We love DFW and are proud to call it home.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

Well, there are many, actually. First off, Its super fun. There is no high like playing a live show to a packed house. We feed off the energy of the crowds and their faces and its never not completely awesome. Travelling is always fun. When people come and tell you stories of how one of your songs changed something in their life for the better it is the most rewarding. We have made so many friends at shows and that’s something we cherish. Also, creating music from your heart and having people enjoy is the ultimate end reward. Money is nice but it’s not our end game; we enjoy creating music for people more than anything.

: Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

We like to play almost anywhere and everywhere. We have gotten countless opportunities from shows that leads to awesome things happening. We were playing a show at SXSW once and looked down and saw George Clinton getting down to our set and got to know him afterwards. We have played tiny little shows that have lead to residencies, resorts, and some of the best gigs around. Always be kind, optimistic and available. It can take you everywhere!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: www.instagram.com/theeffinays
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/theffinaysband
• Youtube: The Effinays

Image Credits
Joe Martinez, Julian Ayacannoo