We recently connected with Jeff Gavin and have shared our conversation below.

Jeff, appreciate you joining us today. Have you been able to earn a full-time living from your creative work? If so, can you walk us through your journey and how you made it happen? Was it like that from day one? If not, what were some of the major steps and milestones and do you think you could have sped up the process somehow knowing what you know now?

Hi there!

Well first, thank you so much for having me for another interview. I love your publication & all the efforts made to expose artists & entrepreneurs on a local level. I love this question because I feel at this point in my life I can finally say that yes, I make all of my money entirely in the music field, which has essentially been my goal since child hood. I would not say the journey has been easy by any stretch of the imagination, & to this day is a constant grind to keep the dream alive.

My journey to this point began long ago, long before I even thought about working professionally as a musician. You may remember from my last interview that I heavily credit my parents for getting me involved in music at a very young age. I suppose they saw a pre-disposition quite early on & fostered my natural ability from early child hood. I was involved in as many musical activities as possible my entire life, & I believe if it weren’t for that early action I wouldn’t be in the creative or professional place that I am today.

I was lucky, in that my musical instructors growing up were not just incredible musicians but also incredible mentors & professionals in the field. It’s important to not only be taught, but to be guided as a child & through middle school & high-school. One sentence from someone that you look up to can effect your entire trajectory going forward. So I was always very lucky in that way.

There were many milestones along the way that solidified my desires and eventual transition into professional life. The first being getting into Berklee College of Music after my Senior year of high-school. I think that was the first moment that I thought to myself that I just might be good enough to make it. I was absolutely on fire for music, however, things don’t always go as planned. I won’t go into all the details here, but the road is not direct for everyone.

Due to a certain sequence of events it was decided that perhaps College nor Boston was the right place for me to be at that current time. I took a long break. During this approximately 6 year break from doing anything entirely too productive I experienced some of the best, & some of the worst times of my life. I experienced some of the terrors of the music industry, but also made some of the best friends of my life during this time period. Like I said, not everyone’s path is direct, & mine certainly wasn’t.

In fact, I had no plan whatsoever on how to get my life back on track. It wasn’t until I made the move to Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2014 that things began to make sense again for me. I had resumed my studies at a contemporary music school down town, and very shortly after began gigging professionally with a local group during my Sophomore year. This was my first taste of being a professional musician & I wanted more.

After College I was continuing to gig professionally in the cities, but wanted a new experience. This led me to working on cruise ships for a couple of years. This allowed me to explore new genres previously untouched, see the world, & network & meet so many amazing performers and entrepreneurs from everywhere. However all that came to a close when COVID-19 hit.

Once again I was at a loss of what to do. Cruise ships were shut down, & so was performing in it’s entirety anywhere on land. I had no choice but to move back to the twin cities & figure out my new move. One day while in line for lunch I saw a sign regarding hiring of teachers for a local music school. With performing shut down I applied, was hired, & began my stint at a teaching career, something I am still doing to this day in a much smaller capacity.

However as performing slowly began to open up again I knew that I had to be thinking of what was next. This led me to putting together my own band, the “Jeff Gavin Band.” I wanted to strike while the re-opening iron was hot, & I put together a 4 piece group that has now blossomed into quite the local party band. We are gradually gaining notoriety & booking larger events. I also continue to sing with the professional group that I began singing with in College, Minnesota music hall of fame funk group, “Free & Easy Band”

Things were going well, but I wanted more. That’s when the opportunity of a lifetime nearly landed in my lap. This past Fall I was recommended to audition for an established vocal band by the name of “Six Appeal” as they were in search of a new bass. I jumped on the opportunity, and after a nation-wide audition, I was hired. This group tours not only nationwide but also internationally & it has been an absolute adventure so far. I sang in an acappella group in college, but never thought that I would be doing it professionally. Once again, get involved in as many activities as you can, you never know when your experience might benefit you in the most amazing way.

On top of all this, I do have a solo career as well. I have a new album that is releasing this summer called “Magic” & the first single “Addicted” is out now on all streaming services. So between all of these things, I am able to absolutely say that yes. I have made a career in music. Would I have gone about it a different way in my late teens & early 20’s? Absolutely. But I am so proud of where I have ended up.

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.

For those that don’t know me, my name is Jeff Gavin. I am a singer, performer, songwriter, & creative director. From as early as I could talk I knew that this was the path that I wanted to take. As previously mentioned I was involved in as many musical activities & classes as I possibly could be growing up, all the way from pre-school through high-school. I also made sure to seek out all kinds of different types of music & immerse myself in as many different styles & cultures of music as I possibly could.

In my career I’ve had to do all kinds of things, & would consider myself quite well rounded. I’ve become a dynamic band leader and creative direct my own shows & art work. I am my own promotional machine, & I also write all of my own music. I write for others & have also provided voice over work. I think what makes me stand apart from other artists is my attention to detail. Nothing is ever good enough, & I will obsess over the smallest thing to make whatever I’m working on perfect. I also have a really creative way of putting together shows which I believe provides a unique experience for my audience. I’m highly adaptable, flexible & also a quick leaner. All these skills are paramount to being a successful professional musician.

I’m most proud that I was able to get to the point where I am now from where I was. I was unfocused & also delusional when it came to my career. I wanted the reward without the work. I came to the realization that doesn’t happen, & that you have to put in the work if you want to see results. It’s better to learn that lesson sooner than later!

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I love this question because while I am working professionally, I am still not entirely where I want to be careers wise, nor have I accomplished a fraction of what I plan on doing! Every day I’m inspired, whether it be by peers or strangers, to continue to push to achieve my ultimate goals. Like I said earlier on, I have an album coming out this summer, I think that what excites me the most about that is that people will get to see a new side of me, a super authentic & raw side that I haven’t really shown before in my writing. So that’s another goal, to get people to know Jeff Gavin as the artist, not Jeff Gavin the singer in a variety of bands. I still want to win those awards, I still have a lot to do.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I think one of the most important lessons that I’ve had to learn over my career is that you just can’t trust everybody. I’m one of those people that likes to assume everybody has good intentions. Unfortunately that’s just not the case. Not everybody has your best interest at heart. In fact, in the music industry, the only interests most care about are their own. It’s important to stay guarded, & also to know your music business. Another lesson I’m learning is that not everybody is going to like your music, not your friends, not your family, & that is totally ok. Find your audience & once you do it will all make sense.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @JeffGavinMusic
• Facebook: @JeffGavinMusic
• Twitter: @JeffGavinMusic

Image Credits
Brent Rice Janet Eckles