Jeff Iftekaruddin
I got a guitar when I was 17 and I haven't looked back ever since. With each song I am trying to get closer to my truth and trying to tell you exactly what I see and what I hear in my head. Mostly I just want to let you know that you are not alone on your path.
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
The first time I walked into a recording studio I was 8 years old and I fell in love with the smell of electronics, 2" tape, microphones and acoustic foam. It felt like a magical place and that within the walls you could create something that could make magic. I treasured my box of 45s that had all my favorite singles. For as long as I can remember I've been obsessed with melody, counter melody and musical scales ascending and descending with story telling lyrics leading the way. I didn't start recording seriously until I was 22. I recorded non-stop to a Tascam 414 4-track in a basement for three years. From there I graduated to a home studio and spent a year recording my first album, mostly of songs written in the studio. I then re-recorded those songs and spent every last cent I had doing so. I then moved to New York and began to play anywhere I could, for anyone. Sometimes I would jam on the street and play for passers by. I would record every chance I got but my main goal was to get my songwriting into full gear. My latest album "Permission to Fly" is a result of a 9 year process of writing, re-writing and re-building each song until I was satisfied. I got to meet some of the most incredible musicians I've ever met in my life and they were kind enough to help me build the foundation for my songs. I am hungrier than ever to keep writing and to keep telling what feels like a long story.
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
Playing live is one of the most exciting things to do, especially when it's a new song that you've never played before. I find that when I play live I always go off script and never know what I will be singing or where I will take the song.
Your musical influences
Big Wreck, Thornley, Ian Thornley, Duncan Sheik, Jeff Buckley, John Lennon, Vivaldi, Soda Stereo (I first wrote this list in 2004 and nothing has changed in 15 years). I would add The Night Game and Andy Grammer.
What equipment do you use?
Logic X is my jam and up until it broke I was using a presonus interface. My main guitars are a Epi Masterbilt and an Epi Es-175. I record through an ATH 4040 and Sennheiser handhelds when I'm in the mood. "Tattooed" for example was recorded in one vocal take on a Saturday morning. That's why you'll hear a motorcycle ripping by on Santa Monica Blvd.
Anything else?
The songs are my best attempt to bring you into my world and show you how I feel things.
