Exclusive Interview with JEFF EAGER

Jeff Eager’s talent is characterized by versatility. Eager is familiar with and skillfully combines all these genres, including soul, rock, funk, pop, and R&B.

‘Bonavista,’ Jeff Eager’s debut album, was independently released in 2016. Prior to the next record’s release in the summer of 2023, Jeff is currently releasing a number of singles.
In anticipation of the complete album, the fourth single, “The One,” has been made available. (Eager’s music can be heard alongside Prince, Earth Wind & Fire, Supertramp, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Allen Stone, and Harry Styles in a record collection without feeling out of place.)

The song “The One” is a tribute to Eager’s late high school music instructor, who died in 2019. Although the song is performed in a way that honors Eager’s teacher, the story is nonetheless tinted with regret. This song is simultaneously badass and uplifting thanks to the fat bass hook that supports the vintage funk groove and Jeff’s passionate and playful vocals that are surrounded by a large horn section. Check out the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

JEFF EAGER: The Start: An awkward, unathletic pre-teen in a suburban neighborhood in Calgary, Canada is in need of something to bring him confidence and identity. Turns out he is pretty good at music.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

JEFF EAGER: I do have a classical piano background, and studied bass in the high school jazz band. But with the guitar, I was self-taught, listening to the great players and bands from the 70s and 80s. This rock guitar / classical piano /jazz bass background gave me a very unique approach to music overall. As a singer, I developed slowly over time, watching and studying the best local Toronto vocalists and trying to figure out what they were doing to achieve their sound.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences? And is ‘JEFF EAGER’ your real name?

JEFF EAGER: The first albums I remember hearing around my mom and dad’s place was ABBA Voulez-Vous, Billy Joel’s Greatest Hits, The Beach Boys, and the Good Morning Vietnam soundtrack (which is all Motown and old rock). I discovered Michael Jackson on my own (the Bad era) and that changed everything for me! I was mesmerized. MJ has always stayed with me as a songwriting and arranging influence. When I became a teenager and took up guitar, Michael took a backseat to Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, The Stones, Eric Clapton and Queen. If you listen for it, you can find all of these influences in the music I create, if only slight.

And yes, “Eager” is my real last name. I do get asked that fairly often, which I find odd. If I were to come up with a stage name, I would have picked something better than “Eager.” But it’s unique and people remember it.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

JEFF EAGER: I wouldn’t want to dictate the elements that should resonate with listeners; I am happy to have an audience pull out the parts (lyrics or music) that excite them. I will say that I am a fan of juxtaposition, ‘bait-and-switch’, multiple layers of meaning … all these fun things that get people more engaged with the song and the album. Song titles that are misleading, lyrics that reference other songs, irony, hidden easter-eggs for listeners to find … I love all that!

Describe the sound? Vintage soulful pop/rock. It’s classic song-writing from the golden age of analog music that stretches from blue-eyed soul to yacht rock to funk.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style?

JEFF EAGER: I think a musician finds their true style and success at the intersection of “what they love” and “what they do well.”

There is so much music out there that you love, but you’re not good at all of it. In my youth, I wanted to be a singer like Steven Tyler or Robert Plant – wild, high-pitched, rock’n’roll sex appeal. And I pursued it, I tried very hard to sing like them and write like them. It wasn’t working. I wasn’t pulling it off. It took a some maturity and humility to realize that isn’t my strength, that isn’t my voice at all, nor is it my persona.

Then there’s all the music you can do really well, but if you don’t love it, that’s a long and empty marriage you’re going to have and I lot of fake smiling you’ll have to do. People have suggested all kinds of things to me over the years: “you’d be really good at country music” or “you should be more of a modern R&B/pop guy” or “acoustic singer-songwriter” … and while maybe I would be good at some those things, my heart is not there; that music doesn’t do it for me.

So finding the intersection of “what I love” and “what I do well” has been my launching pad for success in creating authentic art. Like a strand of DNA, everyone has a unique mix of influences out of which their style is created, something new. Do what you love and what you’re good at.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

JEFF EAGER:

At this point in my career, it’s entertainment and personal narrative wrapped in quality songwriting. While I am very interested in politics, the cultural and social climate, none of that makes it into my music. There is no shortage of opinions out there. You don’t need to hear my opinion on the issues of the day as well. Come to me for some fun; dance, rock-out, sing-a-long, air-guitar, smile.

If you want to dive deeper into the lyrics, then you will hear my personal story, it’s woven into my musical catalogue. The songs have a lot of introspection – the pursuit of God, of answers, being human, getting older, love, and struggles with self. It just might resonate with you and you may feel all the feelings. …… But I’m also happy if you come just for the fun.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
JEFF EAGER:

I’ve learned to not have expectations. I’ve replaced ‘expectations’ with ‘standards.’ I have a high standard for the things a create, the shows I put on, and everything I do. As long as I feel I am meeting that standard, then I am fulfilled, and the music is giving back to me as much as I am putting in. Everything else that comes is bonus.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

JEFF EAGER: The best ideas always come when I’m away from the studio, away from the instruments. My mind is free to dream up any melody, any hook, any groove. As soon as I pick up a guitar or put my hands on the keyboard, I’m now limited by what my fingers can do. So I start in the limitless space of my mind for those core ideas. I hum, sing, scat, beatbox, and describe ideas into voice notes on my phone. Then I go back to the studio and try and figure out in real musical language what the idea is; I begin putting the puzzle together.

9. What has been the biggest challenge in your music career so far?
JEFF EAGER: It’s never an easy thing when your art is also your business. Those two domains seem to be on opposite ends of a scale: do what satisfies your soul and build a solid income-generating business.

The biggest challenge for many musicians is the initial leap. It’s buying that one-way ticket to a big city and risking it all, pinching-pennies, hitting open-mics, busking, all to make a go at a career in the arts. Like most musicians, I did that.

But that was the second-biggest challenge I overcame. The true test was when I had a family. When my first daughter was born, then when the second came along, that’s when you are making the bigger decision: Do I continue doing this? Can I continue doing this? Is it realistic to be a successful musician, recording, gigging, touring, etc, while being a dedicated spouse and parent? Are these two lives compatible? That is the true test of “Am I serious about a music career?” Turns out I am. (… oh, and then a third daughter came along for us, too … and I’m still serious about the music!)

10. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

JEFF EAGER: I’ve always been a live player. My musical influences were the ones with the iconic live performances (again, MJ!). I like to work hard physically, sweat on stage, push my voice a bit, feel the adrenaline of a good show, and the come-down afterwards, the satisfying exhaustion of a job well-done. I am very proud of what I’ve created in the studio, but even when writing all the songs for this new album, I was crafting them to be songs that will feel amazing live.