Meet Jonathan Stoye

We were lucky to catch up with Jonathan Stoye recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jonathan, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?

I moved to Nashville, TN from Northern Michigan in the spring of 2009 and was lucky enough to find work with a handful of different bands and artists almost right off the bat. Over the years, bands would come and go, as bands tend to do. I landed a dream opportunity of mine to tour full time with an already established rock band named Framing Hanley from 2013 until the band broke up in 2015. I took this breakup particularly hard, as I did not want my newfound journey to end. 

My dream job was now dust in the wind, and I was left to start over from scratch. I started writing and performing music as a solo artist, but this was a far cry from the full-time career in music that I was so desperate for. With few opportunities within the music industry, I accepted a position in an office job for the first time in my life. 

It was a tough pill for me to swallow. Leaving a full-time touring gig for a desk job was the last thing I wanted at the time, but it certainly proved to be what I needed in life. 

I worked various positions ranging from a warehouse team member all the way to sales and customer service for a company named Headsets.com for about 7 years. The company had very high standards for their team, and our CEO, Mike Faith, was passionate about being the best we could be. Over my time with the company, I learned a lot about organization, communication, drive, and setting good goals—all skills that I did not possess prior to the job. 

I also learned that this type of office work was not for me. I decided to leave the company and apply what I had learned from the job to the pursuit of a full-time career in music. 

After having my heart broken by the breakup of several different bands and musical opportunities over the years, I decided I was going to bet on myself for once. I moved back to Michigan in the spring of 2022 and was able to quickly fill up my calendar as a full-time solo musician, all thanks to the work ethic I had learned from my time at the job I didn’t know I needed. 

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am a full-time musician who lives in Northern Michigan. I spent over 13 years living in Nashville as a touring musician, where I was lucky enough to find a handful of wonderful opportunities. I’ve played anywhere from the diviest of dive bars with no one there to the Ryman Auditorium. I’ve been fortunate enough to tour all of the world with some extremely talented musicians, for which I am extremely grateful. 

I am currently a guitar player for Framing Hanley and the bassist for The Infamous HER, both of which are based out of Nashville. Both bands are still actively touring and releasing music, which can be found on all streaming services. 

And most recently, I am a full-time singer/songwriter, with the majority of my solo dates located around the state of Michigan. I’ve been able to make a living playing cover sets for various different venues, with the occasional set focusing on original material as well. 

I released my first solo album, Our Wooden Bed, in 2021, followed by a number of singles in 2023–24 that are from my upcoming solo album.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

1) You have to have drive and be willing to put in the work for what you want. If you aren’t willing to put in the work for yourself, why would anyone else want to take a chance on you? Showing up and showing up every day is so important. Your dreams are not going to come true if you sit by waiting for them to happen.

2) Patience is not only a virtue, it’s essential. Most overnight success stories did not happen overnight. It takes a lot of time and patience to develop the skills necessary to make a dream come true. Stay patient and keep your eyes on the prize.

3) Learn and grow from failure. Failing and falling short of goals is going to happen in your journey. It is easy to let failure bring you down and discourage you, but it can be one of the best tools in the toolbox. Use each failure as a valuable lesson to be learned.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

The most impactful thing my parents have done for me and continue to do is give me unwavering support. They’ve always been my biggest cheerleaders and have stood by my side through the highs and lows of my journey.

They drove me to band practice and my first gigs as a young teenager.

Immediately after I graduated high school I moved to Southern California to become a famous rock star instead of pursuing more school. They supported me in my move and more importantly, they supported me when I failed and moved home several months later.

They encouraged me as I left home yet again to find a career in music in Nashville, paid my rent when was too broke to afford the dollar menu, and they were by my side when I had some of the biggest moments of my career.

When I wanted to quit, they wouldn’t let me. And when I succeeded, they cheered the loudest.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

The full band images were taken by Erick Anderson, the solo promo shots were taken by Chelsea Whitaker, and the live shot was taken by Heidi Driesenga.

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