We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jeff Faulkner a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Jeff, 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?
My work ethic probably comes from my parents instilling in me, the concept that nothing comes to you easily. And that you have to work hard to achieve any goal.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’m a professional musician, and have been making most or all of my living playing for the last 20 years. The most special thing about it is how it can lift people’s spirits, and make them forget about their problems for a few hours. I perform in 6 different projects currently Vote for Pedro (Dance, Pop), Velvet Goldmine (70s Glam Rock), 2 Pedros (Acoustic Duo), Mr Blue Sky (ELO Tribute), A Sky Full of Stars (Coldplay Tribute), and Solo Acoustic. I perform 5-6 times a week
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. Recording School (Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
2. Learning Music Theory
3. Taking Music Business Classes
Best advice to those wanting to get into music would definitely be to do all 3 things above. Also to surround yourself with musicians that are better than you, and absorb as much as you can from them. And lastly, to be professional, be on time, and be pleasant to be around
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
The person most helpful has probably been my music teacher I studied with around the age of 30. Up until then, I really had no structural music training. He expanded my knowledge on music theory, helped me to understand some of the things I was already doing, but couldn’t define, and made me see music in a whole different way
Contact Info:
- Website: www.mrblueskymusic.com
- Instagram: A_sky_full_of_stars_stl
