Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jeff Greenleaf. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Jeff, so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
“The creative process is a process of surrender, not control.” -Bruce Lee
The idea of surrendering to art has helped me greatly as a creative. It means a couple things to me. The first would be the art of surrendering, which often means letting go of conscious, rational, controlled thoughts and inviting the subconscious mind. The second would be surrendering myself to the idea that I’m an artist, therefore I must create art every day. Both are equally important and I’m certain I wouldn’t have gotten far without practicing them as a songwriter and composer. When I begin writing music, I start with a stream-of-consciousness exercise. It typically involves an intriguing chord progression, followed by humming or singing melodies with “nonsense lyrics.” These are lyrics that don’t particularly make sense. They can be syllables, random words, or phrases. Even though the lyrics aren’t quite usable, the song begins to take shape. The melody begins to present itself and often, a few of the lyrics end up working. This is usually when I start recording voice memos of the ideas. Next, I pull up a long list of unused lyric ideas. It ranges from song titles, rhymes, to unfinished songs. I continue the stream of consciousness activity, but with more attention to the lyrics. This is where creating art every day becomes so important. In my case, I write lyrics every day. Whenever I hear somebody say an interesting phrase, I immediately think of its musical value. The way they said it; the musicality of it. Because I have so many unused lyrics, I always have song ideas when I sit down with a guitar. I like the idea of surrendering myself to both art and the artist life. It keeps me dreaming, reaching, and surprising myself.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
“Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time.” -Jean-Michel Basquiat
I’m a performing Singer-Songwriter with a background of composing music for TV shows. I’ve written production music for over 400 television series since 2008, when I signed my first music publishing deal. I found that I was able to write and record emotional music in all styles that would sit well underneath dialogue. The music acted as its own character and truly brought to life each scene. For nearly 15 years, I was able to stay hyper-focused on writing, recording, and pitching music to TV, film, and advertising. Shortly after the pandemic, I started soul searching (like so many of us) and I realized that performing live could be the missing link. I started attending Open Mic events all over LA and, through trial and error, began to develop myself as a performing artist. I started performing in Songwriter Showcase events in the summer of 2022. Currently I’m performing all over Los Angeles somewhat regularly and will be opening for hit 80s band The Motels (“Only the Lonely” & “Suddenly Last Summer”) on February 16th at The Whisky a Go-Go. I also host a monthly Songwriter Showcase at UnUrban Coffee in Santa Monica. The UnUrban is a wonderful bohemian-style coffee house that has been in business since 1995. They also have a fantastic Open Mic every Friday at 7pm. I’m excited to be a small part of the music community and encourage songwriters of all levels to come and perform.
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?
“Music is probably the one real magic I have encountered in my life. There’s not some trick involved with it. It’s pure and it’s real. It moves, it heals, it communicates and does all these incredible things.” -Tom Petty
Something that has been impactful in my journey is my interest in music history. I’ve studied both the history of Rock & Roll and World music. In college (UCSB) I had an interest in Ethnomusicology (the study of music in its social and cultural contexts). As far as popular music goes, I continue my studies through listening to the greats (Tom Petty, Elvis Costello, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles, Steely Dan, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, among others). I recently had the good fortune of meeting one of these artists and we casually talked about music. The possibility of meeting one of your favorite artists at the beach makes Los Angeles the best city in the world. Another thing that made a big difference in my career is perseverance. Quite simply, I never gave up. I knew that I wanted to succeed and never stopped moving forward. I learned to deal with rejection and used critiques to make my songs more bulletproof. I also like to imagine myself performing new songs to my music heroes (many of which I listed above). What would their feedback be? Would they get excited about the lyrics, the melody, the hook? If the answer is “no,” I will usually rewrite (somewhat relentlessly) until it sounds like something they would absolutely enjoy. Another quality that has made a difference is my level of professionalism. Every opportunity to perform live is taken as seriously as pitching music to a hit TV show. To me, that means attentive communication with the client followed by a quick turnaround. I aim to deliver quality finished work in the shortest period of time. That could mean contracts, promotional artwork, music/video files, etc. It’s the only way to be competitive in the music business. At the very least, it will set you apart from others and get your music in front of people who need it (before the rest).
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
“For people who write songs, it’s a gift you’re given. You become good at the craft, but you’re given the gift.” -Chris Martin
My parents are very interested in the arts and encouraged my sisters and I to play music at an early age. They are music lovers and it has always shown; in their relationship to each other and their children. Without their direction, encouragement, and support I would have been a different person altogether. I feel grateful they shared their love of music with me (as my grandparents did). Music truly is a gift and it’s true magic.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.jeffgreenleaf.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffgreenleafmusic
Image Credits
Mathias Fau Photography, Kingston
