The Spotlight

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Over the last few years Atlanta has established a music scene that is well respected and highly regarded as a city that offers fresh new faces to the industry. Major artists like Outkast, India Arie, T.L.C., Ludacris and Van Hunt have all cut their teeth in Atlanta on the way to major status. However, Atlanta also has a very promising independent music scene. On any given day you can go to a local hot spot for music and check out the new sounds coming out of the city.

There’s one band in particularly that caught my ear with their unique jazz/rock sound and I just can’t get enough of them. Their debut cd “Turning Point” was released September 2005 and the music is undeniable with unforgettable lyrics. was founded by Wright, the bands music producer and guitarist and Leachman, the vocalist who writes those unforgettable lyrics. Backed by a solid rhythm section, features Brandon Gilliard on Bass and James Barrett on Drums.

I spoke with and about their music journey and how living in Atlanta has helped to shape and mold their careers.

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How did come into being?

: and I met on Crea’s gig that’s out of Los Angeles. Her producer put together a band made up of Atlanta musicians and we met in rehearsals. is an Alto but they had her singing soprano and her voice stood out. I told her I was putting together a catalog trying to sale some music tracks as a producer and we decided to get together. We worked on some songs and I said, no, we got to keep that, I can’t sale that one.

: You Move Me; was the first song we collaborated on and it was hot. asked me if I wanted to start a band up and I said yeah! I was looking for a place where I could totally be myself and write the way that I write and our writing compliments one another so good.

Describe the sound

: We’ve coined the name Jazz-n-Roll to describe what we do. It’s interesting, people are always pushing you to define what you do and categorize it. If you do music that crosses all kinds of genres it’s pretty hard to narrow down what you do. actually came up with Jazz-n-Roll.

: Basically we take a jazz approach to Rock-n-Roll.

Atlanta is considered a major city for music and so many people are moving to the ATL looking for that big break. How do you feel Atlanta has helped your music career or maybe even hindered it?

: I think it’s definitely helped us in more ways then it’s hurt us. For the simple fact that it’s a growing town and anything that you get in good on when it’s on the way up you should have some strong staying power once you get there. It’s not as big as Los Angeles and New York yet but if we can get hot now I think we’ll be straight.

: Atlanta has such a diverse audience. You can go in different parts of the city, midtown, buckhead, downtown or even further away from metro Atlanta and find your niche. At first we didn’t know that existed because a lot of folks when they hear music coming out of Atlanta think Hip-Hop, Neo-Soul or whatever they call Soul. There’s also a lot of rock music not necessarily hard heavy metal rock, kinda like soft rock music and then your trying to find your place in all of that and wondering if there’s an audience out there for you. It’s amazing when you go to different places, they’ll be about 10 or 15 people who really dig and understand what you do. You draw them to the next place that you do and they come. It could be a wine bar, steak house, The 5 Spot or Apache. It’s such a diverse city and that has played in our favor.

: From a logical stand point or economic stand point. Atlanta is a lot cheaper to live in or it’s a lot easier to afford to be able to live here and be an artist than it would be in New York and Los Angeles.

I believe we are all influenced by the things we see and hear. Who are you listening to on your I-POD?

: I ain’t got no I-Pod.

: Well, your cd changer, radio, or whatever you got.

You got somethin (lol).

: We ain’t got no I-Pod man. No, I’m listening to Elise Regina. She’s a Brazilian Artist. She passed in the 80’s and was considered to be the Brazilian jazz artist. She was like what Ella Fitzgerald is to American Jazz.

: Right now I’m listening to the Yellow Jackets.

I notice that you all have been playing quite a bit in and around the city. Do you work full-time traditional jobs?

: hasn’t worked a traditional job in 10 years and in May 2007; I gladly walked off my job.

Do you think it’s important to position yourself to do music full-time and not work a traditional job?

: I think it’s very important. Working a traditional job takes you off your game plan and you’re not in the mind set to practice, you’re not as creative as you could be because you’re just not focused. You’ve got too many distractions. I just got tired of saying to myself; yeah I can’t wait until I’m able to really do what I want to do in life. Well, when will that be? We’re getting older every year and it’s time to start living and start doing what you’re going to do in your career.

: Yes, it’s definitely a distraction, but it also makes you lack because you’ve got this support net. I know I’ve got this job and decent money or whatever, but if you let that go you’ve gotta go out there and hustle. You gotta make it happen and you can’t be lazy.

How did you go about transitioning into pursuing music full-time?

: It all depends on how bad you want it and how consistent you are in your career. Things just seem to fall out of the sky. But really that’s just the laws of attraction. Whatever you think about, whatever you will into your life that’s what’s going to happen.

: We’ve been on the secret tip lately. Do you know about the secret?

: No, tell me about the secret. Are you talking about the movie?

: Well it is a movie but it’s also a cd.

: The secret is to ask for what you want and believe that you already have it and it will come to you. As soon as we started selectively believing, okay we can do this full time we don’t need a back up, the phone just start ringing.

: That’s all you have to do is ask for it?

and : That’s it!!

Is there a new album on the way?

: We are still living off of “Turning Point”.

: It’s in the works. We are about 2 or 3 songs deep into our new album.

What are your dreams for ?

: Europe!! To be on tour in Europe year around, when we get tired come home and go to sleep for a month and go back and do it again. It doesn’t have to be Europe; it could be Japan, Africa or all of the above. We just want to play for a more consistent listening audience. We have a nice listening audience here and there but we hear through the grapevine that they appreciate more American music than Americans do.

: I’ll give you a prime example. We performed at the Grand Hyatt and there was a couple from South America. We could hardly finish any songs before they start clapping. They were so appreciative, they were buying us drinks and they didn’t even speak English. But then there were some Americans there that we can’t knock. They were from Texas and Atlanta too, but it just always seems that foreigners are much more into the music than Americans.

What’s on the Horizon for ?

: People can check us out at Sweet Low Down every Friday.

: It’s on Peachtree, South of 10th Street.

: The first and third Saturday we’re at the Grand Hyatt as an acoustic Duo. Sweet Low Down is the full band. We also do private gigs all around and we got a feature video for You Move Me on BET Jazz Soul Sessions.

Is there anything you’d like to share that we have not discussed?

: I’d just like to leave it on. Whatever you think you want to do in life you can do it, if you believe you can do it.

: I feel the same. Basically just follow your passion. Follow your dreams, as cliché as that may sound.

Interviewed by

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Additional Information:

recently participated in a radio campaign with CMJ and placed #4. You can visit their official website at www.daysaheadmusic.com Their video “You Move Me” can be viewed at www.youtube.com and don’t forget to hit them up on Myspace at myspace.com/daysaheadmusic.

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