Conversations with Jordy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordy.

Jordy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Punk music did it.

I grew up in a town of 4,000 people in upstate New York called Herkimer, working on farms and shit. I was close enough to be in NYC often but spent most of my time in town or in Utica. I’d focus on music quite a bit, you’d never catch me without one of those dumpy mp3 players and gummy headphones. Walmart had the hookup for $4 at the time.

I was in an accident when I was at the peak of my skateboarding, and suddenly, boom, I couldn’t really leave my house. So much for my plans on being the next Chad Muska. I took this time to become obsessed with a guitar that a family friend passed off to me. Cut to now, I used that guitar on stage at When We Were Young, playing to a crowd almost 4x larger than the population of my hometown. Shit’s crazy.

I was in a punk band with some friends that was pretty regularly on shows in the 315, named Atticus Finch. I’m dating myself, but we were big in the tail end of the Myspace days. The golden age of Do It Yourself. We’d play DIY shows at random park pavilions and school cafeterias before we moved onto actual stages. A local legend, Annie Tunnicliffe would throw us on almost every show she would put on. She’s now out in LA too, crushing it, doing it like she used to but on a national scale.

At the time, my Pops ran a DJ business on the side, so he had a board and speakers I would steal without him knowing. I’d put on hardcore shows with other bands, even playing in a building that was condemned due to imminent collapse. Being in this kind of scene, I was around a lot of rougher types and got in with some less than favorable people, needless to say this led me to be straight edge pretty early on. No drugs, no drinking, no smoking. What would drive someone to make that decision so early on? The arrogance of the city and the ignorance of the country.

I always needed something more, ya know? Best shows weren’t good enough. My playing needed to be better. I needed better gear. These people don’t want to take music seriously, etc. List goes on. I felt trapped and kept trying. The never-ending push towards something more, never reaching perfection.

I spent some time in NYC, living in the Heights and Harlem for a while. I did college for a minute, tried jazz school, but had so many issues with money coming from humble beginnings that I just couldn’t afford to stay there. Trust, grow up working class, you get radicalized pretty fast, even more so being homeless to try music school,

Afterward, it was a pretty uphill battle to get somewhere. Ended up at a SUNY school – had a great time. Didn’t lead to music how I wanted, though. I could hardly make it through college financially, so I worked full-time. In the end, I somehow managed landing a desk job doing mortgage shit that I don’t believe in. Making people with more money than me even more money. Struggled with that a lot, considering. So on a work trip to Milwaukee (that I had to pay for, lol), I literally walked out of meetings and called my grandma to get her blessing to quit. I went home and picked up audio gigs with the local union off of the knowledge from playing those fucked up punk shows back in the day. At least I was near music, I said.

One day, someone on tour picked me up and brought me to OC to do audio for a musical theater company. I did so many FOH tours, and very quickly too. Suddenly… I was professional and honestly, turned into “the guy” in audio for a minute. I did tours with 21 Pilots, Rob Thomas, mixing the opener Max Frost and a ton of others spanning so many genres, places, and more. I hit Australia, Europe… everywhere. But there I was again… Not satisfied. Even Max knew it, shit, he helped me produce my music at one point. I learned so much about the industry by just being around him.

I spent years in the audio world, touring, being a sponge to everything. How live production worked, playback, sessions, royalties, pub deals, everything. I was trying to be the most indispensable person on any crew and make myself a seat in every room, so that it became normal I was in the music scene. I needed more. Again.

Fast forward.

My girlfriend, Aubree Estrella, believed in me in a way I didn’t. She pushed me to just put it out in the world that I *want* to play guitar instead of being what I considered professional by not mentioning my aspirations to anyone. She essentially said, “Sometimes, all you have to do is ask.” She was right. I started turning down gigs and picking up as many guitar gigs as I possibly could, of any size.

Fast forward.

I mixed Royal and the Serpent a handful of times. One of my best friends, an incredible music director and producer, Alex Flagstad, made the link, and we became friends, I think. Over coffee one day I told her, “I enjoy mixing, I travel for free. But I don’t think I’d ever be fully happy unless I’m playing guitar.” She responded by offering me the gig playing for her when she opened for Demi Lovato. She low-key started me on the path towards what I always wanted to do, playing my goddamn guitar. Major shout out.

Fast forward.

I’m now a Music Director, touring guitarist, and producer. I learned so much from so many people, and sure, I may not have some house in upstate New York or a crazy bank account, but my guitar has seen more countries than most people see in their lives. Suddenly… slowing up to type this out, I feel somewhat satisfied with where I’m at. Who knew.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Lmao. No, but smooth seas never made a good sailor.

Look, so many people have struggles, and I feel arrogant even typing this out, but I’ll say it took me ages to get to where I am at now, and I don’t even think I’m article-worthy most times. I got more to do yet.

But I guess money was the main thing. My parents, god bless them, don’t come from money, we had humble means. But to be honest, I never knew the difference until I moved to LA and saw the difference in lifestyle – then suddenly the glass broke, and I realized how much they did to make us unaware of that. They gave my brother and I so much, so no matter how hard I struggled, even now, I wouldn’t know the difference. Work hard, help others, be a punk bastard, and change what you think is wrong.

Beyond that, the typical struggle is working in music. “Why is nobody listening?” “I can’t afford that.” “Do they hate me?” “Maybe I’m not good enough.”

“Maybe I should quit.”

That last one hits a little too hard.

Sometimes the setbacks are so frequent, and so often it’s hard to want to keep going. Having tours drop you a week before you fly out, people using shit in songs you worked on, and you kinda getting shafted, etc. There’s so many things that go wrong, and so many ways others can utilize you, it’s crazy. And on top of that, there’s this weird layer of film you carry through the industry at times. It feels like everyone is trying to act nonchalant about their careers in music, yet… take it so seriously that they’d do anything to get ahead.

Maybe culture, too. It’s not bad, in fact, people here are so insanely welcoming and sweet… It’s that I’m not used to it, apparently hahaha. I guess to me, it feels like this: In LA, everyone likes you, but nobody loves you. Where I’m from, nobody likes you, but the ones who do, love you. (Disclaimer: I love it here in LA, I just am unlearning a long life of being a harsh-ass New York hillbilly.)

But that being said, I gotta humanize all of it.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a music director, guitarist, producer, and artist. Outside of these, I’ll occasionally help people get tours up off the ground.

What sets me apart is my ability to do anything… except be humble apparently.

Seriously though, ask anyone who’s worked with me, I have an uncanny ability to make things happen. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve pulled off the impossible with shows. Having so many years of experience in so many aspects of live production, I tried to become capable in so many ways so that I would be even more hirable as a guitar player.

You need a guitar player… but you also need someone who can fix the stage patch at the festival where the crew can’t seem to get sound in the ears? Got you.

You need a guitar player… but you have no idea how to produce or build a live set for a show you have TOMORROW? Got you.

You need a guitar player… but you have no idea what a deal memo is or how to settle merch let alone sort logistics for an entire international tour? Got you.

I’ve done it all simply so I can play guitar. Hire me.

Some artists I’ve worked with:
UPSAHL (guitar), Royal and the Serpent (guitar/TM), Lenii (MD/guitar/TM), Morgan St. Jean (co-MD), Sueco (TM, FOH), and tons more.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
All you need to do is ask! Hit me via email, IG, phone if you have it. I’m always available for MD and guitar work.

Contact Info:

• Website: solo.to/jordytheblond
• Instagram: instagram.com/jordytheblond

Image Credits
Aubree Estrella, Clint “8mm Tapes” Nichols, Eiza Murphy