Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeff Greenleaf.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My journey into the world of writing music for TV started before I was even born. It ran through my blood and filled my ears long before I could speak. In 1978, my grandfather was the founder and musical director of the Santa Monica Mandolin Orchestra. The orchestra provided hundreds of concerts at city and county parks, senior citizens’ homes, and other activity centers. He was also an accomplished pianist and violinist. My first memories are the vibrant stringed instruments hanging on the sun-washed walls of my grandparent’s apartment near the Santa Monica Pier. Music truly filled their home and it affected me greatly. Watching a needle touch the vinyl groove of a Beatles record stirred something inside me early on. Long before I could walk. I grew up in Point Dume, Malibu. The push and pull of the lunar tides is also something that feels somewhat inherent. It keeps me close to the water with a sort of magnetism. My parents encouraged my musical interests with years of guitar, piano, and harmonica lessons. While most of my friends were busy with sports, I would be hunched over an instrument or playing with different groups of musicians.
At Santa Monica High School, I was a daydreamer. The teachers must have thought I was taking notes furiously, but I was really just sketching cartoonish images of different guitars. Later, I went to UC Santa Barbara to study Ethnomusicology (the study of world music in its social and cultural contexts). I played various instruments in the UCSB Balinese Gamelan/Orchestra, Indian Ensemble, and Middle Eastern Ensemble. World music and ethnic art fascinated me, but I couldn’t focus on my studies. I was writing and recording songs, performing as a solo acoustic act around the college beach town of Isla Vista. In the early 90s, Santa Barbara was a powder keg of artists, many who became famous (Jack Johnson, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Ugly Kid Joe, Dishwalla). Playing shows alongside Jack Johnson’s first band (named Soil) and being a small part of this time in music history will forever be etched in my mind. My hair grew long, I distanced myself from the party animals, and I immersed myself into writing music. I was searching for something that I could only get a glimpse of while playing music. After nearly four years of intense searching, I started volunteering at the Braille Institute of Santa Barbara. It was a youth program where all these blind and visually impaired kids would spend their Saturdays. The thing that immediately struck me was how musical they were. To blind children, sounds are unconfirmed by visual impressions. The way it affects how they both listen to and play music is powerful. My work with the Braille Institute Youth Program led me to get a Master’s Degree in Education for the Blind at SFSU. I learned to read and write braille and cross busy San Francisco streets with a blindfold using a white cane.
I taught braille music notation, braille technology, and independent living skills in the SF school district. The stability of a full-time teaching career has allowed me to develop myself as an artist in ways I could have never imagined. It provided me the ability to build a small recording studio and produce albums. After moving back to LA in 2002 to work as a Braille Specialist in the schools, I released my first album. It mostly went unnoticed, but I continued to write and record more music. I later recorded an instrumental album of ambient world music that I sold at spas, yoga studios, and coffee shops. I enlisted the help of TAXI A&R, a Los Angeles-based song-pitching company (since 1992). The A&R team not only pitched my music to record companies and music publishers, but they gave me targeted opportunities to create and pitch new music in any style. In 2008, I signed a publishing deal with a production company that pitches music to TV shows. My music has been on over 350 TV series and my catalog (over 2,000 songs) is now represented by five Los Angeles music publishing companies. I have also continued my work as a Braille Specialist for over 23 years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road was somehow there all along. The most important thing is that I never turned back. My music was rejected for years in all capacities. I learned to deal with rejection and worked hard to set myself apart from others. I was 33 when I signed my first publishing deal. If a client has a new music request due in a week, I send them finished songs the next morning. It takes that kind of hunger (and perseverance) to have any sort of career in the music industry.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a Malibu-based songwriter whose retro indie rock has been featured on over 350 TV shows. Known for my scorching blues harmonica accompaniment, percussive guitar, and hooky vocals, I take listeners down a melodic path both soulful and dreamlike. I perform original music regularly at LA’s best music venues (Viper Room, The Whisky, The Mint, Trip). I also play lead guitar in the tribute band Grateful Wolf.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
Los Angeles is an incredible city with so many talented artists. We are music lovers, particularly those who are into live music. The live music scene is flourishing and vivacious. I think LA is a great place to be, especially for an artist. I do, however, feel that people are more disconnected than ever. I’m sure it’s like that all over, though.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://jeffgreenleaf.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffgreenleafmusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/JeffGreenleafMusic
- Other: http://www.imdb.me/jeffgreenleaf
Image Credits
Mathias Fau, Sharon Groom
