Today we’d like to introduce you to Jericho Law.
Hi Jericho, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’m 38 years old, and I’m a musician. I play piano, bass, guitar, drums, and I sing. I’m also a songwriter and producer. I’ve always loved music, I started playing music relatively late in life, with my first formal piano lesson coming at age 19. But I remember the sound of the choir in my mom’s church and the songs that I would hear on the radio as a child. So music has always felt like a part of me. My first performance was when I was six years old and I sang the lead as the shepherd in the school Christmas play. It was a role usually reserved for older students, but I had the audacity to suggest to the teachers that I could play the shepherd. And when they asked me to sing, I knew all the words to the shepherd’s song. That began my love for performing. I sang in the show choir in high school, which was an incredible experience. When I got to college, I tried studying business so that I could get a “real” job one day. But I soon found myself hanging out with all the musicians on campus instead of going to class. At 22, I left college without graduating, and I focused on studying music with hopes of one day becoming a professional musician. I worked in a music store in Walnut for a while, and it was there that I got my first opportunity to teach piano. I continue to teach to this day, and I currently teach for an incredible company called Rockstars of Tomorrow based in Norco. At 26, I started going to Cal State Fullerton to major in Jazz piano, and I graduated at 30. I’ve played in several bands over the years of all different styles, both cover bands and groups with original music. I started producing about five years ago and I currently do production for TV and Film, in addition to producing with my hip hop group Banded Future and with my musical brothers at Barkada Music. And I’ve loved every minute of it. Being a musician is the most exciting job in the world, I get to meet people and spread my love of music one listener at a time. I’m no prodigy and I don’t consider myself particularly talented, I just work really hard and I follow my heart. My message to the world is it’s never too late to pursue your dreams. I love to travel and bring my music to the masses, and I hope to meet more people as the world opens up and live music makes a comeback.
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?
Being a musician means sometimes there’s long hours for low pay. It’s a pretty competitive field as well; there’s always someone that’s more experienced, more technical, and just plain better at their instrument than you are. It’s easy to doubt yourself. So your toughest opponent is often the person in the mirror. One time my dad brought me a job application for the post office as if to say, “give up on the music and get a normal job.” I knew that wasn’t for me, and it drove me to work harder so that music would pay all my bills. And now it does. When my dad saw I wasn’t going to budge on my musical dreams, he got me a book about pursuing your passions. Score one for the good guys! I skipped a lot of parties and fun times to stay home and practice, and learning to be disciplined has been part of the journey. Just doing the little things everyday are really what makes you better in music as well as in life.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m in a group called Banded Future, which I produce for and I also do the majority of the singing. My brotha from another mother Zap Rath does the rapping. We keep our lyrics pretty clean, which is different in hip hop. We just want to keep it positive and fun, the world can be a dark cold place sometimes and it needs as much light as possible. In general, I think it’s cool that I’ve taken the time to be so multi-faceted. I can play the drum intro to Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”, I can play the guitar solo to “Don’t Stop Believing”, I can play numerous jazz standards on the piano or bass. So I’m a regular one man band. And I have a cool look if I do say so myself, I have cool tattoos and nail polish and pretty sweet hair. Plus I know how to speak in public, which some musicians can’t do. Sometimes you gotta big up yourself. Oh, and I have muscles *insert muscle emoji* So people can recognize me for my musical talents as well as my dope appearance. I plan to continue improving musically and personally. There’s no finish line when it comes to music, which I love about it. The whole world is a song and I’m just trying to learn some of the words.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I was born and raised in LA, I went to college in LA for a while. I like big cities, I like being able to get a burrito at 2am, and I like how there’s always something to do. Plus, we’re close to the beach, the mountains, the desert, everything is within arms reach. The only thing I’d say I don’t like is the traffic. When my GPS says it’s gonna take 45 minutes to go 8 miles, I’m not the most fun to be around.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.bandedfuture.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jericholaw/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/soulfire27
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO1ssIdQm40iLnkvNsx0YxQ
Image Credits:
Kristopher Carter
