ABOUT

Jeff Schram

Jeff Schram is an independent musician from New York City whose indie blues rock sound has been compared to The Black Keys, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Raconteurs, 70’s Eric Clapton and The Foo Fighers.

In 2007 Jeff released his EP, “Devil Ain’t Got A Chance” which was well received by fans and critics alike. See Urban Folk’s review below in the press section. Now in 2008 Jeff is performing live in NYC as an electric trio and writing music during what he calls The Season of the White Crow, which is mysterious and sounds cool. This site will chronicle that period, and Jeff is posting demos of the new songs in the blog.

Press & Reviews

“[Jeff Schram's] three-song EP “Devil Ain’t Got A Chance” is exclusively available in electronic form - a revolutionary idea. The songs move you to dance, and then move you to start the album all over again. Schram comes off fragile yet powerful, as his well-orchestrated compositions blend into each other as a cohesive statement of passion, desire and drive. A hell of a singer/songwriter”
- Urban Folk, NYC

“A refreshingly high-energy performer, Schram’s music is super high-octane for a one-man show. Schram plays rock rhythms with intelligent, intricate chord development. Scattered softer tunes add a delicate underbelly and mix to his well-rounded repertoire.”
- JezebelMusic.com, NYC

A recent interview from our friends at iProng Magazine

We met Jeff Schram at Podcamp NYC 2.0 where he was performing at the iProng table. Jeff has a beautiful and approachable voice that leads you through his original songs till you’re singing along. He is self-releasing his next EP “Season of the White Crow” this Fall.

How long have you been a singer / songwriter and what got you started?

I started in highschool after my little brother bought a bass guitar. At first I just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t cooler than me, but everything changed when a guitarist friend of mine introduced me to Dylan, The Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimi Hendrix.

At the time, I was trying my hand at a lot of different things. I was painting, sculpting and working on cinematography for a couple low budget movies. However, music was the only thing that really make sense of my life and I was able to share that with other people in a way that the other arts couldn’t.

After that I moved to Chicago to study music exclusively. I was in a classical guitar program and started playing folk music in coffee shops. It all felt like I was on my way to becoming a ‘respectable’ musician, when everything curved off track and I met a redhead at a blues bar…

Your next EP “Season of the White Crow” is set for release this Fall, what’s the inspiration behind that title?

The title ‘Season of the White Crow’ is inspired by a quote from William James. “If you wish to upset the law that all crows are black, it is enough to prove one crow to be white.”

To me, it’s about moving from a dark place into the light. It’s about reversing your assumptions about what life is, and about what life can be. It’s about believing that something good can come from something bad. It’s about learning that you aren’t bound by your past.

All of these concepts have influenced “Season of the White Crow”, and I feel that this is the best music I’ve made yet.

How was the writing and recording process for the album?

Music has changed a bit for me in the last year. With “White Crow” comes a new sound that was developed in collaboration with musicians, Jon Price (Bass) and Patrick Carmichael (Drums) and performing in NYC. I write the songs but as a group we have transformed the music into something new.

I’ve been told that our sound is reminiscent of The Raconteurs, The Black Keys, some 70’s Clapton, mixed with a bit of the Foo Fighters thrown in.  

It’s been fun seeing the reaction of people who show up at a gig to see me play an solo acoustic show, but instead get hit with the intense new electric sound. We brought that same energy into the recording sessions for “White Crow”, and set out to defy even more expectations with the EP.

It’s a follow up to the EP “Devil Ain’t Got A Chance,” which was released as a free digital download. Why did you chose to release it for free and do you have any special plans in the works to use new media to release “Season Of The White Crow”?

I think at this point it’s pretty obvious that it’s in the best interest of an indie artist to give their music away for free. I just want people to listen to my music and get to know me.

I am planning to release “Season Of The White Crow” as a free digital download. I think it’s vital that artists today be ahead of the technology curve. Digital distribution has allowed musicians to reach an audience in a way that was never possible before . So I’m also planning to, hmm… I think I’ll keep this secret for now. There will be more about this on my new site, www.jeffjeffjeff.com.

Tell us about your side projects: Alloy Radio and Schram Design.

I’ve always been fascinated by how technology can bring people closer to art. Alloy Radio (alloyradio.com) was an idea that I came up with a few years ago when I was introduced to an inspiring bunch of independent musicians playing in NYC. Since then I’ve collected over 100 musician’s tracks, and made them available for free on alloyradio.com. Alloy provides a way to discover new music from the NYC area, and gives an opportunity for artists to reach new audiences.

Schram Design (schramdesign.com) is my web / graphic design business. I create websites, and various digital and print media for artists and musicians. I used to joke that I’ve made a website for every single musician in NYC, and now it’s kinda scary because I think it’s true!

Anything else you want to let us know?

I just launched my new website (www.JeffJeffJeff.com) with new podcasts, videos, and blogs. Right now I’m writing about the experience of finishing the new EP, as well as playing shows in NYC with the band. You can also listen to demos of brand new songs, and follow along as they develop into what will be our first full length album. I want to involve my friends and listeners as I progress to whatever comes after the “Season Of The White Crow”.