have linked on your homepage of you playing“ Reaching For You” by Lincoln Brewster. You play great on it and have a ridiculously good lead tone. It’ s obviously a PRS, but I don’ t recognize the pickguard- what model is it?
[ Jeffrey ] That’ s a Mira, which is an amazing guitar. I think they only make it in their S2 series now. That guitar was actually a gift from Lincoln. I think Jon Foreman, from Switchfoot, plays one of those too. It’ s a great guitar. The Mira has a kind of SG or Les Paul Special kind of tone, and I really dig it. It’ s a very fun guitar to play.
[ James ] I’ ve known Jeffrey for a long time, and one thing that people always say about him is what an awesome guitar player he is, and I agree! He can kill it on guitar, and he always sounds good. I’ ve seen him play at tons of different events, not just at church. One time I played this conference in Nashville, and Jeffrey was part of the house band there. They were playing all of these awesome cover songs, and he was singing and just killing it on guitar. He’ s a musician’ s musician.
through, and He prepares you for the things that He wants you to do. I don’ t believe that we step into anything that we’ re asked to do or are given the opportunity to do without being prepared for it. In that particular role, one of the things I brought into it was a healthy admiration for Lincoln, as a player, writer, and musician. In serving that, there was never a moment where I felt like I wasn’ t going to get to do something that I wanted to do. I never felt like I had to play down my own gifts in order to live in his shadow. Lincoln constantly affirmed me, who I was, and what I brought to the table. One of the very first things that he said to me was that when I walked into a musical situation, it was always better because I was there. There was a level of mutual respect. He is who he is, and fully capable of doing his thing. But it made it a whole lot easier that he also acted like he admired me and my skill, and was always championing that as well. That relationship piece makes it a lot easier to step into serving someone else’ s vision and being there, on purpose, to support what they are doing. My whole experience at Bayside was that way. It was never about missing out on opportunities to do great things in order to be there.
[ WM ] Jeffrey, you mentioned relationship. When you spend 23 hours a day not making music, and you’ re sitting on a bus or in a van with somebody, it is a stark reminder of how
important the ability to build relationships in a team and band setting is. It’ s about teamwork, or perhaps better described as band-work. Can you share your thoughts about the fact that you might get hired for your playing, but keeping a gig is about what happens when you’ re off stage?
[ Jeffrey ] I remember doing a guitar workshop where one of the big things I talked about was the fact that your playing, and your ability to do the musical part is almost secondary to being a great human being. It doesn’ t matter how good you are at what you do skill wise … if people don’ t want to be around you. They aren’ t going to ask you to be a part of things. That’ s been true in my life, and for the people around me too.
[ James ] I would say that you definitely have to be a really good musician, but there are tons of really good musicians out there. Being good is what gets you noticed, or gets you the gig, but you also have to be able to hang out with people and not be a terrible person. It can’ t just always be about you. You have to be able to read the room and the situation. There are times to just be quiet. There are tons of great musicians who don’ t have the awareness, or are just too into themselves, and can actually end up losing their gigs. You have to be sensitive enough to understand what’ s going on with other people,
[ Jeffrey ] You are too kind!
[ WM ] Lincoln has some pretty big shoes, and there you were sitting in for him on a Sunday when he was off doing something else. Not only were you filing in, you were his right-hand man, which means serving someone else’ s vision and having the humility to recognize that God has called you there in that season to serve someone else. What does that look like and mean to you?
[ Jeffrey ] One thing that prepares you for that kind of role is the understanding that God opens the doors He wants you to walk
Jeffrey with the David Cook band
May 2018 WorshipMusician. com
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