Singer/Songwriter Seeking Musicians

SEEKING

Bass Guitar, Drums, Keyboard.

ABOUT

I am a singer/songwriter in Portland. Have been a musician in various capacities for most of my life (piano as a kid, lead guitarist in hard rock / metal bands in my teens and 20s, etc.) Most recently my focus has been on writing and performing songs with my acoustic guitar. I have a somewhat contemporary/bluesy/soulful type sound and have been performing around town as a solo artist the last few years.

At this point I would like to expand on my solo act, adding a drummer, bass player, and a keyboardist. I'm seeking folks who are serious about music and will be dedicated to the process of making the band work, but are not looking to immediately "get paid" or go on some big tour. Let's get meshing as a unit, see what each individual can contribute to the mix and work together to get a highly polished set ready for recording and playing out. Not that I wouldn't mind being successful with this, but I do have a day job and I do this to feed my soul, not because my livelihood currently depends on it. Others in a similar situation would probably be the best fit at this time.

My writing influences vary widely. My acoustic act has been influenced by the likes of Amos Lee, John Mayer and Ryan Adams although I've been told I sound somewhat like Neil Young. I'm working on newer stuff now that I'm hoping to introduce in a full band format and feel like I'm adding kind of a Pink Floyd to Dire Straits kind of progressive and light psychedelic element to my vision. Other fleeting influences would be old hard blues like Like Zeppelin and maybe a hint of 80s butt rock thrown in to the formula for good measure. I'm doing more of my writing on electric guitar these days and envisioning a band with a very dynamic sound; one which can go from a mellow acoustic guitar led passage with heartfelt vocals at one moment, progressing to a bluesy, more high energy sound that gets people swaying and then also moves into longer hypnotic sections with plenty of moody keys layered in for effect.

The songs here on this site are my own originals: "Next" is a song from my recent album release, "Sustenance, Strings and Songs of Life" (check it out on CDBaby or Spotify). "You Cross My Mind" was a little project I did in my own home studio a few years back, using programmed drums and multi-tracking all the instruments which I played myself. Check em out and get back to me if interested.

Screen name:: Jeff Lancaster
Member since:: Jan 18 2012; Active within 24 hours
Level of commitment:: Committed
Years together:: 40
Age:: 58 years

Influences

Ryan Adams, John Mayer, Dire Straits, Amos Lee, Shawn Mullins, Counting Crows, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, James Taylor, Lucinda Williams, Peter Frampton, The Cure, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger, Chicago, Jimi Hendrix, Great White...actually, I could go on here forever...