Today we’d like to introduce you to BJ Jezbera.
BJ, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My love of music came to me a little later in life. Unlike many other musicians who tell you “I’ve wanted this my whole life” or ” I’ve been playing blues since I was 5″, when I was young I used to think I was going to be a successful actor, from age 8 to 18 I was consumed by theater and stage acting, In those years I was fortunate enough to not only act in school plays but also work with bigger theaters in San Diego such as the Old Globe Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, and San Diego Repertory Theater. When I decided to quit acting and pursue music it was met with mixed reactions from my family and friends. I still believe that because of acting I not only have a love for being onstage, I have a hunger for it.
I was 12 years old and in middle school when I first picked up a guitar and began learning songs by some of my favorite bands like Blink-182 and Green Day. By age 14 I was playing bass and singing in my first band, a 3-piece pop punk band called Element-X. This was my first introduction into songwriting. Our songs were catchy tunes about girls, cartoons, and each other’s moms. As I got older and inevitably went through a few more bands, I started to play my acoustic guitar and write songs just for myself, I never played them for band mates or tried to show anyone what I was doing. It was just another outlet for me to get my thoughts down and keep myself writing between bands. Eventually I had written over 15 songs on my own and decided to record them. With the help of my friend Robin Whitehouse in 2009 we recorded my first full-length album, CV Soundtrack. I was 19 at the time and not able to play many places due to my young age so I was playing in coffee shops, on corners, and house parties to try and promote this new CD. At first, I thought I would be going into another band and this little project would just hit the back burner again. But over time I really started to enjoy the simplicity of a solo-project. I was able to write, record, and perform on my own schedule and had nobody to answer to. Also, around this time I met someone who would change my life forever- Jake Skolnick.
He was someone who I trusted in the music world when my hobby of songwriting took a much more serious turn to the professional side. Above all that he was a friend and fellow musician in bands I looked up to and aspired to be like. I was involved with an indie record label and starting to get lost in the hype. Jake was the one I turned to for advice and when he told me he was starting his own record label I immediately told him I wanted in. In 2011 I signed on to his label Mannequin Vanity Records and we began recording my second album “Go Folk Yourself”. When I finally turned 21 he convinced me to try something I usually shied away from- playing cover songs. I was a proud songwriter and thought that playing other people’s music was an easy road and a cheap way to make a few bucks. In my defense the people I saw doing this at the time were all very schticky, and their performances were so alike I would dare to call them interchangeable. All top-40’s covers, looking like a Mumford and Sons clone. And although Jake has tried to recommend to me that I add in a few more Bruno Mars songs to my list, his best advice was “If you don’t want to play those songs, don’t! Play the songs you like but just play them well. Be you.” and I’ve followed that ever since. I built up a set list of some cover songs and once I got about an hour of material he helped me get my first paying cover gig. I’ll be honest, the first year or so was pretty rough and it took a lot of faith in me from Jake that even at times I didn’t have, but all the while he supported and coached me to a point where I started to see the artistry when a cover set is done right. I really enjoyed getting a reaction from a crowd of strangers when I played a song they weren’t expecting to hear but results in a bar-wide sing along.
I spent the next few years really working on this, and by the time I was 25, I had 3 hours of cover songs and I was playing enough gigs that I was able to make music my full-time job. I wouldn’t have been able to do this had I stuck in the mentality that it was only OK to play original music. Now I am 28 and have been able to maintain this position and still continue writing original songs and recording them. In 2017 we released my third project, and EP called “Folk My Life” as well as a single featuring Jake Skolnick and myself titled “I Go Down”. I still play shows of all-original sets, but nowadays I play about 8-10 cover gigs a month and I enjoy sneaking some of my own songs in and seeing what people think of them. So far, I’ve been able to open for bands like The Ataris, Mest, Sprung Monkey, and Ever clear playing all original music and have had my songs featured on San Diego radio stations 91x and KPRI as well as internet radio shows based in New Jersey and Germany. I plan to release another album in the next year and have been working to give back to the music community by running a guitar club through my local YMCA where I bring 20 acoustic guitars to children in elementary schools all over my hometown Chula Vista and give them six weeks of free lessons. My hope is that I’ll be able to continue doing these free lessons for kids as long as I play music.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Absolutely not.
I’m not sure there is anyone who doesn’t struggle and my struggles are not unique. All we can do is try to help each other along the way and stay positive.
My top 3 struggles are probably
Time management- When I stopped clocking into a day job it was a real struggle to stay focused and not take advantage of my new-found self-employment freedom
“Office Duties”- Nobody likes to tell you this, but if you’re going to follow a creative passion and plan to turn it into your job you will eventually be in charge of what I call “Office Duties”. This includes things that aren’t part of the creative process but still very important if you want to succeed. Booking Emails, self-promotion on things like social media and the web, taxes, and many more duties that make me want to peel my face off are all a daily struggle for me.
No days off- As a working musician, every paycheck counts. That means no sick-days, no calling out, no playing hooky. I’ve missed birthdays, funerals, and many big life moments because I had a gig scheduled. I am very fortunate that my friends and family all understand why I’ve been absent at times but it never gets easier knowing I had to miss something or someone that I’ll never see again because I needed the check from that gig to make rent for the month. This is the biggest sacrifice any working musician has to face and the one that I feel breaks many of them.
So, let’s switch gears a bit and go into the BJ Jezbera- Mannequin Vanity Records story. Tell us more about the business.
My company is Mannequin Vanity Records, and this is their bio “Mannequin Vanity Records (MVR) is an Independent Record Label based in San Diego, CA that specializes in folk/world music. The label launched in New York City in 2007 with the release of The Plastic Revolution’s debut album “Planning for Chaos” and has since then expanded to include offices in San Diego, shows all across the globe, placements in many Film/TV Shows, over 25 commercially released albums, many artist demos, and even audiobooks! Because of the label’s small size, it functions much like a boutique but remains actively involved in all aspects of its artists careers including: Talent Development, Marketing & Promotion, Artist Management, Booking, Producing, Recording (tracking, mixing, mastering), and Publishing.” -Pulled from Facebook
What I do is I am a singer/songwriter on this label since 2011. I am a full-time musician with residencies in Downtown SD’s Gaslamp quarter and Ocean Beach. I travel to promote my original music and have been all over California and as far out east as Las Vegas. I also teach lessons to children in grades K-12 through a YMCA program which allows me to visit their after-school programs and teach kids guitar free of cost to the students. I also produce and record a podcast which I put out on YouTube at the beginning of 2017 called “The 15 Minute BJ” where I interview local and touring musicians and people in my community to talk about music and life.
I feel like what sets me apart from others are my songs and more importantly live performances. I pride myself in being a solo-acoustic act that doesn’t take breaks on gigs that typically average 3 hour run times. My record is 4 hours with no breaks. I do it because I truly enjoy what I do and when I take a break it kills the momentum of the show. I treat every gig like I’m playing a sold-out venue even if it’s just me and the bartender in the room. I can’t stand it when people in the cover circuit get away with playing bland shows, with little or no crowd involvement. Some of these players just play through their songs, get to their breaks, don’t include the crowd on their show, and it bums me out. It’s the equivalent to a DJ who just hits play on his laptop and has his arms up all night, it lessens the value of what real performers do. A performer of DJ who interacts with the crowd and actually has a craft they’ve worked on over time will always be more recognizable than the ones who simply sit back and play.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
Luck goes both ways.
Good luck has brought me amazing people into my life like Jake Skolnick and my wife Fernanda Jezbera who support me through every success and failure.
Bad luck has left me stranded out of town with nowhere to play and an empty gas tank, rained out events and soaked all the equipment I own, and broken guitar strings at every turn of the way.
I don’t let luck shape my path though. Instead I try to take all experiences whether good or bad and use them to push me forward. I can’t control luck, but I can control my actions and that’s what I focus on.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MannequinVanityRecords.com/BJ
- Email: BJ.MVRBooking@gmail.com
- Instagram: @instabeej
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/BJJezbera
- Twitter: @BJJezbera
- Other: www.youtube.com/MrJezbera
Image Credit:
Photo 1: Daniel Acevedo
Photos 2-6: Bianca Romero
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
