By Tosin Faseemo

Jack Pfeffer is an indie multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter from Minneapolis. He plays with a live band consisting of singer/guitarist Eli Herchert, bassist Riley Schmitz, drummer Teddy Nordvold, and synth player/saxophonist Sutton Honey. Keep reading to find out about their musical inspirations.

Q: How did you all meet?

J: We all went to high school together, but Elijah and Riley are three years younger. So I was a senior in high school and they were freshmen. Teddy and I were in a band together with Sutton. Our first band together started in high school. And then later we met Elijah and Riley.

Q: So you’re all from the Minneapolis area?

T: Yeah, we're all from West Metro; we went to the same high school over in Minnetonka.

Q: Obviously, we're all in quarantine right now. Has anything changed in regards to collaborating and making music, or is everything on hold for now?

J: I'm still able to record here at my house, but I definitely miss being able to jam, practice, and play shows. All of that is on hold. Creatively, I would say nothing's really changed. But socially, I miss being able to play with other people.

T: We had some projects we were looking to start. We wanted to do some collaborative recordings for some different projects. We were still in the early stages of that when everything went upside down.

Q: Before quarantine, did you guys collaborate with other acts around Minneapolis or play shows with other bands?

T: In this DIY community, bands that like each other's music just message each other and say, “hey, you want to play a show some time?”

Q: What is it like being a part of the DIY scene?

J: I'm able to do everything on my own. I don't have to go to a producer. I don't have to be signed to a label to put my music out. I like being able to share music, reach people, and play shows.

T: It's really easy now, with the internet, to share and make your own music. We don't have to bother club promoters or go through shady organizations to play venues. It just seems a lot more genuine to message people you think are cool, or talk to people that you trust. It's a lot more direct and it's honestly a lot more fun. It just feels more genuine.

Q: You guys recently did a livestream fundraiser, right?

J: I was at home and I thought, maybe I should just do a live benefit thing. Later that night, we got it all set up. I played a set of old and new songs, Elijah played the songs he helped me write, and Teddy did a set. Then my friend, Nolan, who is also a musician, played a little set too. We did this on Instagram and people were able to donate to the COVID-19 Relief Fund. For every viewer that joined the livestream, Teddy, Elijah, Nolan and I donated. It’s crazy how much money we raised. It started out as an idea and then six hours later, we had raised $700+.

Q: What genre would you consider your music?

J: I'm always trying to kind of switch up the sound of things, but I'd say recently it’s been soft rock and indie rock.

Q: Some bands are really into interacting with the audience, and other bands like to focus more on the instruments. What’s your usual approach to live shows?

R: I'd say somewhere in between. It's not like we don't interact with the crowd at all.

E: Yeah, I'd say it’s somewhere in between. Most of us are not the most social people so trying to engage people while you’re on stage is a pretty difficult task. But we do our best.

T: I'd also say it's somewhere in between. I definitely feel like I really feed off the energy of the crowd, so I try and keep in tune with that.

J: I go on stage hoping that the crowd has a good time. Recently, there have been more people that show up knowing the music. I really appreciate that they're coming to listen to the music and have a good time. They encourage other people to have a good time too. I think having a good show is more about, I'd say, having a good crowd of people.

S: I'd say it depends on the crowd. It's fun to jump around. If you know somebody in the front, then you call out their name or point at them, they go even crazier. Otherwise, I like to focus on my instruments. I also like to watch the band. I don't play all the songs, so I like to watch what they're doing.

Q: Who are your biggest musical inspirations?

E: John Mayer and any neo-soul guitar player. Isaiah Sharky, an honorable mention. He's pretty godly at the guitar.

S: The last time I took lessons was sophomore year of high school, and my teacher had me learn almost every single Hank Mobley song off of the album “Soul Station.” I learned a lot of those solos and I think they influenced the way that I play.

T: So, the most influential is Neil Peart. I listened to him and that's what really got me into drums, when I was a little dude. I would air drum all over the place and then I tried to learn that stuff when I was in elementary school.

R: What first inspired me to start playing bass was old James Jamerson hits, but I've gotten more into jazz. Lately, I've been listening to a lot of upright bass players. But the biggest jazz influence is definitely Jaco. He paved the way for everything.

J: I really pay attention to studio techniques, so I really like The Beatles, George Martin recording techniques and Jeff Lynne recording techniques. Some big influences on my songwriting are John Lennon and Todd Rundgren. I think they're really talented.

Jack Pfeffer Q&A

By Tosin Faseemo