Jeff Minzel, Guitar, Keyboard Writing music is my thing. I love the process of discovering something new and working with others, who take the music to places that I never would have considered. I am self-taught on guitar and try not to show it. I played jazz piano for years and studied music at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle. I think that jazz helps with songwriting, even when it’s rock. My primary contribution is songwriting (Lauren handles melodies and lyrics). My favorite artists include The Jam, McCoy Tyner, The Pixies, The Clash, Nada Surf, Chick Corea, SRV, The Hold Steady (best guitar tone ever!), and South Jackson of course! I love
watching any live music and don't care who's playing. My favorite quality of our group is its ability to collaborate on new material. Lauren’s ability to write melodies and lyrics is bewildering. It rarely takes her more than 20 minutes to settle on a core melody and set of lyrics. Eyal is similar. His ability to listen and emphasize the subtleties of the songs often makes the songs, in my opinion. As with Lauren, he’ll come up with key hooks on his first listen. Henk’s technical abilities on bass and guitar are outstanding. He can play in any genre and always finds the right groove for each song. When songwriting for the group, I always look for solo opportunities to showcase Henk and Eyal’s skills. Unlike other bands that focus on one person, this band wouldn’t exist without each player.