Jeff Sherman (musician)
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Edward Sherman is an American musician (composer
, singer-songwriter
and multi-instrumentalist
). He is a founding member of the band Glass
, as well as a solo artist who has released both under his own name and under the pseudonym
Jeff Joad.
, moved him, his wife and second son Greg to the tiny Skagit Valley
town of Diablo, in the North Cascades
of Washington. This wilderness town mentioned in Jack Kerouac
's 1958 novel Dharma Bums was built by Seattle City Light as part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
for their employees. Qualified engineers were needed so as an enticement, free rent and utilities were offered in addition to the opportunity to raise a family in a pristine natural setting. His only sister Janis was born two years after that. Jeff began his formal musical training in Diablo in the early ‘60s, taking accordion lessons from a family friend at age five. When the Sherman family moved to Port Townsend (on the Olympic Peninsula
) in 1964, Jeff taught himself to play the electric guitar
and, in the spirit of the times, soon formed the first of many bands. When the bass player in one of these bands quit, Jeff switched to the bass guitar
, which eventually became his main composing tool for progressive music. In Port Townsend High School
, Jeff played saxophone
in the school concert band and cello
in the school orchestra. As a senior he wrote “Euphoria 17,” an experimental avant-garde
classical piece premiered by the school orchestra along with his keyboardist brother Greg, and their childhood friend drummer Jerry Cook. Jeff had just turned 17.
Jeff, Greg and Jerry were by this time already performing as a rock and roll
cover band
called The Vaguest Notion. On September 6th, 1968 they traveled to Seattle to attend a Jimi Hendrix
concert. One of the opening acts for the concert was a British band called The Soft Machine
. The Soft Machine was a trio (consisting at the time of Kevin Ayers
, Robert Wyatt
and Mike Ratledge
) but with an entirely new sound. The boys left the concert determined to pursue a new direction.
, building up a loyal fanbase
. In 1971 they relocated to Olympia, Washington
to attend The Evergreen State College
and became favorites on-campus for their spirited performances. They performed the first-ever live concert broadcast on the college’s new radio station, KAOS (FM)
. In 1975 professional recordings were undertaken in Seattle, which the band shopped around to labels up and down the West Coast, around New York and even in England. Unfortunately the mid-’70s were tough times for rehearsal-intensive progressive rock. Even well-established rock acts were being dropped by their labels. Despite their well-honed musicianship, strong local reputation and enormous efforts to secure a record deal, Glass remained unsigned.
Disillusioned, the band elected to break up rather than compromise.
to rowdy cowboy
s in a scene straight out of The Blues Brothers
. In 1977 Changer toured Western Canada
and became experts in learning the favorite songs of Canadian fur trappers. Later in the year personnel changes brought a name change to Straw Dogs (after the Sam Peckinpah
film of the same name). The band began a 6-week November residency in frozen Whitehorse, Yukon
, followed by more gigs in British Columbia
. By 1978 the band had morphed
once again to become The Sherman Brothers Band, and began playing regularly back in the States on the comparatively-balmy Olympic Peninsula
. When the Hood Canal Bridge
sank during a windstorm
, the band found themselves playing before a wildly-appreciative captive audience. For the next two years the band gigged
extensively and even professionally-recorded a single (with legendary NW producer Don McKinney of Don & the Goodtimes). The Sherman Brothers Band is considered by those who witnessed their reign, to be one of the most popular bands to come out of Port Townsend, Washington. Their popularity at the peak of their career can be exemplified by a story related by Sherman on their MySpace fan page: "I remember one of the most incredible things happened to me and the guitar player, Jack Scott. We were walking up from a little grocery store near the Port Townsend Junior High School which we had both attended as kids. There was a playfield right below the school and across the street from the store. Suddenly some kid yells "Hey Look!! It's two of the Sherman Brothers!!!", and this huge mob of kids started running towards us! It was something right out of 'A Hard Days Night'".
Though playing the occasional original The Sherman Brothers Band remained primarily a covers band
, so when the band evolved again in 1980, they took the name The Drive and concentrated on the large catalog of original songs Jeff had been writing. This band played frequently around Seattle, Bremerton, Washington
, Kingston, Washington
and Port Townsend but did not achieve the acclaim of The Sherman Brothers Band. With the Hood Canal Bridge repaired Sherman contemplated a career move to Los Angeles
. When he was offered the opportunity to come to Los Angeles and sleep on the couch of legendary songwriter Ron Davies
a friend who had mentored him as a teenager, he jumped at the chance. Soon thereafter he was pounding the pavements of that city taking demo tapes around to record companies by day and writing songs with Ron late into the early morning hours.
and even for a time in the Glendale
YMCA
as he struggled to find performance opportunities. It was at this point he met and befriended novelist-to-be John O'Brien
and formed a close bond. O'Brien encouraged Sherman in the pursuit of his songwriting goals and Sherman returned the favor by encouraging O'Brien in his nascent writing endeavors. He soon formed another band, called Alan Rench & The ViceGrips, and began playing venues up and down the Valley
including The FM Station, The Palomino
, The Roxy
, The Whisky
, The Troubadour and others. These clubs participated with event promoters in a pay-to-play arrangement known as “showcasing.” Bands are offered the chance to play these prestigious venues, but their contract fine print
stipulates that the bands are liable for costs if the ticket sales fall below a certain minimum. He also founded along with singer/songwriter Sue Logg, a short-lived '60s retro band called The Chimes Of Freedom which specialized in original melodic rock songs in the musical vein of the great L.A. band The Byrds
. Over the next couple of years Sherman managed to play regularly, but found himself losing money as often as he made it. Eventually he was lobbied by his brother Greg who had moved to Southern California in part to play with him to forgo the pay-to-play schemes offered by these promoters. Always a major trusted influence, Sherman heeded his brothers advice.
Living near the poverty line
and rubbing shoulders with the area’s vast homeless community stirred political activist feelings in Sherman, and his songwriting turned activist. He created a fictional alter ego
named Jeff Joad (after the family in Steinbeck
’s The Grapes of Wrath
). Taking Woody Guthrie
and Pete Seeger
as models, Sherman began playing his folk
protest song
s at soup kitchen
s and homeless encampments
, just himself and an acoustic guitar. Appalled at the disparity between rich and poor in Ronald Reagan
’s America and the intentional dismantling of social safety net
s, he started working with the Frontline Foundation
and Xela-Aid distributing food and other necessities to those in need. In 1990 he released Time for a Change as Jeff Joad on his own Relentless Pursuit Records, with profits donated to charity. He traveled to Guatemala
in 1991 and 1992 as part of Xela-Aid's in-country effort, providing music for the crowds waiting in line to see the volunteer doctors and nurses. In 1999 he released a second Jeff Joad album entitled Judgment of the Flame with several of his ex-bandmates. A video from this album, entitled Shine On, won a music video award from INTERCOM, the INTERnational COMmunications program of the Chicago International Film Festival
.
worldwide in 2004. Glass released a new album in 2005 Illuminations and a live album Glass Live At Progman Cometh
in 2007. Their current release, again on the Musea Label, is entitled "Spectrum Principle”. The music of Glass can also be purchased at iTunes.
bassist Hugh Hopper
and was also a limited edition (2003). The other two have been slated for release on Musea’s sub-label Gazul sometime in the near future. Meanwhile Jeff continues to compose and record, when he’s not busy with Glass, and even create some videos for his pieces.
On the 23rd of July 2010, Jeff and his brother Greg signed licensing agreements with Muzak
which will allow Muzak to use their original recordings in their programs worldwide. This will include not only Glass music but music from all their solo projects as well.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist
A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
). He is a founding member of the band Glass
Glass (band)
Glass is a progressive rock trio from the Pacific Northwest who play complex original instrumental symphonic jazz-rock. The group consists of Greg Sherman on keyboards, vibes & Mellotron, his brother Jeff Sherman on bass guitar, guitar, bass pedals and keyboards, and their childhood friend Jerry...
, as well as a solo artist who has released both under his own name and under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Jeff Joad.
Early career
Four years after Jeff Sherman was born in Seattle, his father, an electrical engineer for Seattle City LightSeattle City Light
Seattle City Light is the public utility providing electrical power to Seattle, Washington and parts of its metropolitan area, including all of Shoreline and Lake Forest Park and parts of unincorporated King County, Burien, Normandy Park, Seatac, Renton, and Tukwila...
, moved him, his wife and second son Greg to the tiny Skagit Valley
Skagit Valley
The Skagit Valley lies in the northwestern corner of the state of Washington, USA. Its defining feature is the Skagit River, which snakes through local communities which include the seat of Skagit County, Mount Vernon, as well as Sedro-Woolley, Concrete, Lyman-Hamilton, and Burlington.The local...
town of Diablo, in the North Cascades
North Cascades
The North Cascades are a section of the Cascade Range of western North America. They span the border between the Canadian province of British Columbia and the U.S. state of Washington and are officially named in Canada as the Cascade Mountains...
of Washington. This wilderness town mentioned in Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
's 1958 novel Dharma Bums was built by Seattle City Light as part of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
The Skagit River Hydroelectric Project is a series of dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations on the Skagit River in northern Washington State. The project is owned and operated by Seattle City Light to provide electric power for the City of Seattle and surrounding communities...
for their employees. Qualified engineers were needed so as an enticement, free rent and utilities were offered in addition to the opportunity to raise a family in a pristine natural setting. His only sister Janis was born two years after that. Jeff began his formal musical training in Diablo in the early ‘60s, taking accordion lessons from a family friend at age five. When the Sherman family moved to Port Townsend (on the Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
) in 1964, Jeff taught himself to play the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and, in the spirit of the times, soon formed the first of many bands. When the bass player in one of these bands quit, Jeff switched to the bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, which eventually became his main composing tool for progressive music. In Port Townsend High School
Port Townsend High School
Port Townsend High School is located in Port Townsend, Washington, USA. Port Townsend High School has been accredited by the State of Washington and the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges...
, Jeff played saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in the school concert band and cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
in the school orchestra. As a senior he wrote “Euphoria 17,” an experimental avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
classical piece premiered by the school orchestra along with his keyboardist brother Greg, and their childhood friend drummer Jerry Cook. Jeff had just turned 17.
Jeff, Greg and Jerry were by this time already performing as a rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
cover band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
called The Vaguest Notion. On September 6th, 1968 they traveled to Seattle to attend a Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
concert. One of the opening acts for the concert was a British band called The Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
. The Soft Machine was a trio (consisting at the time of Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
, Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
and Mike Ratledge
Mike Ratledge
Michael Roland "Mike" Ratledge is a British musician. Ratledge was part of the Canterbury scene and a long-time member of Soft Machine.-Biography and career:...
) but with an entirely new sound. The boys left the concert determined to pursue a new direction.
With Glass (1969-1976)
Not long after the concert, Jeff and his bandmates resolved to play original music only. The profound effect that The Soft Machine's September 6 performance had on Jeff and the band can be found on page 145 of Graham Bennett's authorized Soft Machine biography Out-Bloody-Rageous. In keeping with the spirit of re-invention, The Vaguest Notion changed their name to Glass. Over the next six years they performed all over Western WashingtonWestern Washington
Western Washington is a region of the United States defined as that part of Washington west of the Cascade Mountains.It is known as being far wetter in climate than the eastern portion of the state, which...
, building up a loyal fanbase
Fandom
Fandom is a term used to refer to a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest...
. In 1971 they relocated to Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
to attend The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
and became favorites on-campus for their spirited performances. They performed the first-ever live concert broadcast on the college’s new radio station, KAOS (FM)
KAOS (FM)
KAOS is a hybrid college-community radio station licensed to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. It broadcasts in HD Radio at a power of 1,100 watts and also streams live via the Internet. The station continues to offer free radio broadcasting training to any member of the...
. In 1975 professional recordings were undertaken in Seattle, which the band shopped around to labels up and down the West Coast, around New York and even in England. Unfortunately the mid-’70s were tough times for rehearsal-intensive progressive rock. Even well-established rock acts were being dropped by their labels. Despite their well-honed musicianship, strong local reputation and enormous efforts to secure a record deal, Glass remained unsigned.
Disillusioned, the band elected to break up rather than compromise.
Paying dues (1976-1983)
After Glass disbanded, Jeff returned to his roots of ‘60s rock and R&B, fronting a bar band called Changer (after a Glass song). The band performed a month-long residency in Havre, MontanaHavre, Montana
Havre is a city in, and the county seat of, Hill County, Montana, United States. It is said to be named after the city of Le Havre in France. The population was 9,621 at the 2000 census.-History:...
to rowdy cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s in a scene straight out of The Blues Brothers
The Blues Brothers (film)
The Blues Brothers is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by John Landis and starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as "Joliet" Jake and Elwood Blues, characters developed from a musical sketch on the NBC variety series Saturday Night Live. It features musical numbers by R&B and soul singers James...
. In 1977 Changer toured Western Canada
Western Canada
Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces and commonly as the West, is a region of Canada that includes the four provinces west of the province of Ontario.- Provinces :...
and became experts in learning the favorite songs of Canadian fur trappers. Later in the year personnel changes brought a name change to Straw Dogs (after the Sam Peckinpah
Sam Peckinpah
David Samuel "Sam" Peckinpah was an American filmmaker and screenwriter who achieved prominence following the release of the Western epic The Wild Bunch...
film of the same name). The band began a 6-week November residency in frozen Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse, Yukon
Whitehorse is Yukon's capital and largest city . It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in...
, followed by more gigs in British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. By 1978 the band had morphed
Morphing
Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction...
once again to become The Sherman Brothers Band, and began playing regularly back in the States on the comparatively-balmy Olympic Peninsula
Olympic Peninsula
The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...
. When the Hood Canal Bridge
Hood Canal Bridge
The Hood Canal Bridge is a floating bridge located in the U.S. state of Washington that carries Washington State Route 104 across Hood Canal and connects the Olympic and Kitsap Peninsulas. At long, The Hood Canal Bridge (officially William A. Bugge Bridge) is a floating bridge located in the U.S....
sank during a windstorm
February 13, 1979 Windstorm
The February 13, 1979 windstorm is a natural phenomenon that took place on February 13, 1979 in Pacific Canada and the United States. During the early morning of February 13, 1979, an intense wave cyclone moved across southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. South of the low center, a strong...
, the band found themselves playing before a wildly-appreciative captive audience. For the next two years the band gigged
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
extensively and even professionally-recorded a single (with legendary NW producer Don McKinney of Don & the Goodtimes). The Sherman Brothers Band is considered by those who witnessed their reign, to be one of the most popular bands to come out of Port Townsend, Washington. Their popularity at the peak of their career can be exemplified by a story related by Sherman on their MySpace fan page: "I remember one of the most incredible things happened to me and the guitar player, Jack Scott. We were walking up from a little grocery store near the Port Townsend Junior High School which we had both attended as kids. There was a playfield right below the school and across the street from the store. Suddenly some kid yells "Hey Look!! It's two of the Sherman Brothers!!!", and this huge mob of kids started running towards us! It was something right out of 'A Hard Days Night'".
Though playing the occasional original The Sherman Brothers Band remained primarily a covers band
Cover band
A cover band , is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. New or unknown bands often find the cover band format marketable for smaller gigs, and these bands may be known as a wedding band, party band and function band. A band whose covers consist mainly of songs that were chart hits is...
, so when the band evolved again in 1980, they took the name The Drive and concentrated on the large catalog of original songs Jeff had been writing. This band played frequently around Seattle, Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, Kingston, Washington
Kingston, Washington
-External links:* *...
and Port Townsend but did not achieve the acclaim of The Sherman Brothers Band. With the Hood Canal Bridge repaired Sherman contemplated a career move to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. When he was offered the opportunity to come to Los Angeles and sleep on the couch of legendary songwriter Ron Davies
Ron Davies
Ronald Davies is a Welsh politician, former Secretary of State for Wales, former Member of Parliament and former member of the Welsh Assembly...
a friend who had mentored him as a teenager, he jumped at the chance. Soon thereafter he was pounding the pavements of that city taking demo tapes around to record companies by day and writing songs with Ron late into the early morning hours.
California (1983-1999)
Southern California afforded Sherman not only closer proximity to the music industry, but also a view of poverty and homelessness he had not previously experienced. He lived near LA’s famous Skid RowSkid Row, Los Angeles, California
Skid Row, officially known as Central City East, is an area of Downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2000 census, the population of the district was 17,740.-Description:...
and even for a time in the Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
as he struggled to find performance opportunities. It was at this point he met and befriended novelist-to-be John O'Brien
John O'Brien (novelist)
John O'Brien was an American author. His first novel Leaving Las Vegas was published in 1990 by Watermark Press and made into a film of the same name in 1995.-Life and career:...
and formed a close bond. O'Brien encouraged Sherman in the pursuit of his songwriting goals and Sherman returned the favor by encouraging O'Brien in his nascent writing endeavors. He soon formed another band, called Alan Rench & The ViceGrips, and began playing venues up and down the Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
including The FM Station, The Palomino
Palomino Club (North Hollywood)
The Palomino Club was a music venue in North Hollywood, called "Country Music's most important West Coast club" by the Los Angeles Times. It featured such performers as Johnny Cash, Linda Ronstadt, Buck Owens, Patsy Cline, Delaney Bramlett, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Johnny Carver, Hoyt Axton,...
, The Roxy
The Roxy Theatre
The Roxy Theatre is a famous nightclub, on the Sunset Strip, in West Hollywood, California. The Roxy is owned by Lou Adler and Adler's son, Nic, who operates the club.- History :...
, The Whisky
Whisky a Go Go
The Whisky a Go Go is a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip.-History:...
, The Troubadour and others. These clubs participated with event promoters in a pay-to-play arrangement known as “showcasing.” Bands are offered the chance to play these prestigious venues, but their contract fine print
Fine print
Fine print, small print, or "mouseprint" is less noticeable print smaller than the more obvious larger print it accompanies that advertises or otherwise describes or partially describes a commercial product or service...
stipulates that the bands are liable for costs if the ticket sales fall below a certain minimum. He also founded along with singer/songwriter Sue Logg, a short-lived '60s retro band called The Chimes Of Freedom which specialized in original melodic rock songs in the musical vein of the great L.A. band The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
. Over the next couple of years Sherman managed to play regularly, but found himself losing money as often as he made it. Eventually he was lobbied by his brother Greg who had moved to Southern California in part to play with him to forgo the pay-to-play schemes offered by these promoters. Always a major trusted influence, Sherman heeded his brothers advice.
Living near the poverty line
Poverty threshold
The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate standard of living in a given country...
and rubbing shoulders with the area’s vast homeless community stirred political activist feelings in Sherman, and his songwriting turned activist. He created a fictional alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
named Jeff Joad (after the family in Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
John Ernst Steinbeck, Jr. was an American writer. He is widely known for the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden and the novella Of Mice and Men...
’s The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1940 and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962....
). Taking Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
and Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
as models, Sherman began playing his folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
protest song
Protest song
A protest song is a song which is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of topical songs . It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre...
s at soup kitchen
Soup kitchen
A soup kitchen, a bread line, or a meal center is a place where food is offered to the hungry for free or at a reasonably low price. Frequently located in lower-income neighborhoods, they are often staffed by volunteer organizations, such as church groups or community groups...
s and homeless encampments
Tent City
A tent city is a temporary housing facility made using tents. Informal tent cities may be set up without authorization by homeless people or protesters. As well, state governments or military organizations set up tent cities to house refugees, evacuees, or soldiers...
, just himself and an acoustic guitar. Appalled at the disparity between rich and poor in Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
’s America and the intentional dismantling of social safety net
Social safety net
Social safety nets, or "socioeconomic safety nets", are non-contributory transfer programs seeking to prevent the poor or those vulnerable to shocks and poverty from falling below a certain poverty level. Safety net programs can be provided by the public sector or by the private sector...
s, he started working with the Frontline Foundation
Frontline Foundation
The Frontline Foundation, located in downtown Los Angeles, California, is a non-profit charity organization that serves emergency meals to people on Skid Row. As of July 2006, it has served over 860,000 meals...
and Xela-Aid distributing food and other necessities to those in need. In 1990 he released Time for a Change as Jeff Joad on his own Relentless Pursuit Records, with profits donated to charity. He traveled to Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
in 1991 and 1992 as part of Xela-Aid's in-country effort, providing music for the crowds waiting in line to see the volunteer doctors and nurses. In 1999 he released a second Jeff Joad album entitled Judgment of the Flame with several of his ex-bandmates. A video from this album, entitled Shine On, won a music video award from INTERCOM, the INTERnational COMmunications program of the Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
.
With Glass again (1999-present)
In 1999 Glass came back together again, and Jeff put aside his Jeff Joad persona to devote all his energies to Glass. In 2001 Glass released a double CD of archival recordings called No Stranger To The Skies which earned uniformly positive reviews. No Stranger to the Skies was re-released by MuseaMusea
Musea Records is a non-profit [for the label's bands] musician-owned French record label dedicated to progressive rock. It was founded in 1985 by Bernard Gueffier and Francis Grosse, along with a small team of friends - Daniel Adt, Alain Juliac, Alain Robert, Thierry Sportouche, Jean-Claude...
worldwide in 2004. Glass released a new album in 2005 Illuminations and a live album Glass Live At Progman Cometh
Progman Cometh
Progman Cometh Music Festivals were two Canterbury scene music concerts held at the Moore Theatre in Seattle Washington in 2002 and 2003.-Friday, August 16th:* 7:00pm Glass * 8:30pm Hughscore* 10:00pm Pip Pyle's Bash! - world debut!...
in 2007. Their current release, again on the Musea Label, is entitled "Spectrum Principle”. The music of Glass can also be purchased at iTunes.
Solo (2002 - present)
In addition to his work with Glass, Jeff has continued to compose both as a singer/songwriter (material outside the scope of Glass) and as an electronic musician. He has four solo albums recorded but has delayed release of the latter two to avoid conflicting with the Glass releases. His first, Above & Beyond, was issued in a limited edition by Relentless Pursuit Records in 2002. The second, Home, features Soft MachineSoft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
bassist Hugh Hopper
Hugh Hopper
Hugh Colin Hopper was a progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and various other related bands.-Early career:...
and was also a limited edition (2003). The other two have been slated for release on Musea’s sub-label Gazul sometime in the near future. Meanwhile Jeff continues to compose and record, when he’s not busy with Glass, and even create some videos for his pieces.
On the 23rd of July 2010, Jeff and his brother Greg signed licensing agreements with Muzak
Muzak
Muzak Holdings LLC is a company based in metro Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1934, Muzak Holdings is best known for distribution of background music to retail stores and other companies....
which will allow Muzak to use their original recordings in their programs worldwide. This will include not only Glass music but music from all their solo projects as well.
Under his name
- 2002: Above & Beyond (Relentless Pursuit Records RD4133)
- 2003: Home (Relentless Pursuit Records RD4135)
- 2011: Gauguin (Gazul Records/Musea forthcoming)
- 2011: In Another Life (download album) ReverbNation http://www.reverbnation.com/store/view_item_album/artist_1865201?item_id=1189604
- 2012: Branes (forthcoming)
With The Sherman Brothers Band
- 1978: “Indian Woman”/”She's The One” (single, Entropy Records E45-781)
As Jeff Joad & the Joads
- 1990: Time For A Change (Relentless Pursuit Records RD4126)
- 1995: Judgment of the Flame (Relentless Pursuit Records RD4127)
- 2011: Time For A Change (re-issue download album) ReverbNationhttp://www.reverbnation.com/store/view_item_album/artist_1747148?item_id=1178475
- 2012: Judgment of the Flame (re-issue) (Ethnea Records/Musea forthcoming)
With Glass
- 2001: No Stranger To The Skies, Vol.s I & II (Relentless Pursuit Records RD4128)
- 2002: No Stranger To The Skies, Vol. III (Relentless Pursuit Records RD4128-III)
- 2004: No Stranger To The Skies (Musea Records FGBG 4516.AR)
- 2005: Illuminations (Musea Records FGBG 4594.AR)
- 2007: Glass Live At Progman ComethProgman ComethProgman Cometh Music Festivals were two Canterbury scene music concerts held at the Moore Theatre in Seattle Washington in 2002 and 2003.-Friday, August 16th:* 7:00pm Glass * 8:30pm Hughscore* 10:00pm Pip Pyle's Bash! - world debut!...
(Musea Records FGBG 4736.AR) - 2010: Spectrum Principle (Musea Records FGBG 4854)
The Outcasts (1966-1967)
- Jeff Sherman - guitar, lead vocals
- Mark Hawley - lead guitar, vocals
- Steve Adams - bass guitar
- Rolf Heibenstreit - drums
The Vaguest Notion (1967-1968)
- Jeff Sherman - guitar, lead vocals
- Greg Sherman - keyboards
- Mark Hawley - bass guitar, vocals
- Jerry Cook - drums
Glass (1969-1976)
- Jeff Sherman - electric & acoustic guitars, bass guitar, Fender Rhodes piano, Moog TaurusMoog TaurusThe Moog Taurus is a foot-operated analog synthesizer designed and manufactured by Moog Music from 1974 or 1975 to 1981. Commonly called the Taurus I, it has a 13-note organ-style pedal board similar to the pedal keyboard of a spinet organ.-History:...
bass pedals, vocals - Greg Sherman - acoustic & electric pianos, HohnerHohnerHohner Musikinstrumente GmbH & Co. KG is a company specialising in the manufacture of musical instruments. Founded in 1857 by Matthias Hohner , Hohner is identified especially with harmonicas and accordions. The Hohner company has invented and produced many different styles, and most of the...
ClavinetClavinetA Clavinet is an electrically amplified keyboard instrument manufactured by the Hohner company. It is essentially an electronically amplified clavichord, analogous to an electric guitar. Its distinctive bright staccato sound has appeared particularly in funk, disco, rock, and reggae songs.Various...
, ARPARP Instruments, Inc.ARP Instruments, Inc. was an American manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, founded by Alan Robert Pearlman in 1969. Best known for its line of synthesizers that emerged in the early 1970s, ARP closed its doors in 1981 due to financial difficulties...
& OberheimOberheimOberheim Electronics is an American company, founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim , which manufactured audio synthesizers and a variety of other electronic musical instruments.-Oberheim Electronics:...
synthesizers, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, vibes, custom electronics - Jerry Cook - drums, tunable concert timpani, Moog drums, MinimoogMinimoogThe Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
synthesizer, percussion, gong - Mark Hawley - electric viola
- Paul Black - drums
- Gary Ormiston - soprano sax
Changer (1976-1977)
- Jeff Sherman - guitar, lead vocals (Joe Cocker Review)
- Earl Weida - lead vocals
- Greg Sherman - keyboards
- Jack Scott - lead guitar, vocals
- Jim Smiley - keyboards, vocals
- Mark Hawley - bass guitar, vocals
- Paul Black - drums, vocals
Straw Dogs (1977-1978)
- Jeff Sherman - bass guitar, lead vocals
- Greg Sherman - keyboards
- Bob Moore - guitar
- Tim Oches - drums, vocals
- Tim Johnson - drums, vocals
The Sherman Brothers Band (1978-1980)
- Jeff Sherman - bass guitar, lead vocals
- Greg Sherman - keyboards
- Jack Scott - lead guitar, vocals
- Rick Wiley - drums, vocals
- Bob Moore - guitar
- Brian Nall - lead guitar
- Paul Black - drums, vocals
The Drive (1980-1983)
- Jeff Sherman - guitar, lead vocals
- Greg Sherman - keyboards, vocals
- Rick Lee - bass guitar, vocals
- Paul Buchignani - drums, vocals
Alan Rench & The ViceGrips (1983-1989)
- Jeff Sherman - guitar, lead vocals
- Greg Sherman - keyboards, vocals
- Dave Hutchison - bass, vocals
- Hamilton Metz - guitar, vocals
- Jane Erskine - bass guitar
- Paul Black - drums
- Carrington McDuffy - vocals
- Robert Smith - lead guitar
- Jeff Brown - drums
The Chimes Of Freedom (1987 - 1989)
- Jeff Sherman - 12-string Rickenbacker lead guitar, lead vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, bass guitar, acoustic bass guitar, harmonica
- Sue Logg - lead vocals
- Hamilton Metz III - 12-string Rickenbacker rhythm guitar, electric guitar, vocals
- Denise Fraser - drums, claves, tambourine
- Paul Black - (two studio tracks) drums
- Randy Nichols - (live gigs) drums
- Jane Erskine - (live gigs) bass guitar
Jeff Joad & The Joads (1989-1999)
- Jeff Joad - lead vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica, piano
- Greg 'Lefty' Joad - real Hammond organ
- Andy Armer Joad - acoustic piano, digital Hammond organ
- Pete Pendras Joad - acoustic slide guitar
- Ron 'Jethro' Thorn Joad - bass guitar
- Al 'The Rench' Joad - bass guitar
- Sue Glaefke Joad - vocals
- Natalie Farr Joad - vocals
- Paul 'Pa' Black Joad - drums, percussion
- Vinnie Fazzari Joad - percussion, engineer
Glass (1999-present)
- Jeff Sherman - AlembicAlembic IncAlembic was founded in 1969 and is a manufacturer of high-end electric basses, guitars and preamps.-History:Ron and Susan Wickersham founded Alembic, Inc. in 1969...
bass guitar, Thorn Custom Inlay Hugh Hopper bass guitar, SteinbergerSteinbergerSteinberger refers to a series of distinctive electric guitars and bass guitars, designed and originally manufactured by Ned Steinberger. The word Steinberger can be used to refer to either the instruments themselves or the company that produced them...
system Hohner electric guitar, C.F. Martin & Company D18 acoustic guitar, Fender Rhodes piano, Korg O1/W & Korg KarmaKorg KARMAThe Korg KARMA music workstation was released in 2001 as a specialised member of the Korg Triton family.Unlike most other Korg workstation names, the KARMA name is rendered in capitals as an acronym for the Kay Algorithmic Realtime Music Architecture...
Wavestations, Studio Logic bass pedalsBass pedalsBass pedals are an electronic musical instrument with foot-operated pedal keyboard with a range of one or more octaves. The earliest bass pedals from the 1970s consisted of a pedalboard and analog synthesizer tone generation circuitry packaged together as a unit...
, Synthesizers.com analog modular synthesizer, EnsoniqEnsoniqEnsoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid 1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally samplers and synthesizers.- Company history :...
DSK-1 samplers, Alien Devices Alien Sonifer Bent Keyboard, effects, samples - Greg Sherman - grand piano, Hammond organHammond organThe Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond in 1934 and manufactured by the Hammond Organ Company. While the Hammond organ was originally sold to churches as a lower-cost alternative to the wind-driven pipe organ, in the 1960s and 1970s it became a standard keyboard...
, MellotronMellotronThe Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
Mk VI, Wurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer electric pianoWurlitzer 200A|250px|thumbThe Wurlitzer electric piano was one of a series of electromechanical stringless pianos manufactured and marketed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, Corinth, Mississippi, U.S. and Tonawanda, New York...
, Hammond CRX Organ, Korg O1/W Wavestation, RolandRoland Corporationis a Japanese manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, electronic equipment and software. It was founded by Ikutaro Kakehashi in Osaka on April 18, 1972, with ¥33 million in capital. In 2005 Roland's headquarters relocated to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka Prefecture. Today it has factories in Japan,...
A-90 digital piano, ARP 2600ARP 2600The ARP 2600 is a semi-modular analog subtractive audio synthesizer, designed by Alan R. Pearlman , and manufactured by his company, ARP Instruments, Inc...
synthesizer, ARP OdysseyARP OdysseyThe ARP Odyssey was an analog synthesizer introduced in 1972. Responding to pressure from Moog Music to create a portable, affordable "performance" synthesizer, ARP scaled down its popular 2600 synthesizer and created the Odyssey, which became the best-selling synthesizer they made.The Odyssey is...
synthesizer, MiniMoogMinimoogThe Minimoog is a monophonic analog synthesizer, invented by Bill Hemsath and Robert Moog. It was released in 1970 by R.A. Moog Inc. , and production was stopped in 1981. It was re-designed by Robert Moog in 2002 and released as Minimoog Voyager.The Minimoog was designed in response to the use of...
synthesizer, effects, samples - Jerry Cook - drums, timpani, hi-hat, percussion, gong, bells, spoken word