Born in Hartford, Blaney grew up in Enfield, Connecticut, where interacting with music quickly became an integral part of his life. “I started recording as a kid with my mom’s karaoke machine. I found that I could record parts from one cassette onto the other, and I started tracking songs. I never stopped.” Blaney started writing music around the age of 15, when he got his first guitar. Once he was done with school, he hit the road.
Leaving behind his band Backtalk, he found his passion renewed with a move west. “When I got to California I loved the freedom of writing and performing by myself. I wrote a bunch, and sort of found my voice again.” By August of 2001 Blaney had ventured east where he settled in New York City, continuing to write and perform without a band behind him. “I fell into the AntiFolk scene and performed a lot at the Sidewalk Cafe in Alphabet City. I didn’t want to play in a band at that time because my music felt too personal to get anyone else involved.”
The five-track Caesar’s Palace EP captures music recorded in New York, recorded with Blaney’s brother Rob “at his little home studio,” as well as the songwriter’s first Nashville sessions, recorded at Sound Emporium. (The brothers have also recorded and performed together for years as the Blaney Brothers, taking on a style that’s distant from Jeff’s solo work. “We play traditional Irish music and some originals I’ve written in that vein,” he says. “It’s like getting to play a different role, so it’s really fun for both of us.”) “I had no idea how to release an album other than pressing CDs and selling them at shows,” he continues on Caesar’s Palace. “So it never got an official release. This is a perfect example of not following through. I just didn’t know what I was doing, other than making a record.”
By 2010 he was ready to record again and that year he issued Moonlight Waltz, an eight-track release successfully funded through Kickstarter. The recording is “a fabulous taste of what country music radio is missing,” wrote Larry Vanderpool of the roots music collection. In 2011 Blaney followed with the Blue Heart EP, featuring three originals and three blues covers recorded at the Art Institute of Nashville, while 2012 saw the “modern day troubadour” release the five-song Labor of Love EP. This year the lead track from Labor of Love, “Going Right Back Home to My Baby,” was featured in an independent horror movie titled Muck.
While having lived in Nashville for six years, Blaney’s still continuing to discover what his “musical aspirations” are. At this point in time he says he’s “realizing that I’m doing it for myself and myself only.” And while he’s in the process of developing another record, he’s slowly coming to understand what his true relationship with music is. “I honestly think I would be toys in the attic crazy if I couldn’t express myself musically. Both the intellectual process of songwriting and the physical exertion of playing shows allows me to blow off whatever steam has built up.”
Extended Q&A
Born in Hartford, you moved around the country a bit before landing in Nashville. When did you first arrive in town and what were your musical aspirations when you got here?
Jeff Blaney: I moved to Nashville in July of 2008. I was feeling burned out with my music and wanted a change of pace. I wanted to grow as a songwriter and musician, and I knew that Nashville was a place that I could do that. Nashville made me realize that I had no idea what my musical aspirations were, and it took me a few years of getting my butt kicked to figure it out. Before I came here I was playing in two cover bands, an acoustic duo, hosting an open mic, giving lessons, and producing records. Moving to TN made me realize that doing that much at once doesn’t really allow me to see any of them through, so I had to prioritize and let some things go.
Did you play in any bands in your California or New York days?
Jeff Blaney: When I moved to California I left a band that was very dear to me called Backtalk. The band was pretty successful on a local/regional level, but it got stagnant and I knew it was time to make a move. When I got to California I loved the freedom of writing and performing by myself. I wrote a bunch, and sort of found my voice again. Then I moved to NYC in August of 2001, and the tragedy happened not a month after I got there. I fell into the AntiFolk scene and performed a lot at the Sidewalk Cafe in Alphabet City. I didn’t want to play in a band at that time because my music felt too personal to get anyone else involved.
Could you tell me a little about Caesar’s Palace? Moonlight Waltz is tagged as your first solo release, but your Bandcamp page for C.P. dates it back to 2002.
Jeff Blaney: Caesar’s Palace was recorded during the time that I was living in New York. It’s a mix of songs I recorded with my brother at his little home studio and songs I recorded from my first sessions in Nashville. Those sessions were at The Sound Emporium. I had no idea how to release an album other than pressing CDs and selling them at shows, so it never got an official release. This is a perfect example of not following through. I just didn’t know what I was doing, other than making a record.
I read mention you made that a song of yours was featured in a film. Could you share a little more about when that was, which film featured your work, and how the opportunity arose?
Jeff Blaney: I responded to an add on Craigslist for an indie movie looking for country or blues songs at some point in 2013. I got a response that they loved “Going Right Back Home to my Baby,” and it got placed. It’s a horror movie called Muck, and it’s coming out later this year. It was shown at SXSW, so we’re hoping it gets major distribution. I’m not sure where they are at with it right now.
What sort of outlet does playing in the Blaney Brothers provide you compared to your solo work? How often do you get to perform and work with your brother?
Jeff Blaney: The Blaney Brothers is a musical project like no other I’ve ever been a part of. We play traditional Irish music and some originals I’ve written in that vein. It’s like getting to play a different role, so it’s really fun for both of us. The reason why it’s so special to me is that it literally has kept me in touch with my family in CT. We do a run of shows every year around St. Patrick’s Day, and I get to see my friends and family up there. I usually also schedule a reunion show with a funk/rock band that I played with for years called Pie. We have a lot of fun, and there’s very little pressure since it’s a one off. I’m flying back up there in September to play the Pipes in the Valley Festival. It is the premier celtic festival in that area, so my brother and I are excited to be a part of it!
There’s a quote from you that reads, “My biggest driving force is knowing that if I don’t write I become irritable, depressed, and just plain mean.” Has music always given you this outlet?
Jeff Blaney: It has! I honestly think I would be toys in the attic crazy if I couldn’t express myself musically. Both the intellectual process of songwriting and the physical exertion of playing shows allows me to blow off whatever steam has built up.
As you and your work mature, have you grown closer to or farther away from the blues?
Jeff Blaney: The blues is there for me when I need it. It’s like my imaginary friend that I can always have a conversation with. It’s a tricky relationship, though, because it’s not a very commercially viable outlet. Unfortunately it’s not a part of popular culture like it used to be (which is why pop music today sucks, but I digress). I know that I can’t sell records playing blues, but playing it live gives me the opportunity to tell the audience “It’s OK to have fun!” The blues is party music. It’s meant to be danced to, talked over, and felt more than heard if that makes any sense. It’ll always be a part of what I do, and I love the blues more and more every gig that I do.
Now well-established in the city, do you find yourself motivated to make musical goals for yourself? What drives you to give your music a proper release, rather than just playing the songs live?
Jeff Blaney: I do it because I love it. I started recording as a kid with my mom’s karaoke machine. I found that I could record parts from one cassette onto the other, and I started tracking songs. I never stopped. I’m working on a record right now, and I’m realizing that I’m doing it for myself and myself only. It will get released and all that, but the process of writing and recording is totally for me. There have been plenty of gigs, promo projects, scheduling, etc. that I’ve done that I consider “work,” and I do them because I have to to keep it all going, but producing records is what I love and I try to listen to my muse and not let music industry B.S. get in the way. I’m really enjoying making this one, and I think the fact that I’ve realized all this is the reason why.