We had the good fortune of connecting with Everybody but Jay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Everybody but, why did you pursue a creative career?
“you could be anything you want, there is no wrong answer”. Those are the words out of my 1st grade teachers mouth on the last day of school. She didn’t know that the week before i walked into my older brothers room and he was watching p*rn. I thought to myself “i’ll likely get in trouble if i say “i want to take videos of girls with no clothing on” so I went generic and entered the summer on a good note. (p.s i went to a religious jewish day school)

something inside me fought and fought and i just knew i didnt want to be a doctor, lawyer, or ambulance driver. i knew i wanted to be more and that question really sat with me… anything? really? i feel like thats not true. Could i be like blink 182, Hillary duff or Kelly Clarkson? can i get interview on MTV? i mean if its really anything i choose that. and it was like a pact with the uiverse or God or whatever you call the greater power. my DNA made a shift and i just knew this is what i had to do.

at the time i thoughti just needed to write some hits…then i realized i had to deal with self sabatoge, imposter syndrome and everybody and their mother saying “thats not relistic” “dont waste your time” – I still hear it, i just don’t care for anyone’s opinion now. as of a few years ago We (my youngerself and I) are Securely following that dream

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
theres no wrong way to eat a resses peanut butter cup. theres no one path to greatness and we see lots of greats fall into bad drug problems and relationship or depressive spirals regardless of the success that comes there way. I think more and more we as a society are celebrating people who already went through the darkness and brought out light with their art. We are celebrating expressing your feelings, honesty, vulnerability and getting to know our favorite musicians for who they are beyond the 4 chord love songs. for me i’ve done some soul searching and deep dives into my trauma via physical, emotional, verbal and sexual abuse and came to a place where im ready to level with it, put out more music, share more of who i am, show up more, be more alive and take everybody on this journey with me.

people ask why i do what i do and the answer is always “after all these years i’m finally able to be happy and comfortable in my own skin 100% of the time” if i can do that for someone while they stream our music or come hear us live for an hour or two. if i can create that soft 100% cotton comfy feel of an oversized hoodie for just one person, one time- that would make life worth it. if you’re asking about how difficult this path is…nothing worth while in life comes easy. take the time, sweat, cry, have your heart shatter into 1000 pieces, its all part of life stop chasing “good” feelings and start feeling “real” feelings.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
my best friend followed my out to denver from Brooklyn where we both grew up and in the first week i gave him the denver/front range tour (his name is abie azar and he’s loyal af & single!)

– azar and i visited pikes peak, got a donut thats made at 14,000 feet elevation, hit garden of the gods and manitu springs on the way back and played at the penny arcade and got salt water taffy- it was the old town costal experience without the ocean of course

– meow wolf is a must do too, go to your local fungus shop and eat some caps- PLEASE UBER THERE lol

– when it came to eating denver has a bad reputation for food and really its unfair. bull and bush is total comfort vibe, Kosher Brooklyn Pizza and J’s Famous on Welton are the only 2 true NY pizza joints in my very humble, opinion of the bread, sauce and cheese realm. I would for sure take him to casa bonita if the reservations were available. its also worth noting that denver is home to a lot of small home based kitchen foods like capri hummus and yaye organics.

– ive been to 18 baseball stadiums in the US and the rockies have the best view and the 2nd best food optinons after the mets. Sadly we also have the 2nd worst chance of winning a world series…after the mets lol. after that you know we’re going to rino/five points for the underground jazz, funk, jam and open jam scene. the city comes alive at around 9pm and there are cracks in the wall with all the best talent in one room. from cats like wes walker, isaac sincalir,gabe mervine, adam deitch, neal evans, shawn eckles and so many legends. oh dont forget cervantes! we love that plae

– wash park to hit that old school inner city concreate basketball games every weekend morning til about 2pm and then everyday after work from 5pm – Dusk you can hoop with a really welcoming and competitive crowd and for us thats a big part of our life being from brooklyn.

– i think the city of denver is always having these cool pop up events and keeping me on my toes and keeping our city alive. at the mutiny cafe theres always something new going on and the art is so expansive and original so one week wont do it justice to get a true feel of denver – this is what id do though. we also both love weed and i made sure we checked out verde natural and herbal underground for their extensive care in the growing processes and keeping things 1000% natural

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
honestly the credit is in the name of the band/brand. “everybody” is how i got to where i am. the teacher in 4th grade who allowed me to submit all my work in poem form, the people who have taken a chance with me, given their time, the fans who come out to shows, every sound person, bartender, every person who streamed a song or a video, any mentor that taught me how to be the best version of me, taught me to be humble, taught me about music, taught me about dealing with others, the countless therapists, friends and mentors that taught me about how to deal with myself. the random 1 hinge date with this girl jessica who introduced me to meditation at 3am in NYC. seriously there is a unit that is the world and i am not a rock and i am not an island. i do feel pain, love,joy, hardship and its part of being everybody.

I’m fresh off a therapy call and wanted to shoutout my coach Eli Zeitlin from the first gym i ever joined (crossfit coney island). Who literally saved my life at a time that i just didn’t want to not be here and through proper diet and physical movement I’ve learned to stick around and I’m so glad I did. Also shoutout my therapist Rebecca Guidera.

Website: https://everybodybutjay.com

Instagram: https://instagram.com/everybodybutjay

Twitter: https://x.com/everybodybutjay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Everybodybutjay

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBaLAbUKenb8hu1bJNVv4Pw

Other: @east7tharts on all platforms for my non profit that helps children with special needs get music therapy programs

Image Credits
@mattdanphotos (2 pictures on stage) @uritalmore (outdoors with bass guitar)

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