Meet Jason Brandt Schaefer | Writer/editor and musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jason Brandt Schaefer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jason Brandt, why did you pursue a creative career?
Creativity was less a choice for me and more an acceptance of self. I’ve been a creative person, a GT kid, since as far back as I can remember, and the choice was really how to put that energy to use. My family was influential in that decision. Growing up, the people around me worshipped both music and books, so those were the disciplines I was drawn to. I started playing alto saxophone at 10 because I wanted to play a different instrument than guitar, which all my family played (I did teach myself how to play guitar as an adult), and I took my study of saxophone through college. But I rode dreams of being only a saxophone player until my junior year, then my fascination of books, fiction, and song lyrics took over, so I relinquished my stranglehold on “being a great saxophone player” and dove into an entirely different discipline. Writing took me through jobs as a news writer, a writing instructor, and a freelance editor, but I also never gave up on music, practicing, or writing songs. Now I do both—write novels and songs and read and perform in public.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I’m lucky (or cursed) enough to be enamored with two forms of art: literature and music. So lately, I’ve been focusing on establishing an identity as a local singer/songwriter and seeing where that takes me. What sets me apart is that my literature background and study of fiction and poetry has allowed me to write very strong lines and lyrics that tell a (sometimes fictitious) story in verse, through symbol and suggestion, and my background in blues and jazz has given me the ability to hear things in music more finely than perhaps the typical pop musician. My stuff is very indie, a blend of roots rock, country, jazz, blues, and folk. I listened to everything I could feed into my ears over the years, and I make the deliberate effort to make a show of that. This hasn’t been easy. Being independent by nature means your work is difficult to categorize, to fit into a genre, and I’ve learned that while that doesn’t matter to listeners, it does matter to booking managers and agents who are simply interested in putting butts into seats. Sometimes it seems like the musician’s job is no longer to play great music, but to sell tickets. Maybe that was the pandemic, maybe that’s just the nature of the game. I’d like the world to know that great art is NEVER replicable, or easy to understand or access. Good art is dense, challenges your mind and heart, and lifts you to new states of mind and ideas. Good art plays with the idea of what good art even is. My story (and my work) is wrapped up in all this—the borderlands between song and literature, music and speech, high and low art, truth and fiction, etc.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
In Boulder, I’d say Trident Booksellers and Cafe, BOCO Cider, Chautauqua Park (hike up to the second flatiron and/or Royal Arch, Ozo Coffee, Dedalus for wine, cured meats, and cheese. Take a bike or skateboard down the Boulder Creek multi-use path. If you’re in Boulder, spend time outside. That’s what this city is for.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My parents, of course. My father was a fighter pilot for the USAF and my mother was a schoolteacher, and as their child, we were very close. They were my heroes and best friends growing up, and they always supported me (and still do), and told me I could pursue the arts if I chose. Mom read me books and Dad played guitar and sang. Perfect combo and inspiration for what I do now.

Website: thebuildoutband.com, empathicediting.com

Instagram: @thejasonbrandt, @the.build.out

Linkedin: Jason Brandt Schaefer

Facebook: Jason Brandt Schaefer

Youtube: Jason Brandt

Other: Spotify/AppleMusic/all streaming plaforms: Jason Brandt & the Build-Out

Image Credits
@mystileephotographee