AV ProductionWorld

Jason Yudoff discusses his many projects as he gets ready to play the House of Blues in L.A.

Hey. I’m Jason Yudoff, a singer/songwriter, keyboard player, percussionist, guitarist, stepper, and voiceover artist. I have been performing all of my life, but as a living - exclusively for about the past 12 years. I have my own band, Jason Yudoff & The New Hotness, and have released 3 albums independantly. My latest, Tragic Hero has been placed on the 2008 Grammy Ballot in 4 categories including Album of the
Year and Best New Artist. I play regular shows in NYC and Los Angeles, including the House Of Blues in L.A. on January 17th.

In addition to my band and songwriting, which is still more of a passion than a viable
source of income, I create and perform in Stomp-style shows for live corporate industrials, (using broomsticks, buckets, and just about anything you can think of to create rythyms), I play percussion for private and corporate events and functions, do sideman work for other artists, have produced and arranged other songwriters’ material, and have recorded over 1500 voiceovers for national, international,
regional and local commercials, promos and videos. As you can tell, I like keeping a low profile...

How many hats do you wear during the creation process?

I have a huge hat collection which not only takes up my entire closet, but also my apartment, my car, and everywhere I look… Seriously though, I do pretty much everything myself. Other than stuff like the actual packaging of my albums, or doing actual website design or hardcore graphic work (even though I conceptualize and walk through the processes), I make myself responsible for everything else. I market
myself, write my own material, schedule and coordinate my band’s rehearsals, performances, arrangements, and promotion. I work with agents for voiceovers and for corporate drumming, but never stop marketing myself, in all areas. When you work for yourself, the store never closes, so to speak... I spend a lot of time updating press materials, keeping in touch with hundreds of people, sending out promo
packages, always trying to create opportunity, and of course – the fun part - the actual performances.

What steps do you prefer to take alone and when do you open up to
collaboration?

I am open to collaboration in many areas of my performing life, but generally not when it comes to writing my own songs. I certainly welcome other people’s input when it comes to marketing and promotion, graphic design, choreography (if I’m doing music or drumming for a corporate gig), open to arrangement ideas, etc... I love the synergy you get bouncing ideas back and forth with people. That said, my own music is very personal to me, and I choose not to collaborate on lyrics or basic song structure for songs that I would perform. I just feel that if someone else has written what I’m singing, or if someone else came up with the chord change from the solo into the bridge, I wouldn’t feel truly authentic or as connected to the material. In any other performance, directorial or writing capacity, I enjoy creating with other like-minded creatives. Mostly I just try to recognize and go with my own strengths, and to put my trust in the right people who can help me succeed in the areas that I’m either not strong or not interested.

Which creation and production tools are indispensable for you?

For me, the creative process includes a pen and paper, a pack of Malboro Lights, post-its, bottled water, a joint, my keyboard, and a voicemail that I sing song ideas into when I’m on the street. I don’t drink coffee or soda, and I have probably one southern comfort on the rocks a week. Somehow, I stay up very late even without caffine, and get a lot of work done between the hours of 1 – 5 AM. My laptop is the
key to my production, holding all of my press materials, pics, lyrics, contacts, videos, all my music files and basically everything I have and need.

What do you think is integral to your survival as an independent artist?

Well, there are many levels of survival. For me to survive personally, I need to always be performing, writing songs, playing music. Professionally, I’ve always felt that diversification was the key. Maybe it’s my attention span, or maybe I just want to do too much. But I have succeeded professionally by doing many different things in the entertainment business, and not throwing all of my eggs in one basket.
I’ve made a living playing the drums, keyboards, doing voiceovers, writing corporate shows, performing in live industrials, acting, rythym consulting, on a national tour, and was even a talent agent (ten lives ago…) representing Sharon Leal, James Van Der Beek, Tara Reid and Julia Stiles. I love the diversity, it keeps me on my toes and from getting bored. In my ideal world, many album sales and playing live shows with
my band would afford me a fantastically satisfying life if that was all I had to do to live. But I'd still want to do other things anyway.

With whom would you like to collaborate in 2008?

I will be collaborating with Noah Racey, a Broadway show veteran performer and choreographer, on a tap-rock opera. I also have open step jams once a month in NYC for drummers, percussionists and tap dancers to come down and work out some collective grooves. I am also interested this year on working on songs for other artists, and finding other artists to perform songs I have written but don't feel fits my current direction. Rick Rubin would be nice... I am always open to collaboration with talented people in any genre, if there's a vibe...

What projects lie ahead?

In 2008, one of my goals is to bring my original music around the country and world as often as I can. I am starting the year off right, playing 3 shows in Los Angeles in mid January, including the House of Blues, where I’ve always wanted to play. I am planning tour dates in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, up and down California and the East Coast, and hopefully Australia by the end of the year. I’m looking forward to creating more drum shows, and working on that rock opera. I would also like to keep recording new songs, to always be in the studio even in between album productions. I also want to join or form a side project where I just play keys – some powerfunk jamband project where I can use the moog and the Hammond organ and just find my place in the groove.

What advice would you share with a new artist starting his/her
career?

Do it now. Whatever you’re thinking you want to accomplish, go right after it. Time keeps moving faster and faster. As the technology advances while society’s attention span dwindles, there is so much over-saturation and competetion for just 60 seconds of someone’s attention. People would rather log onto youtube and watch a 5 year old
hit his father in the balls with a hammer than find new music they can call their own. If you're a screenwriter, people have a thousand channels at home and DVR, they don't need to go to the movies... It's a different world for entertainers now, and you really have to want what you go after, because the people who succeed are the people who actually put things down on paper. They are people who actually GO into
the recording studio – not just talk about it. Put the pipe down and buy some envelopes and postage. Send your stuff out, don’t sit home afraid of rejection and hoping for a miracle. Believe in yourself and your dream, and don't ever let anyone discourage or discredit your talent and ambition. Go after it. He who never quits, wins.

www.jasonyudoff.com - Official Website
www.myspace.com/jasonyudoffandthenewhotness - MySpace
www.cdbaby.com/yudoff3 - Tragic Hero on CD Baby

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