Seattle People Q&A: Jeff Talks Cassettes, Reggae, and the Racquet Club Over a Veggie Benedict

Jenny Jimenez

Watch Jenny Jimenez's Seattle People slideshow featuring the people and places of Crown Hill.

Every week, photographer and conversationalist Jenny Jimenez ventures out into the city and brings back photos and notes about the folks she encounters. This week she found Jeff at the Wild Mountain Cafe eating his usual veggie benedict.

Questions & Photos by Jenny Jimenez:

What kind of music are you into?

All kinds. I play bass and am in a band called Publish the Quest, a 7 piece. I'm in another band called Sunshine Junkie. Brand new, just started. Last week was our first show.

How did you get into music?

I was into music from the get go. My parents had vinyl albums, so I listened to theirs. We had an 8-track player in the car. I remember when cassette tapes came along. I had this little red cassette player and I'd set it next to the radio speaker and wait for a song and press record, then stop when it was done in order to make your mixed tapes. I wish I still had those. I have a lot of stuff but not that.

What was the first album you remember buying or really identifying with?

When I was a little kid I liked John Denver and used to fake play along to his songs on my little guitar. Country Roads was a favorite song. Then there was another guy, Cat Stevens. When I was a teenager it was probably Led Zeppelin IV. That's about when I started to get into reggae, at around age 15.

What reggae musicians turned you towards the genre?

Marley was the first, and then the band Culture. They were out of Jamaica. I think they produced the best catalog of music from that genre. And possibly the largest, although Burning Spear has a ton, too.

What was your first show?

I think it was a reggae festival at the Woodbury Ski & Racquet Club in Connecticut. I'm from the Northwest corner of Connecticut. They used to run it all summer. I think they still do.

What was the last show you saw?

Brett Dennen at the Moore. He's fantastic. You should check him out. He had a full band. Kind of a fusion approach. They play a little Afrobeat and dabble in a little Americana. I saw him at Bumbershoot the first time. We were kind of walking by the Mural Ampitheatre late Sunday night and we had had it, we were so tired and there he was singing and it was one of those moments when you feel you're never gonna forget this time so we stopped to listen to him. I bought all his records and now I'm a total fan. The Moore isn't my favorite venue, but we were fortunate enough to get on main floor and it was pretty good. I've had bad experiences up in the balcony where you couldn't hear anything and the sound was bad.

What were you listening to this morning?

I was sort of brushing up on my songs for tonight. Publish the Quest has a show on Vashon. I was listening to our first record and our new stuff that is coming out next year, which is in production right now.