The one-man band, Jeremy Abbot, brought a ukulele, several guitars and pre-recorded beats to John’s Alley Tavern last Saturday night to perform once again in his hometown of Moscow.
Twenty years ago, he packed up his things and moved to the Seattle area where he still resides today. He moved there to get into the thriving music scene where bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana were becoming heavy hitters at the time. Despite this music scene, Abbot was surprised by lack of appreciation for music the grassroots music community had.
“The grassroots community didn’t have the kind of local appreciation for music that Moscow does,” Abbot said. “This place is just crazy awesome, with people that’ll come to John’s Alley, go to One World and all over the places in Moscow and be willing to listen to music.”
He said the major difference between Seattle and Moscow is people in Seattle only want to see bands they know of. In Moscow however, people are more willing to go to the local venues and give bands they’ve never listened to a shot. Abbot said he has a special appreciation for John’s Alley specifically.
“If you talk to a medium sized band from Montana, to probably Utah, to Oregon and up, they all know John’s Alley,” Abbot said. “It’s pretty amazing that it still exists here in Moscow, and I think it speaks to the music community and how cool the music community is here.”
As an artist, Abbot grew up listening to rock bands like Alice in Chains and over the last few years has grown an appreciation for reggae. He likes the message behind a lot of reggae songs, how fun the music is and the up-cuts on the beat. Some of his favorite bands to cover in performances are Alice in Chains, Stick Figure, Green Day and John Denver. Abbot describes his own music as hybrid-reggae.
He started performing in front of audiences two years ago in the Seattle area and said he has been gaining confidence in his performances. When he first started out, he said he would see people walk into the music venues expecting to see their favorite blues band. Abbot was worried when he played people might walk out because his music was different.
“They were never going to be my fan,” Abbot said. “It’s not John’s Alley, they’re all picky over there. If it’s not their favorite blues band they’re going to walk out. And I had to learn to not let that hurt my feelings and stay confident and keep playing what I like playing.”
Making money isn’t the reason Abbot enjoys writing and performing music. He owns his own electrical company and works there. He enjoys performing because it is a stress reliever from his day job and it gives him a creative outlet to express himself by. However, if the opportunity came he said he would quit his day job to make music for a living.
Even though Abbot moved to the Seattle area with the goal in mind of making music for a living, he doesn’t regret anything that has happened.
“Life has a way of nudging you in different directions. The best you can do is surf it, and try to go with the flow,” Abbot said. “I firmly believe if you want something, and make effort towards that, doors will open. You just need to walk through that door.”
Sam Bruce can be reached at [email protected].
Jeremy Abbott
Thank you Sam, I enjoyed talking to you and my night at John's Alley!