As artists, we all have more responsibilities than we often realize. Fans of our music will often look up to us for more than just our song output. With the social media society we are now in, the fans expect to see more of our lives than just our musical output. Being a good person and leader can help further a career greatly. A perfect example is our recent find, Josh Pfeiffer.
The Sacramento, California based singer-songwriter has lived a good life and aims to share his good fortune with the world. He has put his amazing voice to good use helping raise funds for the American Cancer Society, Habitat For Humanity, and the American Red Cross.
Josh Pfeiffer is quite the unexpected success story. He did not even pursue a career in music until he sang at a family member’s wedding and was pushed into it by the positive response. Now with his children getting older and more independent, Josh is pouring in all his energy to reach for his dream.
The latest single by Josh Pfeiffer is titled “Life.” It is a powerful song that is as touching as it is pretty. There is an elegance to the music. Not overly complicated and just enough. The silky smooth vocals are the real highlight here. Josh Pfeiffer’s voice has a way of reaching deep into your soul to set it at ease.
Josh also released the music video for his single “Life”. It was directed by Emmy Award winner Alejandro Guimoye in 2016. Filmed along the Northern California coast, the video is a tribute to Josh’s late parents and features his daughter Tamara Pfeiffer.
We had a chance to catch up with Josh Pfeiffer and get a deeper look into his musical inspirations and future plans. Enjoy the interview here:
What first drew you into the independent music world as an entertainer?
I was passionate about music from the time I was a young boy so I always thought of it as a possibility. But I had kind of laid music down to focus on starting a family. The turning point was singing at a family member’s wedding and getting a response so positive that I decided I needed to do more with it.
How would you describe the Josh Pfeiffer sound?
I’ve always been drawn to the jazz big band era and my first album includes covers of some of the great standards. One of the things I’ve tried to do as an artist is to make adjustments to match what ever genre I’m working with. My sound is kind of a melting pot of jazz, blues, rock, folk, country, and pop with undertones popping up in various songs. One constant is that my sound is usually very vocally focused because that is my primary instrument.
Who would you say are your biggest influences?
Every artist I like has probably had some influence on me. A few that stand out are Andy Williams, Frank Sinatra, U2, and James Blunt. My biggest musical influences though have been my late parents Gary and Joyce Pfeiffer, one of my mentors Jim Wells, and friend and collaborator David Schram.
As someone who is my age (40’s) how do you find time to balance music and everyday family responsibilities?
I started my family at such a young age that this was actually a bigger challenge a few years ago. One of the nice things about being an independent artist is that I was able make career choices and adjustments that kept my family the priority. My kids are now pretty independent at ages 22, 21, and 18, and my wife is my business partner and travels with me so it’s a whole new phase now.
What is the Josh Pfeiffer songwriting process? Take us through how a song comes to be?
I usually have a general idea of the lyrics and story I want to tell. I then find a chord progression that I like. Then I just see what melody comes to me and fits with the lyrics.
Tell us about your newest single and video ‘Life’
I wrote the song to sum up all of the emotions I feel when I think about this journey of “Life” each of us is on. The concept and story of the video centers around the Life and Love story of my parents as I take a trip down memory lane to say one final good-bye.
What is next for Josh Pfeiffer?
I just finished filming a music video for my soon to release single “Brand New Shoes”. It’s a llight-hearted love story making the comparison of a new love relationship fitting like a pair of brand new shoes. It’s a different style than anything else I’ve released so I’m looking forward to seeing how people respond to it. Release is scheduled for the first week of December.
What advice would you give other artists pursuing their passion?
Be true to yourself and don’t be afraid to take some risks. Try to have clarity on what it is you truly want to achieve, whether it’s independence, impacting people, fame, wealth, etc. Having a clear vision will help you make the best decisions along the way.
Find more Josh Pfeiffer on SPOTIFY and his own WEBSITE
Check out his social media as well:
https://www.facebook.com/joshpfeiffermusic
https://www.instagram.com/josh_pfeiffer_
https://twitter.com/josh_pfeiffer_
