Meet Kristofer Jedd

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Kristofer Jedd.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My love for music started when I was very young. The earliest memory I have was when my parents would put on records like The Beatles’ ‘The White Album.’ I recall feeling this sense of pure joy, security, and warmth. I also remember when my uncle came to visit when I was about 4 or 5 years old. I was in the basement playing piano, not having taken lessons at all, and my uncle came downstairs asking what I was playing. 

I replied, ‘I call this one summer day’. The next day, my uncle asked if I could play him on a summer day again, and somehow, I remembered it and played it for him. I guess that was my first original song, haha. In later years, I discovered my dad’s 1976 wine red Les Paul Custom. From the moment I held it, I became obsessed with the guitar then on. I started getting into all sorts of music, taking introductions to anything new from my family. 

My dad was responsible for showing me classics like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath to oddballs like Blodwyn Pig and King Crimson. My mom handed down the taste of blues legends like B.B. King, Howlin’ Wolf, and John Lee Hooker. My siblings then opened me up to other worlds of artists like Sufjan Stevens, STRFKR, Radiohead, and my all-time favorite band hailing from Japan, The Pillows. 

We had all sorts of instruments growing up, and I tinkered away on drums, harmonica, and keyboards. I started writing music all the time, locking myself in my basement or bedroom with a guitar, and ended up jamming with friends from school, ultimately starting my first band ‘Kaleidoscope Hall’. I started playing open mics and small shows around town. I remember booking a show at some bar, my friends and I got there, and they didn’t realize we were underage so they wouldn’t let us play and we got kicked out. 

We went across the street to a Gazebo, plugged in, started rocking out, and eventually, the police shut it down, haha. I later on got into recording and saved up for this portable hand recorder the ZOOM H4n, I took that thing everywhere recording demos in the bathroom, the bog, even a cemetery. I ended up moving to Nashville in 2015 in pursuit of meeting more musicians, and I went to a trade school specializing in audio engineering. 

In Nashville, I continued recording music under my solo moniker ‘Okemo’ and started playing guitar for other artists around town. I also interned at some studios, honing my recording skills. Nashville proved to be a mecca of all things music. The city has so much talent and love for music and such a solid community of artists and activists. I then met my now best friend Baxter White, and we started writing songs together, forming a band together called ‘Blackpool Mecca’. We started recording tunes and have been touring across the US since 2018. Blackpool Mecca’s first single ‘Boys’ released in 2019 (mixed and mastered by Kolton Lee) landed us as ‘artist of the week’ on Nashville’s local 102.9 The Buzz. 

Following singles such as ‘Darts’ and ‘Peach Smoke’ were featured on Lightning 100. We did extensive touring across major US cities, notably playing a live Jam in The Van session in Austin as well as drawing sellout crowds in Nashville and Chicago. Blackpool Mecca’s 2023 EP ‘Since Venezuela’ was recorded at The Sound Kitchen in Franklin, TN, and produced by Parker Forbes. Our forthcoming EP is set to be released in 2024 in partnership with Vere Music/Warner Music Group. The new EP was recorded at Polychrome Ranch and produced by Jared Corder of the band *repeat repeat.*

Aside from Blackpool Mecca’s busy schedule, I’ve been an audio engineering assistant at Polychrome Ranch for almost a year now and I am currently releasing singles from my next Okemo album. My latest single ‘Blood Money’ is out now. I am also releasing Lofi beats under the name ‘Lofi Tofu’ and am collaborating with others as well as producing/mixing some rap and rock albums for some local scene artists. 

We all face challenges, but would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There has been literal blood, sweat, and tears that have gone into doing what I love. This road has been all but smooth, but I don’t ever see myself doing anything else. There’s a lot of time and energy that goes into making music you’re proud of and making it all happen. 

There are some environments that are toxic and people in the industry that treat you as subhuman. I steer clear of those cliques and gatekeepers. Mental health and addiction are other things that are being talked about more but not enough. A lot of venues will give out drink tickets but nothing for actual food, for example. This really helps foster a habit over time, and far too many musicians end up struggling with a budding addiction that they feel too ashamed to talk about since it’s seen as normalized. 

Artists do not get paid enough at all, and our access to mental health care and healthcare, in general, is very restricted unless we’re burning ourselves out with a 9-5 as well, which many have to do. Blackpool Mecca had an out-of-town show where we just made enough to cover costs to repair our van as the breaks went out and we rolled in for the gig. We truly couldn’t have done it without our Chicago fans! Buying merch is one of the best ways to support artists! 

You’ve got to find good venues and communities that take care of each other. For example, an organization that I stand behind is Calling All Crows. They have campaigns that educate and help maintain safe spaces for women, LGBTQ+, and BIPOC communities, which is SO important as there are a lot of spaces that are not safe. It’s our job to keep others accountable and make sure that we’re actively creating safe places. 

With this passion and pursuing it, maintaining relationships in general can be difficult, and there are some aspects of the industry that are lonely. On top of maintaining all of this work to make ends meet, it can be hard to support friends and make time for yourself. 

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love the community of artists and activists! This music scene is amazing. There are far too many bands from our scene to rattle off that are killing it. In the nearly 10 years I’ve lived here, there has always been good music and food to find.

Off the top of my head, Basement East, The East Room and Drkmttr are my top 3 venues in town. Hawkers Asian Street Food is my most recent favorite food spot. I’m also very fond of The Groove, Grimey’s, Vinyl tap, East Side Music Supply and the Pet Community Center. Byrd Finds, Mirror Mirror, Watch It Burn Records and Vegilicious are a few other amazing small businesses around town. All the radio stations out here have incredible staff and they are always helping out our local scene. Part of why I moved here was because of how much opportunity there is and how you can find dope bands here in any genre of music.

As for what I don’t like or think we need to improve; We desperately need to shift away from vehicular dependency and get the city a functional public transit system. Our roads are atrocious, and our tax dollars are seemingly not being invested into the city’s true infrastructural and social needs. It’s also been sad to see small businesses and land being taken away by wealthy development companies that are turning parts of Nashville into over priced apartment buildings and parking lots. The rise in cost of living has forced many into homelessness or to move outside of the city.

Our political leaders are absolutely damaging our community. I dislike the dangerous bills being pushed and how much systemic racism and hate there is. I recognize that it’s everywhere, but there is a significant past and comfortability of it in the South. Being queer myself, I’ve witnessed and been targeted by some pretty upsetting interactions in certain areas.

That to say, we do have a very strong community of us who are showing up, speaking up, and fighting against these types of things and that’s why I still enjoy living here. Thank you for giving me the time and space to talk with you!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeddeye77/ and https://www.instagram.com/blackpoolmecca_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blackpoolmecca/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/BlackpoolMecca_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YHCUC7VIu4

Image Credits
Kaley Fluke and Fred Miller