JEAN SHEPHARD Born in the Bronx, raised in Miami, lives in ...
HEPHARD
Born in the Bronx, raised in Miami, lives in Brooklyn. Formed the band Radio Mundial with his brother, Richard. Specializes in igniting stages with a mixture of funk and old-school Latin. Sugar for your soul. Singer, songwriter, plays electric guitar and cuatro.
Tell me about the industry. Being in the music business now is difficult; nobody wants to support, everybody's stealing and the labels aren't paying. The venues are the only thing keeping people alive. People still want to see live musicthey have an appreciation for it. More so in Europe, I think, than in the States, MTV has robbed the people of their own opinion of music. They want to see what's on tv and follow that. The music business is dominating right now, not the artist.
What is your relationship to art? I'm Puerto Rican and Peruvian, so the Latin stuff I play, heavy duty, has to do with what's in my blood. But I'm creating and molding a style for myself. I'm getting close, and I think people are feeling that. By the next record, I should have the thing perfected.
How do you sculpt a piece of music? No form. At any moment of the day, your creativity just wakes up and goes, "Gotta write, right now." Sometimes it can be a long process. You'll be playing one song through 10 shows, and each time you're throwing it out there and watching it develop on its own.
How much of music is a craft that can be taught, and how much comes from within? I believe music could be taught completely, 100 percent, to anybody. But the really difficult part about that is the teacher. I think teaching is totally backward when it comes to music. You need a teacher who's gonna teach you, "Don't worry about being better than the next man, just try and find your voice. Try and find what connects you to people." That's why we have so many poor musicians out there, or musicians who are super-talented but are playing madness. They're too cerebral. You have to find what it is that you love. And then you go out and play that with all your heart.
Live or recorded? I get a heavy satisfaction from lounging back and hearing something I recorded. But for the rush, you get supercharged when you're playing in front of a lot of people. I lose my mind. When shit rolls, you can do no wrong.
What is music? Music is like air. Necessary.
Radio Mundial plays Thurs., April 29 at S.O.B.'s, 204 Varick St. (Houston St.), 212-243-4940, 9, $12.