Jeff Bell is a musician & visual artist currently living in Mansfield, OH. He is a key member of YelloWall Collective. He has been performing music for 15 years and, between his former band & solo projects, has put out 12 CDs . He has been a visual artist for 10 years. I sat down with him in the square across from his downtown loft where we shared a smoke & explored how music & art collide in his life. GypsyLuc: Can we start off by you sharing about the different facets of your artistic/creative life?
Jeff Bell: My art ranges from making djembe drums, mandolins & guitars to odd prototype instruments which are mostly unsuccessful but fun to do. Then there is painting, drawing, sculpture, playing, singing, songwriting & all aspects of composition.
GypsyLuc: Knowing you for a year & a half, I think it’s safe to say that music is very important to you. In addition to the actual music, your artworks usually have a musical theme. What is it about music that speaks to you?
Jeff Bell: More than anything it is probably just the freedom of expression. With art you have to have stuff & have to use just that one material. With music you can do it with almost nothing - with the simplest instruments even.
GypsyLuc: What is the nature of your relationship with music? Would you call it love?
Jeff Bell: No, I wouldn’t call it love because I think love is mostly an emotion or state of mind or feeling. I’d say I’d probably call it an obsession - something I have to do. It’s like checking the door lock two or three times before you leave. It’s more like a sickness than an emotion. Maybe like a disease… It’s sort of a relationship/obsession in some ways.
GypsyLuc: How long has this obsession with music been going on?
Jeff Bell: Since the age of three - as soon as I could climb up on the piano bench. I grew up with my grandparents. My grandma was a music teacher & probably 60 students came through there in a week.
GypsyLuc: If you see an artwork or hear a piece of music you created 15 years ago, how do you respond to it?
Jeff Bell: It depends on the piece. Obviously, some things from the past you like & are still attached to for a long time. Some things you knew you weren’t going to fall in love with when you finished them - although you still feel a connection to it regardless. You realize you were still honing your craft at that time.
GypsyLuc: What percentage of songs have you written which have never made it out to a public venue? How many artworks have you completely painted over?
Jeff Bell: Maybe 25% of songs I’ve written have never been heard publicly. As for paintings I’ve completely painted over - the number is low! Maybe 2 or 3... I don’t do that often because it’s just something you shouldn’t do. I’d scold myself for that! That would be one more painting you would have.
GypsyLuc: You recently quit your day job. Why was that? Was it difficult?
Jeff Bell: I’ve never had a lot of day jobs. If I do, they last for a while, but it’s always about the music! It’s always been about music. After 15 years of traveling & touring, I quit the band I was in to take some time off. I got offered a job building carrousels. It was great but it was easy to let that go. Music somehow always pays better. If you compare it to a day job, working 40 hours per week, you can make that in one night with music. It makes it hard to say yes to any day job.
GypsyLuc: While working for ‘the man’, how did you ensure you still had time for creative pursuits?
Jeff Bell: I only worked two days a week! I made sure when I took that job that it would be part-time. I don’t choose one or the other. I made that choice a long time ago. I decided that if I took day jobs I would keep it to a minimum.
GypsyLuc: What progression or changes have you seen in your materials, methods & subject matter over time?
Jeff Bell: It’s true that with any medium you work with you gradually go up & hit plateaus. It’s never a steady climb. With music, you notice your playing & songwriting getting better. Your wordsmithing gets better over time. With art, the more you think about it - the easier it is to come up with better ideas.
GypsyLuc: When performing or creating are you ‘present’? Are you aware of your audience & surroundings or do you go to some other place?
Jeff Bell: Both. There are times when I’m painting or creating art of some kind & I get lost. That right-brain-switch just happens & I get lost. When performing you’re aware of your audience most of the time. You can be thinking about what you might do for the rest of the evening, where you’re going to eat, sex, anything. There are times, when it's going well, that you get sort of lost.
GypsyLuc: If you had to lose your hearing or your eyesight - which would you choose?
Jeff Bell: Oh man! That is an unfair question! Those are my only two options? How about half of both? If I had to choose I’d rather be blind. I could still play music & still perform. But, I’d need a chauffeur…
GypsyLuc: What current projects or goals do you have in the works?
Jeff Bell: As for projects: I’m finishing a CD. I’m getting ready to finish the writing & begin the recording. There are always some paintings coming up on the list & probably some wood sculptures. As for goals: more traveling for music - more so than the last year or two. The South is always nice. I’m hoping to get into the Woodchoppers Ball up in Kent where they pick 10 acoustic guitar players from around the Midwest.
GypsyLuc: What would be the ultimate setup for you as an artist/musician?
Jeff Bell: Hell! I think I might already have it right now. It would be a situation where if you do work a day job you don’t work much & can devote, say, 95% of your time to art. That’s probably most artists’ dream situation. But, I’m not sure most people know what that is. From talking to some people, I’m not sure they would even know what to do with that time.
GypsyLuc: So let’s say that you are in that dream situation right now. How long can you remain content in it?
Jeff Bell: I think forever pretty much! Even in a dream situation I might switch media, play for awhile, go back to art. Yeah. Pretty much forever.
GypsyLuc: You possess multiple talents. Do you consider yourself to be any more gifted than the next guy?
Jeff Bell: Hell no. Hell no! I think everybody has attributes or excel in certain areas. It may not be art or music. There are a lot of people who can do things far better than I can do them!
GypsyLuc: Any last words? Is there anything you want to toss out - one last song - before this show comes to an end?
Jeff Bell: Not really. I’m not a soap-boxer. I’m not political. I don’t really take a stand on a lot of things. I’m much happier to live life & not get too serious about any one individual situation.
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