Posted 1:28 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5, 2015
Taylor has managed to balance a career as a high school principal as well as the lead singer for Altered Five, an internationally-renowned blues band based in Milwaukee.
UWL alumnus proves that perseverance as a musician can lead to success
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Alumnus Jeff Taylor performing at the North Dakota Blues Festival.[/caption]
UW-La Crosse alumnus Jeff Taylor, ‘85, has spent his entire life around music. While some might call music an “unstable profession,” Taylor has managed to balance a career as a high school principal as well as the lead singer for Altered Five, an internationally-renowned blues band based in Milwaukee. Taylor received the Parker Multicultural Alumni Award in 2010.
The blues band, formed in 2002, is comprised of five members: Taylor as the lead vocalist, Jeff Schroedl on the guitar, Scott Schroedl on drums, Mark Solveson on the bass and Raymond Tevich on keyboard.
As a music education major, Taylor spent his time outside of the classroom playing several combos and trios at the Pearl Street Pub on Thursday nights. He also played in a jazz trio that performed on the La Crosse Queen Cruises every Wednesday night during the summer.
When the Altered Five quintet first came together, Taylor was working as an assistant principal and also taught piano on the side at a local music store. What started as a way to continue playing music, turned out to be where he would meet his future bandmates.
“If someone would have told me back then that I would end up being the front man for an internationally-known blues band, I would have laughed,” he says. “This has been a truly incredible experience.”
Altered Five has won numerous awards, most recently “Best Self-Released CD” at the 2015 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, Tennessee. The band has also received the award of “Blues Artist of the Year” at the 2014 Wisconsin Area Music Industry (WAMI) Awards Show, and even produced their most recent album with Grammy-winner Tom Hambridge. “Working with Tom took the band to a whole new level,” Taylor says.
Prior to UWL, Taylor played the trumpet, wrote his own music and played in different bands. His high school music teacher, Mr. Donald Wolff, gave him the inspiration to choose music education as his college major. “He was a great teacher, but he also gave me great advice about life because I have no father. He spent a lot of time talking to me about jazz and orchestra, and explained to me very early that in order to create great music, you have to learn all that you can about different musical genres,” he says. “Mr. Wolff was the one teacher who was able to reach me and keep me engaged.”
Wolff even allowed Taylor to take home instruments throughout high school that were not commonly used in the band and attempt to learn how to play them. “This gave me a tremendous advantage when I arrived at UWL,” Taylor says.
“My advice to students who are doubting a career in music is to do the research, gather information and learn to be flexible,” Taylor says.