The Cityzen Q & A: Jacob Harris Traditional Non-Tradition by Darren Paltrowitz Every December in metropolitan New York, the holiday spirit emerges and out comes the schmoozing. Alas, we receive invitations for the annual holiday parties of your trade or industry, we find ourselves – on a few occasions -- balancing the standard workday with a nighttime happening with free finger-food and an open bar. Or so my December tends to go as a music industry lackey.

At one such party in 2004, I encountered a gentleman who looked to be around my age – and this being a chic party of suit-clad agents, that meant something. We struck up a conversation, and I quickly found out that he, Jacob Harris, was the manager of Mobius Band and (the now-famous and Cityzen-beloved) Matisyahu.

Harris is also the mastermind behind the annual Jewltide extravaganza, which for its 3rd year gave New York-based Jews a cool place to be on December 24th.

Corresponding via e-mail during his break in Arizona, JH kindly provided some “A” to my “Q,” covering everything from the needed roles of an artist manager to the finer points of the NYC scene around us.

Click Above To View Matisyahu's New Video "King Without A Crown"

Cityzen: Is there anything you wish that more people knew about you specifically? Jacob Harris: I'd love to manage The Killers and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. CZ: How did the concept of Jewltide begin? JH: It's a well-known fact amongst Jewish people that the only things to do on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, if you aren't celebrating, is go to the movies, go out for Chinese food, or sit at home reading depressing non-fiction. Jewltide is a better, cheaper, cooler option with quality new Jewish music and unexpected perks like free donuts and Hanukkah gelt even though the events are held at music venues. CZ: Do you feel there are misconceptions about Jewltide and the people involved with it? JH: Well if so, let me set the record straight: JDub is not affiliated with any Jewish dating services, synagogues, or political anything beyond the aforementioned social justice groups and even that is seldom.  We're really serious about producing events and putting out records for ourselves and our peer group, and we're even more serious about feeling like it's cool to be Jewish no matter how "Jewish" you are. CZ: Professionally speaking, what is your favorite part about what you do?

JH: Listening to music everyday and talking to real fans at shows and online.  I read message boards and blogs a bit obsessively late at night, and real fans make it all worthwhile.  Most of the industry looks at ticket sales, record sales, radio charts, new press, blah, blah, blah.  If you're a fan, you don't care about any of that stuff.  After you hear about new music, you care about what it means to you and your friends -- what your experience is with the songs and sounds, and how it's all tied together with your life and your emotional memory.

CZ: What made you want to get into the music industry? JH: I figured out in college that I was better at getting my band gigs and promoting shows than I was at actually playing the piano or the drums. Moreover, I liked it better too.  I could get 200 people to come see my shitty band, and I was psyched about that, but I would be nervous the entire time I was on-stage and not enjoy myself.  The setup was always the best part.

CZ: What was the first industry-related position that you held?  Is there someone you consider a mentor?

JH: Beyond my drumming days, I began booking shows at Boston University when I was 18 with my friend Rob Marscher.  We had the pleasure to work with Bob Dylan, Guster, Natalie Merchant, Method Man, Soulive, and whole slew of great local Boston bands and hip-hop acts.  The BU administration had not allowed big concerts in years because of the damage a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert had caused to school property in the early 90's, so we actually had to fight with administrators to let us put on shows with a portion of the money allocated for student activities.

For smaller shows, we sometimes risked our own money, which was a joke because we were both on scholarships.  We never knew if we'd make it back, or the university would reimburse us, but things usually worked out. Through that I met a lot of agents, promoters, managers, and tour managers, including Tim Collins (Aerosmith's manager from day one through the golden years), and a guy named Ralph Jaccodine, who was my mentor and whom I worked for during and after college for a bit.  He managed The Push Stars, Ellis Paul, and Martin Sexton at the time and ran a successful indie-folk label called Black Wolf that now has a book-publishing arm.

Ralph and Tim started a slightly underground organization of Boston managers that met monthly to talk about the state of the industry and create new business.  It still exists and is a pretty crazy thing considering the cutthroat competition of the rest of the industry.  For me, though, it was my number one networking tool at age 19, and one that I still use today even though I now live in Brooklyn.

CZ: Is there a specific goal that you are holding yourself to in your career? JH: My goals are to always be pushing music that I am passionate about, and to create partnerships with artists where I represent them as they wish to be represented, but also push them to think about and "perfect" their art and its presentation. CZ: Is there any advice that you have for someone aiming to work around music but on their own terms? JH: Persistence, low overhead, and complete faith in the music.

CZ: Musically speaking, from a resident's perspective, is Brooklyn as cool as they say that it is?

JH: Yes and no.  No first.  There is at least one really horrible art-rock band, or indie band, or whatever you want to call them, playing in Williamsburg at all hours.  Compounding the problem, there seems to be a new incompetent hipster promoter throwing shows with poor sound and no heat or A/C every weekend. To my ears and eyes, there isn't a scene really that cares about quality or development in Brooklyn right now…Of course, the real venues like Southpaw, Warsaw, St. Ann's Warehouse, and BAM are still great, and if you are into world music and underground hip-hop the less cool, less safe parts of Brooklyn are where it's at.  Record shops like Ethiopian Taste have music you can't get anywhere except Africa.

CZ: Are there any local artists out there not getting the due you feel they deserve?

JH: Always.  The now-defunct Sea Ray was the best band New York had seen in long time, and it's a shame that they didn't blow up like they should have before they called it quits.  They were honestly my favorite New York band.  The Winter Pageant and Au Revoir Simone definitely deserve national indie attention, and every New Yorker should see Balkan Beat Box.  Every New Yorker.

CZ: With so many new New York area venues springing up in the past year and some, where is your favorite place to see a show?

JH: Bowery Ballroom.  Hands down it's still the room with the best sound, best staff, best development (a la Mercury Lounge), and by default, the best promotion.  They're so fucking cool they don't have to take out extra ads for any one show because people look at their Village Voice ad and their website religiously.

CZ: What specifically is it that draws you to an artist and makes you determine that you'd like to manage them and/or put out their music?

JH: Passion, persistence, and quality.  If the quality is there, the artist has to want it above all else, even if it means working a second job, and being on the road a lot.  An understanding of how hard it is to really be a professional musician helps, but usually that comes as a shock along the way.

CZ: As far as the music industry goes, where do you see the role of the MP3 to be going?  Will it ever replace the CD?

JH: Digital sales still only comprise a small percentage of total record sales (even smaller internationally), but they are definitely on the rise.  I have no doubt that the CD will be replaced down the line as major labels are still charging too much for them, but I also think MP3 players are cost prohibitive and internationally, people do not have the same kind of computer access that Americans who talk about technology do.  Once all those playing fields are leveled...we'll see.  Personally, I love great album artwork, so I'll be sad to see them go.

CZ: Finally, Jacob, any last words for the kids?

JH: Check out www.mobiusband.com and www.matisyahu.org!