Before he basked in the glory of his solo days, Jeffrey Krantz earned his stripes as a member of The Effects, where he spent 200-plus days yearly on the road, getting to share the stage with bands like The Toadies, Shinedown and Kings Of Leon.
Nowadays, if bangers like “Louisiana” and “Beach (Moonlight Rendezvous)” serve as any indication, the Nashville alt-rocker/songwriter can certainly bring the jams when need be.
Over the past year, Krantz has collaborated with the likes of Cage The Elephant guitarist Lincoln Parrish and has worked tirelessly to sharpen his own style – a combination of glitzy rock ‘n’ roll, confidence and melodies that knocks on the door of modern alt-rock “father figures” like Green Day and Weezer.
The Music Bugle had the chance to speak with him about what he has been up to lately and more.
Music Bugle – How would you describe Nashville to someone who has never been there before?
Krantz – Well, it’s currently insane with tourists lately. I think now that things are opening back up, people have gone stir-crazy and are wanting to let loose more than ever. I can’t really complain though, because it’s not a bad thing for myself. It’s definitely grown quite a bit in the 12 years I’ve been there and it isn’t the little town it used to be. Live music everywhere, which is great!
Music Bugle – What excites you the most about your style of music?
Krantz – One of the things I really love about rock is there are so many different avenues you can go down musically. All of my albums have a different vibe and that’s one thing I love about albums too. Sometimes, I’ll be in an acoustic chill mood and then I wanna rock out and get heavy. With rock, you can do it all…
Music Bugle – What was your goal for your release “Beach”?
Krantz – I was hoping it could be everyone’s summer theme song!
Music Bugle – Which of your songs were the hardest to write?
Krantz – “Kittykat” was one that took a lot of time to finish. It has lots of different parts and lots of words and being a cat owner, it was fun to use different innuendos that could be about my cat, or a lady friend, if ya know what I mean….
Music Bugle – Who are you listening to right now, music-wise?
Krantz – I’m really digging the new Weezer album, ‘OK Human’ currently.
Music Bugle – What was it like making the video for “Beach”?
Krantz – It was a lot of fun! I have a friend who lives on Fernandia Beach in Florida, so we drove down and did some filming. A lot of it was us just jamming out on the beach during the day and night and some at a pool with some bikini-clad ladies.
Music Bugle – What has been your proudest accomplishment?
Krantz – One of my old bands did a USO tour in Iraq and Kuwait a few years back. It was a lot of fun and it felt great entertaining all the troops who were stuck over there. You could tell they really enjoyed the entertainment.
Music Bugle – How have you been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Krantz – Yes, most definitely. I didn’t play a live show for months once everything shut down. It wasn’t all bad though, because it gave me a lot of time to write and focus on what I’m really going for in life.
Music Bugle – Where do you go when you need a break?
Krantz – I love to work outside in my garden. You can also find me on the golf course at least once a week.
Music Bugle – What’s a quote that motivates you to keep doing what you do?
Krantz – I’m gonna go with a quote from my fave band of all time, The Beatles – “All you need is love.”