We had the good fortune of connecting with Jesse Chapman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jesse, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
My career as an artist started early. I was raised in a home filled with music as my dad sat at the piano playing anything from classical pieces to Billy Joel. As any kid does I wanted to be just like him so sometime around the age of 4 he sat me down at the piano to learn Mary Had a Little Lamb and it never really stopped after that. I would see him play with his buddies at backyard barbeques, I saw him perform on stage with Billy Joe Royal, I was regaled with stories of meeting and performing with some genuine rockstars when he was in his 20’s. I had to be just like him. I started playing bass, then electric guitar, then I was learning acoustic covers of John Denver and Sublime. In college I began singing at open mics at the local coffee shop (I got my first big round of applause there, I still get chills) before joining a local band with Ryan Laukhuf who would later become the drummer and better half of Echo Area. My dad obviously planted the seed that blossomed into my love of music, but there’s something magical about music itself that keeps me enthralled. Music is one of the human race’s universal constants (like math and storytelling, everybody does it). Music is something so uniquely human that I’m not entirely convinced it isn’t some form of magic. Songs, like stories, transport you. They pull you in, make you move, make you FEEL. Music, to me, is emotions manifested into something static. A given song will be about a something we’ve all experienced at some point: pain, elation, melancholy, longing. The cool thing, though, is that when I listen to a song about some painful memory, I don’t feel the artist’s pain, I feel my own. The song becomes a mirror that when I gaze upon I see only myself looking back. The music is my moment taken form because I attach my own meaning to the lyrics and chords. I love that, as a musician, I get to create those moments for people listening.
After I had been writing songs for a while I remember speaking to my dad about being a musician and how far I wanted to go with it. I had (and still have) a full time job as something other than a musician. But I refuse to let it take over entirely. Music is in my soul, so I had to find a way to balance the two in my life. My dad said that he had thrown himself entirely into music but as he grew older and began a family had to step away from it. And he never forgot that he did that. He still felt that he wished he had done more. He told me that I should not regret any decision I made. Music will always be there, but how I spent my time with it would be one of the biggest pieces of my time on this Earth. So I spend any and all time I can as an artist because I am setting future Jesse up to feel proud, accomplished, glad at the decisions I am making every day. I just want to be proud of how I spent my time. And music seems like the best way to spend it.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I view my art as an extension of myself and as a way to connect with others. Art for me is a way of expressing emotions in a way that people can relate to. When we hear songs I believe we experience what other people felt when creating that song. Maybe not EXACTLY what they felt, but our own version of it. When I hear Romeo and Juliet by the Dire Straits I pine for a love I never had. When I hear Summer of ’69 I get nostalgic for a childhood I never had. And that’s the magic of music. It draws emotion out of us. I strive to do the same thing with my music: give a piece of my experience to others for them to connect with. I love that magic and want to be a part of it. I am most proud of my growth as a songwriter. As an artist, I never set out to be anything other than authentic with my music. I started this whole thing by saying “let’s make something that sounds cool” and then did just that. By just throwing ideas out, both good and bad, and just working towards crafting finished pieces I slowly started to realize what I like in a song. How long it needs to be, how it moves, how to make it engaging and exciting without being cliche. This journey has been a slow and steady one but I’ve enjoyed learning the craft and my own process. Songwriting is such a great way to express how you feel, and is honestly a form of therapy for me sometimes. It’s my way of letting out big feelings (both happy and sad). And it’s all because of the magic of music.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I’d start out with a breakfast at Flying Biscuit cafe in Candler Park. I love that cafe (talk about a fluffy biscuit) and I REALLY love that area of town. Not only is that the part of town I grew up in (shoutout Druid Hills) but also has a super small, homey feel. I can just imagine riding bikes to my friend’s house after school (even though I’m bordering on 30). After that we would head to Piedmont Park for some outdoor time. Spending time outside is the best way to spend time, and piedmont park is probably my favorite outdoor spot in the city. If we’re feeling especially cultured we’ll stop by the Botanical Gardens for whatever the exhibit of the month is. After fawning over the outdoors or flower-of-the-month-art installation we would head to the rooftop of the Clairmont for a drink and a beautiful view of the skyline – I’m a big fan of the Atlanta skyline. After that we’d probably grab Korean BBQ at Thrill in Sandy Springs before finding some dope live music at a venue like Smith’s Old Bar, 529, or Aisle 5 to finsih off the night!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I want to give a shoutout to Wes and Zuko at MoreDopeMusic. These dudes have been instrumental in helping Echo Area become the project it is today. Before we met these two Echo Area was a bedroom songwriting project. We’d put about 7 songs out but nothing was taking shape. It was mostly a “for fun” project, one that we were trying to take seriously but didn’t really know how. Zuko reached out based on seeing Instagram posts we’d made and invited us on to a bill for some local artists. Ever since we’ve worked closely with them on production, market=ting, and live performances they been instrumental in building the brand of Echo Area and they’ve even helped us secure our first distribution deal!
Big ups to these two!

Website: https://www.echoareamusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/echoareamusic/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EchoAreaMusic/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@echoareamusic

Other: Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@echoareamusic

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