MEET JEREMY FURSTENFELD, BUNK LIFE GANG MEMBER, AND DRUMMING MAESTRO FOR BLUE OCTOBER
MY GOD, I THOUGHT, THIS DRUMMER IS IN A DIFFERENT LEAGUE…
Most of the time I will position myself smack dab in front of Bass player Matt Novesky for a Blue October show. However, I’m always aware of, and get my mind blown away, by the quiet drum maestro dominating the stage backdrop. I’m talking about Jeremy Furstenfeld of course.
Isn’t he the brother of….? Yup. He is the older brother of lead singer Justin Furstenfeld. But brother or not, it makes no difference. Jeremy is an emerging legend on his own
He is yet another gifted color that adds to the masterpiece called Blue October. He is a – one in a million – drum talent. An unassuming pig-skin perfectionist.
At every live show I attend, one particular song stands apart from the rest with Jeremy at the helm.
Fear. Explanation in words does zero justice. Jeremy and his drums OWN the song Fear.
As the rays of stage light burst forth from behind Jeremy, he always drums from his lofty stage perch, plexiglass flexing a blitzkrieg of sound, all the while, remaining a stoic model of concentration.
The deep resonate tone of Jeremy’s bass kick jars the spine. It moves through every audience member as smooth as a sonic boom. You have arrived. You are having an October experience.
A private person, a guarded soul, friendly, observant, smart, but reserved, Jeremy is the Ying to Justin’s Yang. The Frick to his Frack. If Justin is the storm, Jeremy is the calm after the storm. The calm that regularly brings on a storm – of percussion – at every live experience. So, where did this snare-master arise from?
Justin wasn’t the only extrovert in the Furstenfeld household. As a wee nipper, Jeremy took a shine to Elvis Presley. Complete in full Elvis regalia, he would lip sync and perform in front of the family.
“I did that because my cousin was a little older than I and took that same thing very seriously and would like people to shine flashlights on him at Christmas…it was a little creepy, but I really looked up to him…that’s where I first sat behind a drum kit, it was that guy’s drum kit.”
While we are discussing a young Jeremy, let me bust one assumption. Does Jeremy have years of formal training as a youth under his belt? Expensive drum classes as a wee nipper? From Phil Collin’s brother, or perhaps Alex Van Halen? Pacifier in one hand and drumstick in the other? Nope. Jeremy Furstenfeld is predominantly self-taught. He pretty much has sat the pig-skin helm for Blue – from hour 1, to the present.
He was appointed Blue October’s drummer right from the beginning. He had basic talent, and thought, shit… “ I had better learn to really play the drums then.” And learn he did.
Jeremy embraces the darker music and lyrics from the past but enjoys greatly the newer positivity of recent albums. Darker times, darker experiences, made Justin Furstenfeld and Blue October what they are today. However, their DNA has modified. But for the better.
And Yamaha drums are his preference. As a young Jeremy watched Carter Beauford, drummer for The Dave Matthews band, something clicked. “He just had this awesome vibe…” Jeremy recalled. “A crazy roll thing over and over, and it sounded so great! That’s when I fell in love with Yamaha drums.”
Jeremy is a perfectionist too. And for that we are all grateful for. But he still occasionally wobbles…
He acknowledges, recording music in the studio is far, far different from playing live. He still gets nervous. And it can affect his performance. “I’m the guy who likes to practice, and practice, and practice, and come in and nail it twice… it takes a lot of self-discipline for me to just stay cool…if it’s wrong we can do it again, but if it’s live, we can’t!” It doesn’t show Jeremy.
Then we come to character. One word I repeat- over and over – as I write about Blue October. HUMBLE. Every member of Blue October are super HUMBLE. They all share an ethos. Fans come first.
“Don’t be wasted after a show, you’re meeting people, don’t be rude to them, try to give them as much as possible, “states Jeremy. (Drumchats)
He himself, was once rebuffed by a musician he looked up to. No name given – but it stuck in his craw forever. Basically, this artist told a young Jeremy he didn’t have time for him. “You go in the other room, and like, yeah…it’s ok, I don’t need to get a picture with you, I’ll never remember you again – this horrible moment with you – and that over shines everything you’ve ever done in my mind, so I try not to do that!” (Drumchats)
And like the other band members, he gets it. He receives a high like no other when playing. “I always tell people that when we are playing, the emotion and reaction you get back from people is probably better than any drug that you could ever do in your life…it’s such a high, it’s so uplifting.”
And he knows they are reaching the heart and souls of many. “We’re getting into their minds…into their hearts and souls, and whole families…they’re bringing their kids out!”
And Blue October fans have always been considered a family of sorts. Over the years, Jeremy does recognize some of the same faces at many shows. I’m thinking – my wife and I included.
“They keep coming back,” comments during an interview. “You follow people on social media (Fans) And you see them talking to each other and having each other’s back, then if we say something they’ll have our back…it’s a very supportive group and everybody supports each other within the family…” (Drumchats)
And Jeremy loves his October family. Especially his band brothers. Many bands, when on the road, 24-7 – come to tire fast of each other. Post tour break ups often occur. Not with Blue October.
The road builds a special bond. “My boys are on the road with me,” he explained. “We all live on the bus and sleep stacked on top of each other like a tuna can, and you know, I’m at the end of the tour…tired…but I really miss it…we live to play music and make a feeling.” (Drumchats)
When apart, the band misses each other. At the end of one tour, the entire band decided to get tattoos in Knoxville, TN. The ink? The words “Bunk Life”. Obviously to signify life together on the tour bus.
Later Jeremy’s young daughter woke him. “Life Bunk” she said. Got Jeremy to thinking about the band, touring, and most important his brothers. “I was like, yeah, that’s funny, I haven’t been on tour since I got that!”
During an interview with Matt, Jeremy simply remarks from the heart, “Matt, I hate not being with you on the bus.” Says volumes about the brotherhood of Bunk Life.
Jeremy and Blue October as a whole are always cognizant and thankful for their unique station in life.
We just look around at our friends and they’re just in their cubicles or whatever, and they may be a guitarist…but we just feel and know, we are some of the lucky ones to do what we love.”
“We keep fans by going on tour,” comments Jeremy. And “talking to people and getting to know them, and you know we all try to still stay in touch with them on social media, and Justin does…I appreciate them because they’re the people that put diapers on my babies and pay our bills…and they’re still buying our t-shirts and things like that and I’m just very grateful that we have them.” (Drumchats)
SOURCES/CITATIONS
- Drumchat Interviews