Jeffery Armstreet Producer and Creative Manager jeffery@magnoliared.com 832.934.1104

What is one of your earliest memories of music?
When I was a little kid, I had a copy of Don Williams “Good Ole Boys Like Me” on vinyl that I played all the time. It’s still one of my favorite songs. I also remember going to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo as a youngster and seeing the Gatlin Brothers. At the time the whole experience was larger than life. Though I play and produce all kinds of music and write quite a bit of pop music, I have a great fondness for good old country music.

Who are some of your favorite artists and why?
I love artists who strike the balance between strong melody and strong story. There are some artists who tell great stories, but I don’t want to sing their songs. There are others who write songs with great, memorable melodies that don’t say much. But when someone finds that balance between melody and story, I am moved. I couldn’t begin to list artists without leaving the most important ones out, but 2 bands that were hugely influential to me as I started songwriting were The Counting Crows and The Wallflowers.

How did you get into the music business?
I actually got a late start as a musician. I didn’t begin playing guitar until I was in college, but I had always been an avid music listener. I knew what made a good song and didn’t carry the baggage of having grown up playing average music to rave reviews. When I began to marry my natural writing abilities with my new found musical abilities, I was off to the races. After playing in a few ill-fated bands, I finally found my voice with my songwriting partner Jonathan Barrick, and we formed the band Evangeline. Since starting Evangeline, I’ve had opportunities to write with other artists and have been lucky enough to have several of those songs on their albums. My understanding of songwriting nicely complemented my ear for quality, and soon I was producing other bands and artists as well.

Three things you can’t live without?
My Family, music, macaroni and cheese.

Favorite rodent or marsupial?
The unfortunately-extinct Short Tailed Hopping Mouse.