After graduating from Loyola University, he’s been in three bands at once, worked an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. job, juggled his seven-year-old-son and is building a successful solo career.
For Leo DeJesus, A’07, music is an essential part of life. It surpasses sleep, exceeds eating and probably beats breathing. Drumming on pots and pans since the age of five, DeJesus’ future was, inevitably, going to be a rhythmic one. At 13, he took drum lessons from his grandfather and then playing for a small church on the West bank.
“Stage fright wasn’t much of a problem when you’re so small that no one can see you behind the drum set,” DeJesus said.
He attended Tulane University for two years studying to become a pediatrician, but DeJesus changed majors, then schools.
“Loyola Music College is a strange animal; you could coast by if you wanted to. But if you wanted to learn, which I did, they have some of the best musical minds to dig into,” he said.
After switching universities, DeJesus found musical inspiration in the likeliest of places – Tipitina’s.
“Me and my friends Tommy and Aaron had been jamming for fun. Then we went out to see Glasgow at Tipitina’s and got inspired to start playing our own songs,” DeJesus said.
This inspiration came the band, Survey Says, a four-member band with DeJesus on drums and vocals. With only backyard birthday bashes under their belt, Survey Says got their big break at the CD release party for Glasgow in 2004.
Steadily, the crowd expanded, as Survey Says gained popularity.
Adding one more member to the band, DeJesus became the front man, and proceeding Hurricane Katrina, the band known as Survey Says turned into The City Life.
Expanding his musical horizon, DeJesus began drumming for the up-and-coming band Big Rock Candy Mountain in December 2007, landing their first gig at Hi Ho Lounge in March 2008.
Continuing his musical expansion, he began doing guest appearances for MyNameIsJohnMichael, became a temporary member of the five-piece band, then “just kind of stuck around” said Dejesus.
But with great beginnings, come bittersweet endings.
“Basically, The City Life was going in different directions, Big Rock Candy Mountain was third on my priority list and MyNameIsJohnMichael was getting big and all on the same page. Logically, MyNameIsJohnMichael became my main focus,” said DeJesus.
MyNameisJohnMichael’s growing popularity has inspired DeJesus to continue to branch out into a successful solo career, with his constantly evolving artistic style. Transitioning from detached, dance music to soulful, introverted songs, yet still capturing listeners with both his musicality and lyrics.
DeJesus paid tribute to great musicians like David Bowie, Andrew Bird and Julian Casablancas, along with movie directors Wes Anderson and P.T. Anderson. But the catalyst to which he attributes his solo career is his seven-year-old-son, Timothy.
“After, The City Life ended, Timothy asked the painstaking question why I didn’t write a song about him, and thus the quest began,” DeJesus said.
His expectations are that of any other musician.
“I’d like to have success and ummm…a living,” DeJesus said.
DeJesus’ second solo show is this Sunday, Oct. 4 at One Eyed Jacks. For other upcoming shows, visit his My Space, http://www.myspace.com/liondejesus.
Erica Colbenson can be reached at [email protected]
