Gary Antol is living out the dream shared by many professional musicians, to be a full-time professional musician. Many people share a similar dream, but Gary is actually making the dream reality. Gary's band,
the Jakobs Ferry Stragglers (Libby Eddy, fiddle and vocals; Ray
Bruckman, mandolin and vocals; Evan Bell, bass; Jody Mosser,
resophonic guitar and vocals) is allegedly headquartered in Stockdale, Pennsylvania, but much of the time they are on the road. I
recently caught up with Gary just a day after the band returned from
touring Florida.
So, Mr. Antol, how did that happen? How do you
get to be a professional musician and give hundreds of concerts a
year and actually get paid for it?
Is it magic or luck that allows someone to be "discovered" and to sign a lucrative recording contract. But in reality, it's usually not that simple. Becoming a professional musician
is something that Gary dedicated his life to.
Gary demonstrated an early aptitude for
music, starting to play the guitar at age 5. By the time he was a
teenager, being a professional musician became a serious goal. “I
had the dream of being a famous musician as a teenager,” he
confesses, “but I didn't know what it meant.” Later, when it
became time to go to college, Gary auditioned for guitarist Joe Negri
of Duquesne University and was accepted into the music program.
Among other roles, Joe was famous for his part as “Handyman Negri”
on the Mister Rodgers show. Mister Rodgers was not just a
children's show, but was an American Institution, and especially so
in the Pittsburgh area. Hence it was really an honor to study with
someone as famous as Joe Negri.
Gary credits Negri and the other
faculty at Duquesne for preparing him for the real world of being a
professional musician. Realistically, being a professional musician
is in fact achievable, but it's hard work. “Joe taught me that I
had to get ready to accept that, much of the time, it might not be
glamorous at all. For example, you might be getting paid to play in
a lounge, and some of the people may not be listening to you at all.
But you can still be getting paid and earn a living.
Negri is a world renowned
improvisational jazz guitarist, and young Gary figured he would
follow in his teacher's footsteps. But he was disappointed by a
comment the master made one day out of the blue. “Gary, when you
graduate, you should move to Nashville and be a flatpicker.” Young
Antol was a bit put off by this, figuring that he would rather
emulate his mentor. Joe elaborated “You can play way more than
fast, you have the skills to be sure. But no matter how hard you
try, you're going to sound like a country player. That's your
sound.”
Years later, Gary realized that his
teacher was right. Although “country” might be a little loosely
defined, those countrified fans are the ones that want to hear the
Antol sound, “Joe was right. And the last 7-8 years have been by
far the most gratifying.”
But prior to pursuing that dream, Gary
obtained work on Disney and Carnival Cruise Lines, and also performed
in the House Band at Cedar Point, and even worked the Stardust Lounge
house band in Las Vegas for a while.
Eventually, Gary teamed with bass
player Andy Gregg and started playing country and bluegrass, as
recommended by Joe Negri years later. Gregg was a rare talent
because he could write songs and sing lead in addition to being a
terrific bass player. Gary on the other hand was a sensational
instrumentalist who can dish out a guitar break with the absolute
best of the bluegrasss flatpickers, and also sings lead and is an
accomplished songwriter.
Together, they developed a strong work
ethic, which more than anything is the key to success in the
difficult world of music. One of their regular gigs was at Rinky
Dink's Roadhouse in the charming hillside community of Amity
Pennsylvania. One night Gary and Andy appeared at the annointed
hour, but the place was completely empty. The owner apologetically
informed them that he would not be able to pay for the music, since,
obviously there were no customers. But rather than packing up and
going home, the two musicians decided to wait. “Maybe just one
person will come, and if so we'll perform for them,” they reasoned.
There were two important principles at work. One is that true
professional musician will perform from the heart, at all times. To
paraphrase, a pro does not loaf through a performance if the pay is
low, but puts out as if it were halftime at the Super Bowl for each
performance. Hence in a little a couple named Bob and Mara, both
fans of Bluegrass, showed up at Rinky Dink's and Gary and Andy were
ready to perform their level best. Perhaps it was kharma, but
people kept streaming in, and they stayed because of the band. By
the end of the night, the crowd numbered about 125. The other
important lesson is that work leads to more work. It is vitally
important for a struggling band to find gigs not only on weekends but
especially during the week, and even if they are not the greatest
gigs, it's an investment in future fans and better times.
Eventually, however, the musical
interests diverged, and Gary formed the Jakobs Ferry Stragglers along
with the dynamic Libby Eddy on fiddle and female vocals, and they
were joined by mandolin player Ray Bruckman, bassist Evan Bell and
Jody Mosser on resophonic guitar and vocals. Together they have
combined to create a unique sound with elements of Appalachian string
music, Old Time, Bluegrass and Jazz. Sometimes their sound is
described as “Appalachian Bluegrass,” to distinguish it from the
stylized Kentucky folk music referred to as Bluegrass.
Influenced by Gary's early experiences
in the industry, Jakobs Ferry Stragglers is one of the hardest
working bands this veteran observer has ever known. The band van
puts on 55,000 miles a year and they perform upwards of 165 or so gigs per
year. Success did not come easily or automatically.
Gary and JFS have had the opportunity
to appear onstage with a number of highly successful musicans. He
says that he habitually asks other famous musicians for advice, and
two constant rules have emerged. First, have fun and create original
music. Be true to your art. Second, it can never be about the
money. Although money is important the top priority has to be the
integrity of the music. If that is missing, in the long run it won't
work out.
So, dear reader, if you harbor dreams
of becoming a professional musician you would do well to heed the
example of Gary Antol and the Jakobs Ferry Stragglers. Be prepared
to learn how to be an accountant, travel agent, booking agent,
mechanic and diplomat. Sure, it is important to be talented and it
helps to have sexappeal, but dedication and hard work are probably
even more important.
You can link to the JFS website here:
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