Soulive

The Krasno brothers have been involved with each other musically a good portion of their lives, both on the same page personally and creatively even when they disagree.

“I think working with family just raises the ante. The highs are greater but the lows are also greater. You run that risk,” Jeff told POLLSTAR. “Eric and I, I think, get into a horrible argument every day but we also know we’re all going to get through it. We have a tremendous amount of power working together and being able to sort of rely on each other.”

Another element that gives Soulive a tighter bond is that drummer Alan Evans and keyboardist Neal Evans are also brothers who have performed together most of their lives. The band’s agent, Ron Kaplan, just happens to be the Krasno brothers’ uncle.

“When I was younger, Jeff was always playing guitar and different instruments in different groups. He definitely influenced me a lot to get into doing it,” Eric told POLLSTAR. “He’s always somehow been involved in what I’ve been doing musically, and then he started learning the business as I started performing. We kind of grew at the same time.”

And learning the “business” is exactly what Jeff did, more than he ever imagined. When Soulive began, he was running a recording studio and playing his own gigs. Artist management wasn’t even a thought.

“Eric was excited about the band and, in the most naive way, I said, ‘Well, you know, I’ll record the band and put out the record.’ I started, at that point, Velour Recordings and – without a distribution deal, a publicist, a radio promoter or anything – we made this record,” Jeff said. “It wasn’t sonically awesome … but it captured the essence of what the band was.”

Soulive then hit the road, hauling equipment that included a 400-pound Hammond organ and case – causing not a few split lips and sore backs – and hawking the disc at shows and through consignment deals.

Once the band signed with Blue Note in 2000 and the following year released its debut, Doin’ Something, Jeff officially took over as manager.

“What this meant for me was changing gears and not really being the ‘record guy’ as much – kind of falling almost de facto into the management role and working with the band in that way,” Jeff said. “I’ve gotten to know so many different facets of the industry. It’s helped me grow into a manager that understands a broad range of things and building business relationships.”

Soulive’s concept of bringing jazz back to the dance floor has evolved in an organic way with the addition of hip-hop, R&B, soul and other influences, earning a loyal following.