Musician, Writer, Actor, Entertainer, and More!
JEZTER DETROIT:
THE UNTOLD STORY
Jezter began singing at the age of three in a grocery cart, as told by his father. Jezter said he remembered being asked to sing 'Country Roads' by John Denver and 'Why Me Lord' by Kris Kristofferson at the age of four in a small bar in Dundee, MI. But, he was too afraid to take the stage at that time. He would sing to his favorites growing up that ranged from Country, Bluegrass, Blues, Rock, Hard Rock, Heavy Metal, R & B, Disco, Pop, to Hip Hop all 'behind closed doors' or for only family and close friends. His grandfather also had given him a harmonica at the age of 11. Jezter played the harmonica and sang mostly on his own in the woods and on the back roads of Milan and Dundee. He also learned break dancing in Toledo, OH with a middle school classmate. This opened up a whole different life for the ‘country boy’ at the time. And, besides all of the events Jezter barely remembers doing through elementary school, there was an event he remembered being a part of which was the Milan Centennial Celebration. He break danced, was part of a couple skits, and even chased a chicken around. But, it still wasn't until he was 17 until he finally gave a shot at performing with a band at a family reunion. He sang '1982' by Randy Travis and it was video taped by his brother, Steve. Upon watching himself, all nervous and quivering on stage, he didn't step back on a stage again until three years later in college for a Greek Week talent show, but it wasn't singing. It was dancing. Jezter said it was also where he received his nickname. His fraternity told him he looked like Joker in his purple and black MC Hammer pants, and Jezter said ‘well since Joker is already taken how about Jester?’ The name stuck throughout college, but later became Jezter with a ‘Z’ in SOOT. When asked, why the 'Z'? Jezter said, “It’s because I got pizzazz!”
His 21st year was an eventful year indeed, marking the first year Jezter stepped on stage and stayed there. It finally happened when his brother, Steve, took him for a beer in Dundee, MI. As fate would have it, the same man who asked him to sing at age four was on stage with a different country band called DRIVIN' SOUTH. And, this time, Jezter also knew the lead singer from high school. He was asked to sit in with this band, and with some encouragement from his brother, he decided to do it. He did it for nine months off and on, as his brother always came to offer support and to critique the performances. Along with that also came guitar lessons from the band's guitarist, Josh Sulfaro, which in turn led Jezter to be asked by a childhood friend to play bass in a band. This band called 'Sun Clown' at the time later became what is known still today as SOOT. Around this same time, the ‘Acting Bug’ found Jezter as he was asked to play his first movie role in a fraternity brother’s independent Film, The Detroit Narcotics Bust. He was to play a drug runner named Lester (only coincidence in the name similarity too). That was a taste of acting, because Jezter was still focused on music at this point.
And, even before the birth of SOOT, Jezter started sitting in with a different friend’s band in college playing harmonica and singing ‘War Pigs’ from time to time. This band was later to be known as The Gruesomes and now The Gruebles. SOOT and this band ended up doing a lot of shows together. Another key to SOOT is how Jezter branched to out to play with 60 Second Crush as a special guest performing all over with them, including the Rock Hall of Fame and SXSW. Jezter also recorded some vocals on one of their tracks, Destructive.
With 60 Second Crush also came the introduction of THE GEPETTO FILES, since they did shows together. Also, about the same time, the break dancing days brought another of Jezter’s past back. TOP, of Buddha Fulla Rymez, who used to break dance against Jezter at college parties, and now they both had bands. Jezter started playing Congas and singing backup vocals in Buddha Fulla Rymez, as well as played in SOOT.
Now, Buddha Fulla Rymez turned out to be quite the catalyst for a lot of different things to follow. They had their own studio that they rented out with a great engineer/producer. They also had DJ Stezo on turntables, Santos on bass, and Big B on guitar. These three are ALL performing and recording with SOOT to this day. We get ahead though. Santos jammed with a couple guys on Sundays and invited Jezter to a jam one Sunday. After the first jam, the next week Jezter brought a phenomenal bass player he met around the same time and this group became what is MOON MADNESS. This is also the first time Jezter started singing in other languages with the song, ‘Senorita’, in half Spanish. But, not long after it began, Jezter was given a unique opportunity by Ford Motor Company, where he worked as a Design Engineer, to be temporarily relocated to Orange County, California. He accepted, and left for 14 months, all the while coming back twice a month to still perform and play with all the bands.
Around this time, Big B and Chuck, the keyboardist for MOON MADNESS, formed the blues band, BIG B AND THE MAGIC BULLETS. MOON MADNESS also morphed into another band called RIB, with a different bassist and vocalist. The ‘family’ was growing. Upon returning from California in 2003, Jezter’s mom passed away. This was a hard blow, but it also breathed life into a side project now called YEEHAW, which really consisted of MOON MADNESS. Since RIB was in full swing and the bassist of MOON MADNESS was unable to perform, MOON MADNESS was soon to fade into the background.
But, Jezter continued to play in SOOT and was asked to sit in on harmonica with BIG B AND THE MAGIC BULLETS. Sitting in with harmonica soon became vocals and even singing on the album, which was already recorded but they let Jezter re-track two of the songs. This then became another waiting game when Jezter met and brought in their saxophonist, Dave Daniele.
Then came the Detroit Music Awards. Big B and the Magic Bullets, Moon Madness, Buddha Fulla Rymez, 60 Second Crush, and Soot were all regularly nominated for awards, but it was with SOOT who Jezter won his Detroit Music Award for Outstanding Rock Vocalist in 2005. This spurred another event into action. Joe Anthony, then a solo guitarist, was looking for a vocalist to work with. He asked Jezter if he would be interested in writing some music together and this became what is known as SOCIAL FEVER. This band really started to get things moving until Ford Motor Company came out again with another life changing offer. Jezter was offered the company-wide buyout, and he decided to take it to pursue a Voiceover Education in California. This bug was due to performing and working with THE GEPETTO FILES for so long as well as that first movie role in The Detroit Narcotics Bust. Also, the previously unmentioned puppet shows he would put on for the children in the family while growing up.
Plus, we never touched on the other cover bands Jezter performed and played harmonica with from about 1991 to present. A couple worth mentioning are BAD JUJU and RHYTHM HOUSE. Jezter performed with these two the longest, and met other local musicians while in these bands as well. But, regardless of all the local successes with multiple bands, Jezter finally made the ultimate decision to see what could be accomplished on the west coast. So, then he took ‘Acting For The Camera’ at The Purple Rose Theater before leaving Michigan, packed up a U-Haul and moved to the heart of HOLLYWOOD, CA.
He immediately signed up for a Beginning Voiceover class at Kalmenson and Kalmenson Voice Casting, and has since finished many more from there and at The Voicecaster as well. He also found his first band on the west coast out of Venice called THREE WORD CURSE. Then, a piece of history helped again when a friend in 60 Second Crush sent Jezter a Craig’s List posting looking for ‘rocker types’. This landed Jezter on Charm School Rock Of Love 2 as a lead singer when the girls had to put two bands together. Jezter’s band, called ADDICTION, won.
At that time, Jezter was still jamming and recording with THREE WORD CURSE in Venice, CA. They recorded two songs together when the guitarist, Adam McNatt (pretty big skateboarder), was asked to go on this annual tour. So, the band went on a bit of a hiatus.
In the meantime, a friend directed a meeting of Jezter and V of RED SNOW, who was looking for a singer/songwriter to write and record with. Jezter and V talked and decided to try out a song just through email, then another, then another until now there is a full album and more on the way for RED SNOW. They’ve had the pleasure of having Levon Sultanian and Ulrich Wild in the production, as well as Serj Tankian. Jezter even sings a song in Armenian with RED SNOW, as well as had the opportunity to perform with Carlos Cavazo, of Quiet Riot and RATT, at The Viper Room.
And, in the midst of all of this, there are the plays Jezter has been in, other Reality TV shows, Web Series parts, background and audience work, and even his First big paying Voiceover job for DOMINO’S PIZZA as THE METAL SINGER ON THE DOMINO’S ONLINE ORDER TRACKER. He thanks The Voicecaster for that job.
Then the return of THE GEPETTO FILES, as Ted, the creator, came out for a month and they did a short in Hollywood. This spurred yet another chapter in the life of Jezter as writing, puppeteering, voice acting, video editing, and video direction came into play all at once. Since then Jezter decided to do a couple music videos and has more in the works, as well as movies, cartoons, television series ideas, and much more. THIS IS JEZTER DETROIT. And, the story goes on. Plus, this is only the musical and entertainment side in a nutshell.
