Featured Artist: Rami Jaffee

One of the hardest working people in the music business, Rami Jaffee divides his time these days between globetrotting with the Wallflowers in support of their new CD, Red Letter Days, and building Trampoline Records with Marc Dauer and Pete Yorn.

Best known for playing keys for the Wallflowers, Rami was born and raised in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles and has been a member of the Wallflowers since 1990. A late night at the Kibitz Room (a small piano bar in the back of Canter's Delicatessan) resulted in a chance meeting with Jakob Dylan and his then bandmates, the Apples. Dylan had a keyboard spot to fill in his band, and when he realized he was just introduced to the elusive Rami Jaffee of local rock band lore, he supplied him with a three-song demo tape on the spot. "When I heard the tape, I said, 'When do we start?' and we started rehearsing the very next day," recalls Rami. "That was the chemistry. It was amazing." Rami joined the band, and they have been friends and Wallflowers ever since.

Behind the keys almost his entire life, he's studied piano since the age of three, when he asked his parents if he could take lessons like his older sister did. They happily obliged, which paved the way for Rami's love of music. After purchasing his first keyboard with his Bar Mitzvah money, he began playing in rock bands.

An industry renowned session luminary and self-proclaimed gear junkie, Rami spends much of his time either in his studio or in somebody else's. Along with dozens of keyboard credits, he has also ventured into the worlds of producing and songwriting. These days, when he's not touring with The Wallflowers, he is working very closely with Marc Dauer (of the Jukebox Junkies) and Pete Yorn to build Trampoline Records, their own new label. (Note: Most of this biographical information was taken from http://www.ramijaffee.com)

On a personal note: If you've never seen Rami play keys, you've haven't lived. He's got so much spirit and love flowing through him that he is a JOY to watch. He is the conduit through which great music emanates. Rami has played with a ton of people, and he makes EVERYBODY sound good. If you want to try to catch him live, keep an eye on the tour dates section of http://wallflowers.com

In the meantime, check out our exclusive interview with Rami!

Rami, how do you know Pete Yorn and Marc Dauer?
marc i met a dozen years ago on the l.a. music scene. mainly, it was at the kibitz room where he not only sang and played guitar but also whipped out his violin! pete i met a few years ago through marc around the release of mftma ("music for the morning after").

How did you decide that you wanted to build a record label with them?
we decided together one night after finding ourselves totally excited about the current music scene. the end of the 90's brought everybody down in the quality of songs we were hearing, and we had kind of an awakening that there are lots to be excited about. i was noticing some excitement from wallflower fans on the web about some of the other artists i worked with (p. cody, e. frankfort, etc.) and thought 'this is good'. i always liked the idea of exploiting the unity (when it's there) between artists because i know, as a fan of music, that it brings so much more to the table. you can't deny the great feeling you get when you learn somewhere in the liner notes that your favorite guitar player guested on another record that you also like etc. this is what i had in mind as a brand for trampoline "UNITY VIBE".

You are soooo right about that, Rami - I've gotten much more interested in the liner notes and am thrilled when I see my musical interests converge. : )

Speaking of worlds converging - I read your discography on Wallflowers.net under Good People For Alibis and was blown away by how prolific you are in your work beyond your full-time career with the Wallflowers. How do you do it all? And what does it mean to you to work with all these different people on their projects?
i always was hip on playing on other records than the wallflowers. i never thought it was going to be as many as it has been, but i knew the limited amount of keyboard players in town meant i'd be working overtime! also, from the success of "bringing down the horse," everybody and their mother wanted that wallflowers organ sound (thanks jake!!!), and that even made the role of keyboard players who played organ a deeper nitch for me.

I noticed that you played on UMA, "Farewell." I bought that CD because Andy Kamman and Sally Dworsky were on it and really fell in love with it. How did you end up playing keys for them?
i knew the uma guys (and gal!) through phil cody and the "sons" (andy kamman, etc), and "Farewell" was a great record to play on. chris had some cool songs (hmmm, trampoline thought 1,234). anyways, it was the first time i met don gehman, who is an awesome producer and friend.

You seem to care about and enjoy your fans. Of all the Wallflowers, you are really the most active correspondent on wallflowers.com . What prompts you to take the time out of your schedule to reach out to your "flower petals" on the .com?
i probably post on the .com to inform the uninformed and also as an outlet to act really silly.

With the schedule you keep, I can totally understand why you would appreciate an outlet to be silly! And I think it's great that you share the fun with the .com community who adores you!

In addition to maintaining a good relationship with your fans, my impression is that you also maintain strong relationships with your colleagues. How do you juggle your commitment to the Wallflowers and your commitment to Trampoline? How are you able to convey to your partners in each endeavor that you are giving them 100%?
juggling being a wallflower, trampin' 'round, and producing and playing on records is easy (ha). and they both think i'm giving 100% because i lie to all of them!

Now that's the spirit! That's the Rami I'm getting to know and love! : )

At Trampoline, have you, Marc and Pete made final decisions on what's going to end up on Vol. 2? If so, can you mention a name or two of your favorite artists who will be on the new album?
tramp vol 2 is still up in the air. so many great songs and so lil time on a cd. a few to look out for (regardless of makin the comp) are nadine (from st. louis), waz, and kip boardman, but i never said anything!

What were some of your favorite tracks from Vol. 1?
faves from tramp 1? i can think of 18 off the top of my head. okay, p. cody, g. jules, jukebox, the bar, the sol and all the others!!!!!

You mentioned to me after your WF show at the Stone Pony that you are working on getting the Tramp Revue on the road. Has anything more been done on that?
the tramp revue on the road is the hardest thing to do -- one of our first ideas but maybe the last to be done!... so much planning, too little $$$ yada yada yada.

What would you consider the anniversary date of Trampoline Records?
year anniversary? hmmm. the birth of the idea? the release date? the hotel cafe inaugural bash? one of those.

Sounds like you've already had some great milestones. Thanks so much Rami for all the joy you bring to everything you do!! Special thanks for spending the limited amount of free time you have to honor us with this interview!

To read more about Rami, The Wallflowers, and Trampoline Records, check out the links below.

http://www.ramijaffee.com
http://www.the-wallflowers.net/people_jaffeer.htm
http://trampolinerecords.com
http://wallflowers.com

To learn more about Trampoline Records and the other artists represented on Volumes 1 & 2, check out http://trampolinerecords.com