When the lines blur between college and career
Published: December 17, 2021
JJ Smith '20. Photo by Skylur Cullinane '21.
Some students dont miss a beat transitioning from college to career. Take JJ Smith. Last spring, JJ wrapped up a double major in music industry studies and English. Today, he works as a sales engineer with audio and music equipment retailer Sweetwater Sound.
JJs last hurrah at GU, an album called Mending, showcased his creativity, production know-how, and performance skills. It also showed that he could collaborate with his band, Prone to Wander, to deliver a multi-faceted project on schedule. Mending earned him credits in both his music industry classes and creative writing class. Even today, some aspect of the undertaking informs how he recommends equipment and advises customers in his work for Sweetwater.
Especially in the music industry, that kind of experience is valuable. Its not as much about what degree you have, its [more about] the experience you have, JJ says. For JJ, this included working in the state-of-the-art studios on GUs campus.
The experiences I got at GU definitely equipped me to get started working in my field, both at Sweetwater and in my freelance business.
As a freelancer, JJ provides audio editing, mixing, and mastering services. Without pause, he attributes these skills to a beat he embraced even as a freshman at GUindustry experience early and often.
We recently talked with JJ about some behind-the-scenes details about the making of the album, Mending:
Whats the story behind the album?
JJ: Its about the joys of life, the hurts, healing from a place of brokenness, and reconciling with the past. Is it a break-up album? Yes, it is! But I think this one is different because its written with honesty and real vulnerability. We wrote it for both ourselves and to connect with others.
You mentioned submitting some songs for your creative writing class. Did you write all or some of the song lyrics for the album?
JJ: [My bandmates] Brian, Moses, Alec, and I wrote all the lyrics for the songs. Everything was really collaborative, and everyone had an equal voice in the lyrics. Some songs were started and led by different people though. Alec was particularly invested in writing Forever, Brian was really invested in Let Go, Moses wrote almost all of Better Off, and I took the lead on Not Enough. All of us chipped in on lyrics for each song though. We really wanted this to be an album that anybody could connect with, so we all offered our own perspectives on the story that the album tells from the first track to the last. Benji was a later addition to the band, so he didnt write as much of the lyrics, but his synth and keys parts are a huge part of the album and really help to tell the story by capturing a feeling for each song.
Did you play any instruments for Mending?
JJ: I play bass in Prone To Wander, and in the recording process I played a few guitar parts here and there across the album. I brought in our friend Jacob Kersh, another GU alum, to play bass on a couple songs because I knew he would be able to come up with something a little bit different, and probably better, for a couple songs. We also brought in another friend, Jairin Schad (yet another GU alum!), to play piano on Metaxis - Redux because we knew that he would play something very dynamic and expressive that would fit the stripped back version of the song very well.
Are there plans for more music in the future from Prone To Wander?
JJ: I think were all open to working on more music in the future, but right now were all doing our own thing since we all moved away from Greenville to different states, started new jobs, and some of us got married too!
Prone to Wander - (left to right) Alec Biggs 20,Brian Wells 21, Moses Leininger 20, Benji Montany 19, Jeremiah (JJ) Smith 20. Photo by Christina Hardin 21.
