Clocking in: Cheesemonger by Day. Drummer By Night.
Full Name: Jazz Reeves
Age: 23
Hometown: Manchester
Lives in: Stratford-Upon-Avon
Past Bands: OverClockWise
Current Bands: Trees And Queens
Past Jobs: Retail
Current Job: Cheesemonger
Education: BA(Hons) Popular Music
Work Hours: 42.5 hours/week
Band Practice Hours: As many as possible!
Your Title at Work: Trainee Supervisor
Band Website: treesandqueens.bandcamp.com
Work Website: www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk
Your work bio: Paxton & Whitfield are one of the oldest cheesemongers in England – purveyors of specialist artisan cheeses since 1797. I’ve worked for the company since 2015, starting as a sales assistant and progressing to my current position of trainee supervisor. Here I care for the cheeses, cut cheeses to the customers requirements, create celebration cheese cakes, supply local and national restaurants, and of course sample loads of tasty cheeses!
Your music bio: I began rumming in high school at the age of 14 as a hobby, drumming in orchestras and concert bands. After a few years I began to take it much
more seriously, becoming obsessed with everything drums. Then, after college I decided to study Popular Music at University, which is where I feel I really came into my own as a drummer after forming an Alt-prog band called OverClockWise (which is, sadly, no more). I love the whole DIY punk/riot grrrl ethos, and I think this attitude is evident in theway I play with my current band Trees And Queens – a two piece I formed
with my boyfriend/fellow ex-OverClockWise bandmate.
New things coming up at work: New guest cheeses each month, focus on specific
holidays – eg. heart shaped cheeses for valentines day, and lots of hard work and training so I can become a supervisor.
New things coming up with your band: LOTS! Self recording our first album, first music video, possible UK tour, definitely lots of gigs and hopefully loads more exciting stuff!
QUESTIONS
How do you fit in touring with your day job?
My work are really understanding about my musical activities and are really helpful in arranging the rota/holidays in a way that allows me to tour/gig with minimal issues.
How do people at work react when they find out you are a drummer?
They’re usually quite surprised, drummers are a rarity in the area I currently live, never
mind girl ones!
How does being a drummer affect your job?
Being a drummer probably affects my colleagues more than myself! Let’s just say –
my constant drumming on counters, cheeses and anything else I can get my hands on hasn’t gone unnoticed!
Do your band mates know what you do for a living?
Yes – my band mate is my partner and we live together, so hiding my job from him would be pretty hard!
Have you ever felt like you had to choose between your job and being a drummer?
No, not in this job, although, in an older job I used to work nights – which gave virtually no time for practising or gigging.
How did you reconcile that if so?
The second I had the chance to stop working nights and start drumming more – I took it. I refused to let it ruin drumming for me!
Do you ever hide that you are a drummer or your profession?
Not particularly, being a drummer is awesome and so is being a cheesemonger,
so I’m more than happy to tell people about both!
How is your job similar to drumming or how do the two compliment each other?
Both mean I have to do a fair bit of heavy lifting – drums and cheddars are both
pretty heavy! Plus, my bandmate/boyfriend doesn’t understand drums or cheese… At all… so I enjoy boring him about the new gear and cheeses I need in my life!
How do you get into the frame of mind of work or drums if you are in the opposite one?
Before gigs/band practise I usually get ready by listening to records, it gets me all hyped up and ready to play! For work, eating cheese usually puts me straight into the right frame of mind!