Allow me to preface all of this by emphasizing none of this is about me. It's about seizing opportunities to share with you some gifts God has blessed me with.

I am a Christian first, then a father of three and a husband. I’m forever a student and hopefully a teacher.

God, family, friends and fans. In that order! I couldn't do what I do without such a strong support system. It's difficult making a career out of setting your experiences to music and trying to sell it. It's by God's grace that I've been able to do it for so long, especially with the love and support of my wife.

I was inspired by a good friend and encouraged by another good friend to give you the shameless, one-on-one resume and business spiel before you get into all of the usual, scripted history and public relations mumbo jumbo. I hate doing this.

I'm a Hickory/Charlotte, NC-based singer/songwriter and performer. I'm a schooled musician and actor. I graduated from ASU with degrees in advertising and theatre. I've worked and studied piano, music industry, theory, voice and performance with notables Gary Behrens (Princeton), Jim Bumgardner (ASU), Dr. Joe Amaya (ASU) and John Coffey (Juliard). I teach voice and accompaniment for Clater Kaye Theatreworks. I play piano, guitar, bass, percussion and some other odds and ends in just about any style, read charts, the whole nine yards. I've been told I'm a less attractive, less female Sheryl Crow! I'm very sensitive, so the "less female" part is arguable.

I perform with several groups of all shapes, sizes and sounds including, but not limited to jazz, funk, folk, rock, blues, orchestral, etc. You get the picture. Think "When in Rome ..." I perform for many events of all occasions across the region and surrounding areas. The instrumentation of my groups are customized according to the needs of my original music and/or the appropriate cover material, the needs of the venue or the employer such as solo, acoustic, unplugged, electric, duo, trio, quartet, quintet, etc. in any style aforementioned.

I've been very fortunate to perform and record with many notable artists and maintain an active career as a freelance musician in the area since 1989. In 2000, I put together a quartet with Carol Anne Coble, Darrin Harwell and Steve Terry and began appearing as Scott Jeffrey's Band (yes, my middle name is Scott and I'm officially the artist also known as Scott Jeffrey), performing mostly original compositions and arrangements subsequently with a variety of musicians and instrumentation. My recordings in recent years include projects and collaborations with Scott McCloud, Brian Burton, Jeremy Shaw, Paul Cummings, Chris Garges, David Black, Phill Kirby and Rick Cline.

I appear frequently for all sorts of events, festivals, benefits, weddings, clubs, theatres, restaurants, etc. Wanna work together? Feel free to give me a call! Check out my social networking website for other information at myspace.com/jshartman. Okay, here comes the scripted mumbo jumbo.

Many distinct music personalities yield a single sound; sometimes rock, sometimes pop, sometimes jazz, sometimes folk, other times funk, with soaring vocals laced together with melodies that never leave you. Nevertheless, it can only be described as Jeff Hartman's eclectic blend. In the tradition of Bruce Hornsby and Dave Matthews, Jeff has carved out an impressive place for himself on the live music circuit, having appeared with a variety of musicians also as Scott Jeffrey's Band approximately 200 dates yearly for half a decade.

Jeff Hartman is an award-winning actor and musical director, and a graduate of Appalachian State University with degrees in advertising and theater. He was reciting classical compositions at nine, accompanied by six years of classical training, soon collaborating and recording original material at 14. Jeff subsequently tackled five years of
comprehensive music theory.

Hartman was honored by The National Library of Poetry and became a published author in 1992 with a revelational piece of poetry called “Hands,” subsequently collected and released as “The Sound of Poetry” on audio book, also in 1992. By 1996 he was making a living music directing theater productions and touring the region, and recording with a variety of groups, sharing stages with Molly Hatchet and Georgia Satellites.

Hartman brings to each performance twenty years of on- and off-stage experience including his 1998 on-screen appearance as a patient in United Artists' production of Carrie II and as North Carolina Theater Conference’s 1998 Outstanding Supporting Performer for his stage work in The Complete Works of WLLM SHKSPR [abridged] and NCTC's 2006 Best Actor for his stage work in I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change.

Carol Anne and Jeff met on stage in the spring of 1996 and soon fell in love during fall production of The Fantasticks at The Green Room Community Theatre of Newton, North Carolina. Jeff asked for Carol's hand in marriage with the cloak and dagger help of friends and family on the second Saturday night in September of 1999 and wed one year later on the ninth day in September of the year 2000. The ceremony was held on stage in the Charles E. Jeffers Theatre of Hickory Community Theatre.

Scott Jeffrey’s Band made their "folk funk" debut at Drips’ Coffeehouse in Hickory, NC on December 29, 2000, but not before appearing and performing on 1290 WHKY Talk Radio’s First Talk with Hal Row earlier that morning.

The name "Scott Jeffrey's Band" materialized when nothing else would. Singer/songwriter Jeffrey Scott Hartman founded a band in 2000 when he decided to shove his original music down the throats of all cover band downtrodden. With no name, the band was simply referred to by friends and family as "Jeffrey's Band." While Jeff searched for something less individualistic, his girlfriend suggested throwing his middle name in front, establishing some sense of anonymity, thus representing the ensemble of the group and any other's contributions along the way to the arrangements and the creative process. Leaving the possessiveness in "Jeffrey's" would serve as a reminder and personify Jeff's body of work as the foundation for which his bands are built upon.

Others in Jeff's bands have included bassist Mason Bissett, drummer Brian Burton, bassist Steve Clamp, bassist Mike Cline, percussionist Rick Cline, bassist Micah Davidson, guitarist Doug Davis, guitarist Tony Eltora, drummer Daniel Flynn, bassist Darrell Griffin, vocalist Carol Anne Hartman, drummer Darrin Harwell, bassist Kevin Johnson, percussionist Phill Kirby, sound engineer Daniel LeVesque, bassist Scott McCloud, bassist Brandon Miller, guitarist Vito Oliveri, guitarist Jimmy Penland, guitarist Matthew Richelson, guitarist Jeremy Shaw, drummer Chris Simmons, guitarist Chick Tsikouras, bassist Steve Terry and saxist Phillip Whack.

Special guest artists have included violinist Zeb Bowles, violinist Page de Camara, percussionist Matt Decker, drummer Emily Fox, guitarist Keith Hicks, bassist Mike Holstein, saxist Scott McCloud, saxist Jason Passmore, guitarist Jeremy Shaw, percussionist Charles Smith and guitarist Josh Walker.

To date Jeff's most notably appeared with Universal recording artist Natalie, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, the Allman Bros. Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Arrested Development, Jupiter Coyote, Acoustic Syndicate, The Recipe, Wil Seabrook, Will Hoge and Cowboy Mouth.

Other projects include Jeff Hartman & The Other Brothers, Jeff Hartman Trio, Jeff Hartman & Friends, Hipshack, Heavy Handed Praise, Big River Orchestra, Scott Jeffrey's Band, Mt. Hebron Contemporary Worship Band, Thunder Bay, Southern Storm, Man of La Mancha Orchestra, Little Shop of Horrors Orchestra, Sanders Family Singers, JDM Trio and Deep End.

Billy Joel continues to have the biggest influence on Jif’s career. John Ritter has had the most impact on Jeff's acting career. Jeff's stylings have broadly been compared by friends, fans and critics to Marc Cohn, Bruce Hornsby, Terry Kath, Dave Matthews and Steve Winwood.

“Simplify, simplify, simplify. My bands are products of a back to basics, Thoreau-style of music and storytelling. When necessary, we compliment my music with interpretive cover material. Lord knows every band on Earth plays Brick House. The challenge is laying it down in a way nobody’s ever heard before. That’s what we do best. When was the last time you heard John Denver’s 'Sunshine On My Shoulders' funked up?

“I would rather call a song a story. Behind every song, there’s a story. Behind every story, there’s a song. Thus the ‘storytelling.’ That’s what it’s all about to me. Many of my stories are written on and meant for the guitar but often develop into piano pieces. All are written with full arrangements in mind. Recording’s tough. Someone said it’s like picking out a suit you’re going to wear for the rest of your life! Therefore you may not hear us perform 'Northern Accent' or 'Nerl' the same way twice. All of my music will continue to evolve with my skills as a storyteller and musician.”

A published poet and influenced in equal parts by folk and funk artists alike, Jeff’s songs are a mix of “dazed beauty and bitter-sweetness.” Here are tales of abuse and misuse, of vulnerability and resolve, twelve poetic trances like the Appalachia-esque "Erica’s Song" and the biographical "Northern Accent." On the plaintive "Half My Heart," Hartman cries: “I’d give you a promise, but half my heart is all that I can give if half your life is all that I can live.”

Hartman launched the debut of his second release, a studio album called "Northern Accent," at The S.A.L.T. Block in Hickory. These days you'll find Jeff uniting artists and fighting for the support of live music in Catawba County and surrounding areas.

"Musicians toil for years to gain the ability to play their instruments and have it sound like music. If they write songs and play them in front of an audience, they are giving a profound gift.

"Music is like the working of complicated mathematical formulas, it is art, and it has the power to reach us on a visceral level. Chordal progressions, tempo, and lyrics all work to create a harmonic whole.

"Local musicians who choose to play live at local venues should be supported. It is tough work, they carry heavy equipment, receive little money and play music for us.

"When one attends a live, local concert, it is also an opportunity for the community to gather. When people who enjoy the same kind of music, or a particular musician, join together for the experience, that can be a fulfilling thing in itself.

"Supporting local live music benefits the artist, the individual and one's community.

Hartman performs a wide variety of music, but mostly original material from his first two albums. [abridged] performances are acoustic and include at least Jeff.

Jeff carries thousands of patrons on his mailing list in the area and continues to soar in popularity with the help and public relations success of his dot coms. Other professional and personal goals also include a Christ-centered career in communications engineering, which encompasses all aspects of media production and administration.

"Since graduation I have had the pleasure of rendering freelance communications and technology services to local and regional businesses, churches, arts and entertainment groups while raising my three sons. I appreciate any opportunity to further balance my education and experience with all my skills through Christ in these fields for which I am passionate." back