|
 Jeff
Consi (b. 1969) is an Amityville, New York-born drummer who currently
lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. Jeff is most well-known
for his work with guitarist Nuno Bettencourt from the multi-platinum
selling band Extreme.
Coming from family of drummers,
Jeff began playing drums at age five. His father was a New York
City recording engineer, as well as the drummer on Tommy James
& the Shondells “Mony Mony”, so music was always
a part of his upbringing. From the Jackson 5, Earth Wind &
Fire, and Barry White records to Jimi Hendrix, Led Zep, and the
Who, Jeff was always playing along with the greats.
Early on, he was fusing the
flavors of John Bonham, Mitch Mitchell, Keith Moon, Neil Peart,
and Bill Ward into his own solid style of playing. Having an
early start gave him the experience of his first 24-track recording
at the ripe age of 12, then onto playing clubs shortly after.
By the beginning of the 1990’s,
Jeff started making his way through the Long Island music scene,
which led to playing shows in and around Manhattan. He did sessions,
cover gigs, and worked the original band scene in New York. He
eventually landed the drum spot on commercials for Comedy Central
and Ferrarri.
In 1997, he made the move in
to Manhattan’s East Village where he started getting a buzz
happening for session work and live dates with a few city bands.
He also started to branch out a bit, sitting in with the Dark
Star Lounge house band on Wednesday nights, and also with the
China Club house band on Thursday nights, which gave him the
chance to play with some of New Yorks finest musicians.
At the end of 1998, Jeff answered
an ad placed in Manhattan’s Manny’s Music which was
for an audition with guitarist Nuno Bettencourt(Extreme). Not
really expecting anything would happen, he actually got a call
from Nuno saying he liked what he heard. After convincing Jeff
that it was really him on the line, Nuno set a date for the audition
with his new band, Mourning Widows, with Donovan Bettencourt
holding down the bass.
The audition was quick. After
the first song Nuno shook Jeffs hand and said “Man, thank
you!”. From that moment, they knew that this would be the
band for the upcoming Japan tour. After the tour, they would
figure out what to do next. What came next was Jeff filling the
drum seat with Nuno for nearly three years. During that time
he completed two albums, a music video, and two tours in Japan,
as well as dates in the US and overseas.
With a career spanning nearly
25 years so far, Jeff has performed live and/or recorded with
such greats as Will Lee(David Letterman Band),
Gary Cherone(Extreme), Suze DeMarchi(Baby
Animals), Anthony J. Resta(Missing Persons),
Jack Douglas(John Lennon/Aerosmith), T.M.
Stevens(Independant), Adam Bomb, Cory
Glover(Living Colour), Frank Filapetti(James
Taylor, Elton John), and actor John Goodman.
In 2002, he moved to Melbourne,
Australia with his wife and daughter. When his drums finally
arrived from New York, he started teaching and networking again
with the contacts he made while rehearsing in Melbourne with
Nuno in 1999.
Since then, Jeff has had the
opportunity of playing around the country and overseas with some
of Australia’s finest musicians by laying down the foundation
behind such acts as David Franj (Shock Records), Natalie
Bassingthwaighte(Rogue Traders), Christian
Argenti(Invertigo), Alan Fletcher(Waiting Room/TVs Neighbours),
K.P.S. Jam, Broadford Stash, Matt Hetherington, The Borderers, and the mighty Tommy Rando
Band.
Jeff's
Websites:
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Photography
Credits:
John Tsiasis @ Decent Exposure
Gig shots by Erin Slattery Photography, David
Gilfillan and Holly Allen
All band publicity photography by Dave Viney
"In The Waiting Room" Album Cover Photography Gina
Milicia @ Whitehouse Studios |
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