Jeffrey Altergott isn’t afraid of the uncomfortable and uncertain that lurks in the dark places. He has become adept at traversing the darkness; learning its lessons; and returning safely to the light with a sense of hope and wonder. It is this sort of shamanic sensibility that Altergott brings to his music and his listeners.
Born and raised within earshot of the sprawling Chicago music scene, Jeffrey has been a player in its ranks for over 20 years and continues to win over fans with his supple tenor, modern folk melodies, diverse influences and charming stage presence.
As veteran of the independent music scene, Altergott is constantly trying to find the balance between shiny object syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. He designed and built his recording studio; writes and performs his songs; engineers his own studio sessions; represents himself to press and booking agents; manages the distribution of his music and designs his own website.
Jeffrey’s fourth album, Don’t Be a Stranger (2007), included the song “Thank You” - featured on the soundtrack of the award-winning movie BearCity (2010). His current full-length release, Balloons (2009), contains the Billboard World Song Contest winning track, “Don’t Prove Me Right”.
Altergott has garnered high praise for his earlier works from the likes of WXRT-FM deejay Richard Milne as a “Local Anesthetic” capsule pick, the Chicago Reader, the Chicago Tribune and LinuxTag – which handpicked the title track for it’s first OpenSource music compilation CD, released in Europe.
This past summer, he released the two singles Resolve and Unleashed (again) which are grabbing the attention of the music licensing industry. They are currently available via his website, Bandcamp.com, CDBaby.com and iTunes.
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