Meet Jeffrey Dallet

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeffrey Dallet. 

Hi Jeffrey, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
First off, thank you for taking the time to reach out to me and for giving me the opportunity to tell my story. I started off as a skinny kid from Littleton, Colorado graduating from high school with high ambitions of becoming an actor/comedian. Fresh out of the marching band I worked myriad blue-collar low paying high labor jobs, in the vein of UPS, DIA, Digging ditches for a construction company, a door-to-door meat salesman, a taxi driver, a fitness equipment delivery & assembler, and an improv comedian to name a few. 

This all led to me heading out to the great golden west of Los Angeles, California to dip my toe in the shallow pool of the movie industry, where I was able to secure a job as an extra on a medical drama starring Dick Van Dyke. Auditions ensued for movies like Batman and Robin and Pleasantville, but no roles were landed. The entire time in California the money was scarce and the employment hallow, eventually all running out, so I hopped on the silver highways east back to Denver, by way of Greeley, Colorado where I ended up earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Communications. 

While in school I discovered the ability to play the guitar and, in some form, write songs. Music has always been at the forefront of my days like many people, but it really became my way of communicating and expressing myself through the pain of lost love and dreams that just didn’t quite come true. 

After school I made another trek to LA, California to reside there for some time, busking on the streets of Hollywood and on the Santa Monica Pier for nickels and dimes all while still pursuing the acting bug which by that time had grown into a sickness. I was tired of it- trying to recite other people’s lines, mostly poorly written, and me trying to pretend I was someone else when I really had no idea who I was. Again, I took the shame train back to Denver, where I continued writing and trying to perform my music. 

I landed a job as a “Cyber Jockey” TV Host, for an Internet Television station, which, then, was quite ahead of its time. I fell in love with the girl of my dreams, and it all turned into a nightmare due to my insecurities and mental illness deficiencies which I have struggled with since I was 16 years old. Mental Illness is a cute buzz term now, and people take is seriously currently, but back in the day it was a butt of a joke and something that was never deeply thought of and it cost me a great deal. I’m just now starting to recover. 

All this time I’m writing songs and trying to document it all the best I can. I then hit rock bottom, financially and mentally and I took a job as an over-the-road trucker for a year and 3 months to pay off the inordinate amount of debt I had incurred in California. As the truck wheels turned so did the ones in my mind and it led to more songs and more soul searching, trying to determine who I was and what was indeed my purpose. 

I got off the road and it hit me- pursue music. Even though I started to pursue it seriously and professionally later in life, It’s the one thing I’ve been doing the longest starting with piano lessons in 4th grade to my current status as a struggling singer-songwriter. I’m a writer, I love writing songs, stories; anything I can write, but it’s through music- the writing and performing of my words, my emotions, my failures, my joys, my concerns where I find my true purpose and the most meaning in my life. 

Not to say that everything is perfect, as I currently do not make enough money to live on with my music. I have given it 1000 percent – releasing 3 albums and 2 singles, countless live shows, 6 UMS appearances, and even went on tour this past fall after parting from my full-time job. I have designs on touring again, so we’ll see how things fall into place. That’s the “brief” version of how I got to where I am as a singer-songwriter. Even more important, a better person; with a tighter grip on and understanding of my mental illness than when I started off, gangly out of high school eons ago. Plus, I’m a little fatter now. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
As mentioned previously, the road has not been smooth. I don’t think anyone’s is, but my road has been rife with failure and learning experiences that have hurt beyond words. As I mentioned previously, I struggle with mental illness. I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Clinical Depression, Paranoia, Anxiety, and a little dash of Tourette’s Syndrome. 

The struggles to overcome these obstacles have taken pretty much my whole adult life. In high school, I really struggled with the OCD. I would have trouble getting in and out of bed because I had to count the seconds on the clock to make sure it “felt right” or until the numbers on the digital clock added up to the “correct” number, which was usually an odd number. If I missed the opportunity, I’d have to start all over again with a new minute and this could go on for hours. Many times, it did. 

For me, my OCD didn’t just manifest itself in light switching off and on, unlocking and locking the door multiple times, turning the car on and off several times, or counting numbers. It manifested itself in my relationships and me fixating on particular ideas, desires, and people, (girls in most cases). I’d become fixated on a certain young lady, and my coming on, or inability to give her space and just relax would turn her off and pretty much freak her out. It’s ruined many a relationship, which has broken my heart and sent me into spiraling suicidal depressions which have taken years to come out of. When someone looks at you squarely into the pit of your soul and says “I don’t love you, you’re a liability, I want you out of my life,” that never leaves. 

As I had mentioned previously, my obsession with trying to become an actor (hence moving out to LA multiple times) and trying time after time, when the evidence was clear I was to move on to something else, really cost me time and a lot of hardship that didn’t need to happen. 

It delayed my discovery of my love for writing songs and performing music in my band and as a solo artist. It has taken so much time from me, but in turn it has taught me and given me so much. It has made me a better songwriter where I can write from experience and really truly mean what I say. I couldn’t have written the songs I have if I tried right out of school, or if I was wasn’t humiliated or burned in certain situations. 

I have learned great empathy and an awareness of people around me and what they must be going through, especially people of the working class, as I’ve toiled in those forms of employment and understand the financial burdens the working-class bears. It’s made me a better person which might be the most important thing. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Sure, I specialize in writing songs and performing them under Dallet Band and Jeffrey Dallet. I don’t know how “well known” I am for that, but that’s been my main focus and what I have put the most work into. I’ve been performing around Denver and now all over the country since 2010. 

I think the thing that gives me the biggest charge is performing live, with a band or solo. Performing is almost like a workout for me. It’s an exorcism in a way- where all the mental barriers and ‘hell bats’, as I call them, fluttering around in my dome are released, and when I’m on the stage I’m the full me, there’s no hesitation or no absurdly difficult thought maze I have to go through just to accomplish simple day-to-day tasks. The emotions pour out through the songs as well as the positive vibes that I think the audience really enjoys. 

I think I’m most proud of my live performances, as I frequently hear people tell me- “You really look like you and your band are enjoying yourselves up there. There’s no pretentiousness, it’s just you up there.” Some bands and musicians can give out an aura of elitism or pomposity, and I’m so happy to hear I don’t fall into that category. The other I hear is, “You put out so much energy up there.” That’s a wonderful thing to hear also because all the desperation, rage and emotion that’s pent up can release and provide as a therapeutic rush for me and the band, and more importantly the audience. 

I’m also proud of the music my band and I have released over the years. We just released a record called “Acid Tongue” which lyrically deals with a lot of the issues I’ve touched on during this interview. It’s a wonderful album, so if you have a chance stream us on Spotify or any other streaming platform you use. We’re called Dallet Band. 

I think what sets me part from others is my writing style. A lot of people call it verbose, and it is that. but hopefully, the flow and style is different from what you’d hear on top 40 radio or really any kind of radio. We’re on the radio in the UK (thank you Grant Henderson) Again, I’m not sure its sets me apart completely but I do feel like it is somewhat different. Check it out and let me know! Another thing that’s sets me and us apart is our live show- where you’ll hear stories, songs, and feel high octane energy that can give you a jolt on a sleepy Thursday night. 

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I’d just like to say thank you to VoyageDenver for giving me the opportunity to tell my story and give you all some insight as to what makes me tick and what I do for my “profession/passion”. 

I’d like to again invite you to check out our music online or get in touch with me and I can get you physical copies of our albums. Also, come check out our live shows as I’m certain you would enjoy yourself. 

We’re online at www.dalletband.com as well as streaming on Spotify or your favorite streaming platform under Dallet Band, Jeffrey Dallet Band, and Jeffrey Dallet. Thank you again, and I hope to see you about town! 

Contact Info:

• Email: dalletj@gmail.com
• Website: https://dalletband.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeffreydallet
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DalletBand
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/JDallet
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsuOp6l5Dj0e19MUOLo5eoA
• Other: https://dalletband.bandcamp.com

Image Credits

Jon VonFunk
KRFC 88.9 Ft, Collins
Nick Velharticky