Meet Jonathan Ford | Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonathan Ford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonathan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I grew up in a pretty musical family. There were always instruments around the house, primarily a piano and guitars. My mom plays piano and sings, and used to play a little guitar, my dad sings and plays a little guitar, and my sister played guitar for a little while. My family was always involved in the music at our local church, so I was always around it before I could even walk. My parents always tell me that I was helping to run sound at church by the age of five. I started taking drum lessons at five years old, and when I tell that story most people are shocked that anyone would buy a five year old a drum set. Around nine I picked up a guitar, with a little help getting started from my uncle, I learned a few simple songs, and from there became entirely self taught; before YouTube and everything. I spent much of my teens and 20’s playing in bands that did all original music, then I came full circle with being heavily involved with the music at my church. A few years after that I decided to try something completely different and go solo, playing the local restaurants, bars, breweries, wineries, you name it, playing some of my favorite cover songs and just having fun, and here I am.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Man that is quite the loaded question, I’m not sure where to begin. Music has always been my first and foremost passion and hobby. From playing music, listening to it, going to concerts and supporting other local musicians, there’s nothing I love more than music, specifically live music. The first time I stepped on stage with four other guys where we had written our own original songs, ready to play them for whoever was in the room I was 16 years old. We called ourselves Rose of Sharon, and opened for local punk legends Dogwood. There’s a lot of things I would like to go back and tell 16 year old me about being in a band and working together with other musicians, but we were teenagers. I later joined up with an existing San Diego band, Pound Foolish, and played with them for a few years, opening for the likes of Anberlin, The Accident Experiment, and Pax 217, just to name a few. After that I was a part of the Irish fiddle rock band, Lexington Field, who blended covers with originals, where I took on the task of learning banjo and mandolin. When I went back to being involved in church music I had the head music director suggest that I try leading a band, first for the Jr High and High School youth groups. I had never been front and center, singing and leading before, so it was terrifying at first, but before I knew it I was leading main services for the adults on weekends. Fast forward a few years and the idea to go completely solo, with no band, no backup, just me and my guitar, was a new terrifying experience, but most of my journey has been a “I’ve never done this before, but I’m going to jump in with both feet and just see what happens.” I can’t say it always works out for me, there’s been a lot of bumps in the road along the way, but I’m still out there doing what I do, so I guess it’s worked out so far. With all of that being said, I feel like I bring a lot of experience, knowledge, a lot of ups and downs, and a pretty varied background of different styles of music I have played over the years. I take all of that and while constantly continuing to learn and evolve everyday, put it all into what I do now.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Well I’m a born and raised San Diego native, so for the most part almost everyone I know currently lives here, or used to live here but moved away. But let’s say someone visited who has never been to San Diego before. First and foremost my most frequented spot in my neighborhood would be Helix Brewing Company in La Mesa. They’re just down the road from where I live, I’ve been a regular there pretty much since the day the opened their doors, I help with some behind the scenes building projects here and there, and also perform there on occasion. As far as eat, as odd as it sounds I’ve never been a big beach guy, but absolutely hands down we would have to go get burgers at the original Hodad’s in Ocean Beach. It blows me away how many people live here who say they have never been there. From there I would probably look around to see where some other local musicians would be performing on the weekends. The Riviera Turquoise Room is another favorite spot that has great live music, cocktails, and food. And just for good measure I’d throw in Grand Ol’ BBQ. Another spot that has great live music, good beer selection, and amazing food.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family definitely put up with a lot of noise during my journey into music. From the drum set in the living room, to when I started getting my hands on bigger guitar amps, playing along to my favorite CD’s, to even letting my bands practice in the garage. I feel like a lot of people wouldn’t have put up with all of that, but with their patience and encouragement from my early days up til now, that was definitely huge part that has lead me to where I am now. They would come out to as many shows as they could to show their support, even if it was a little bit later at night, or noisy environments they wouldn’t normally hang out in.

Website: https://www.jnfordmusic.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathanfordmusic

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@jonathanfordmusic

Image Credits
Justin H. Brown, Sam Miller