Zak Schaffer always thought he’d be a bassist. Turns out he’s a singer/songwriter who loves playing bass. But, he’s also been a guitarist, keyboardist and drummer. Yeah, he’s one of those guys. From Boston originally, Zak moved to the Bay Area in the 90s to cut his teeth in the East Bay music scene. After graduation, he made his way to Los Angeles to seek his fortunes.
20 years passed with Zak digging his way into the music scene. Eventually landing a touring gig with Pete Yorn and several lesser known acts, and honing his skills as a producer, musician and songwriter.
After a long run of touring, teaching, producing, selling songs and playing locally, Zak made the move to Austin to see if the city would welcome him. He has been amazed at the results. Going through his Rolodex and asking his LA friends, “Who do we know in Austin?” yielded introductions to local musicians which quickly led to becoming a known commodity in town and playing gigs with local favorites David Ramirez and Bonnie Whitmore at venues like the Gallery at the Continental.
In addition, Zak did the hard work of hitting the open mics to work on his act (which Covid had affected adversely) and pursuing local bars and restaurants playing shows under his own name. And getting paid for it? “Wait. I have no draw and I’m getting paid to play my own stuff without bringing anyone?”, he thought, “Where the hell am I?” Oh yeah….Austin.
He has only been here for eight months, but they’ve been fruitful. In the Spring, Zak plans to record a new EP with local musicians brought in to help out. Things are looking good.
