Faber Hall’s South Side Café, a place where students can play games, get food and drinks and make things for their rooms, brightens up once a month to celebrate the weekend while relaxing in an intimate setting with close friends. Jeff LeBlanc, a Sacred Heart University alumnus and musician, played on Nov. 12 at South Side for an hour-long acoustic set in front of a modestly-sized crowd.
When asked when he started playing music, LeBlanc described it as “a hobby in college on the weekends and playing in my room … It slowly turned into a career and I didn’t expect it.”
LeBlanc graduated from SHU in 2008, according to the SHU website. During his years there, he said that he majored in history and education with a minor in music. He added that he didn’t have any specific schooling in playing music. He said that he went to college to get a “regular job,” but he ended up becoming a professional musician.
“If I didn’t have the college experience, I don’t think I would’ve taken this path,” said LeBlanc.
His style of music is typically categorized by three to four-minute pop songs that he hopes will become ingrained in the minds of his listeners. Some of the subjects he discusses in his lyrics center around growing up, anxiety and relationships.
“I like so many different types of music,” said LeBlanc. “I try and include as many as I can.”
His multitude of interests become evident when listening to his music, as his R&B-influenced sound borders the realms of folk-driven rhythms.
LeBlanc has toured ever since he graduated college and has come to Fairfield several times in the past. He started playing at Fairfield because one of his friends that worked here asked him to play. He’s played at South Side Café, Gonzaga Auditorium, the Oak Room and even at the Stag Snack Bar. One thing that LeBlanc said he likes is seeing people that saw him perform at Fairfield coming back and enjoying his other shows outside of the area.
LeBlanc said that he wouldn’t want to move to the West Coast for the exposure and music scene around the area.
“I am not really an L.A. guy and I can’t handle the traffic,” said LeBlanc. “The way music is made today, you can make it wherever you are. Music is mobile.”
His acoustic set was made up of original songs and covers. Some of his covers included Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” and Justin Timberlake’s “Suit and Tie.”
LeBlanc sang well considering that he said he was feeling “under the weather.” His ability to sing as if he was perfectly healthy is truly a testament to his vocal abilities.
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