by Nancy E. McCarthy
Rochester musician Jackson Cavalier gave it the old college try. After his 2012 high school graduation, Cavalier started music courses at Monroe Community College, but he wasn’t really feeling it there. He attended SUNY Potsdam, then SUNY Geneseo and continued to write songs and perform on the side.
Cavalier finally faced it. “College wasn’t for me,” he said.
Besides, he was already supporting himself by doing what he loved most: playing music. Cavalier dropped the collegiate life to focus on the real-life business of recording and performing professionally (which he has been doing full-time since 2018).
Though he plays and collaborates with other musicians, Cavalier is literally a one-man band. He sings, plays harmonica, guitar and foot percussion plus dabbles in bass and keyboard instruments. He often plays several instruments simultaneously. “The way he can play so many instruments at once is just a league of its own and takes some true skill and dedication,” Rochester musician Briana Horton said admiringly. Some audience members are astonished, assuming incorrectly that Cavalier is using a pre-recorded drum backing track.
Cavalier appears at many Finger Lakes Region venues and quite often at Hollerhorn Distilling in Naples – both as a headliner and an opening act for other bands. “He has become part of the Hollerhorn family, and we love pairing him with national touring bands like the Felice Brothers,” said owner Karl Neubauer. “It’s fun to watch the reaction from band and crowd alike when he starts playing because he creates so much sound and texture with the addition of his foot percussion.”
Inspiration
Cavalier’s family wasn’t musical, but music was always on at home or in the car. “Music was an inseparable part of my life from the time I was born,” said Cavalier, who grew up in Greece, New York. “As I became a teenager it became my whole identity.” His diverse musical influences include Johnny Cash, Jack White, Conor Oberst, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin. Cavalier describes himself now as an Americana musician, a broad genre that encompasses an amalgam of folk, rock, country and blues.
His inspiration to perform as a one-man band came in 2013 after seeing Austin, Texas artist Shakey Graves play a show. Graves was becoming well-known for his solo act using a uniquely modified suitcase set-up that functioned as a kick drum. Cavalier copied that and started busking (street performing) with a similar set-up. Teaching himself was analogous to learning how to walk. “One foot would play the bass drum, and on the next step the other foot would play the tambourine. Just like walking or marching,” Cavalier explained. All the while, he sang, played guitar and harmonica. To broaden his percussion sound options, he now uses an electronic Yamaha kit with eight trigger pads which he still works with his feet.
After Cavalier took his act to the streets, he entered a CITY Newspaper “best busker” competition in 2014 and placed second. He came in first place in 2015, 2016 and 2018 – a meaningful milestone. Other performance highlights include playing on the Rochester Lilac Festival’s main stage and opening for national acts such as Willie Watson of Old Crow Medicine Show, the Felice Brothers and Steve Earl.
Playing and recording
Cavalier’s live show set lists are roughly divided into thirds: his own original Americana songs; popular cover tunes he puts his own spin on by iconic artists such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse and Jimi Hendrix; and older blues/jazz/folk standards such as “St. James Infirmary,” “Black Mountain Blues,” and “Green, Green Rocky Road.”
Horton has caught many of Cavalier’s shows, playing in bands and as a solo act. In either configuration she says the energy is contagious. “The sound is so full and lively whether he’s alone or surrounded by a group of musicians,” she said.
Cavalier’s songwriting process begins with discovering an interesting chord progression, building it into a whole – or nearly whole – song and then writing lyrics over it. “We’ve seen him grow and develop his unique sound for years, and honestly he has just honed his sound to a razor edge lately,” Neubauer said. “It feels like he has really found an area of exploration that helps push his skills as both a musician and songwriter.”
He has recorded and released three solo albums of original music: Barefooted & Still Breathing (described as playful ballads and folk-grass romps), Half Moon and Spellbound (folk and country songs).
A new collaboration
Cavalier’s latest project is with Colombian musician Madeiro, the 2021 winner of Colombia’s version of the “X Factor” television talent show. Madeiro was in Rochester visiting his brother in early 2023 when he googled “Rochester musicians” and stumbled upon Jackson Cavalier. He liked what he heard and reached out to Cavalier through Instagram.
Madeiro, a recording artist and producer who owns an entertainment company, suggested they get together to possibly collaborate on some music. It was such an improbable, random communication that Cavalier’s first thought was that the message was generated by a spam bot. He almost ignored it but took a leap of faith and agreed to meet Madeiro for coffee. They hit it off and quickly began writing and recording songs together.
The end result was a 10-song folk/rock album: Madeiro & Cavalier. They’ve been releasing one single a month starting with the catchy, energetic “Meet Us at the Mountain.” The album was released in its entirety in December 2024.
Cavalier continues to write and record his own material and is releasing new songs in 2025. His goal is to continue to build his audience and share his music with more people in and outside of the Finger Lakes Region. This winter he’s planning to tour down the east coast to Florida.
He’s satisfied with the life he’s carved out and living comfortably as a working musician. “Music means everything to me. It’s in the air I breathe, the food I eat, the sensation of all that’s around me and within me,” Cavalier said. “It is my very heartbeat.”
Visit jacksoncavaliermusic.com for more information. Follow Jackson Cavalier Music on Facebook and Instagram @jacksoncavalier.
