Daily Inspiration: Meet Jordan (Chriss) Puckett

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jordan (Chriss) Puckett.

Hi Jordan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My grandpa bought me my first guitar when I was a junior In highschool and I was hooked. Around 2008/2009 I went through a breakup and decided I wanted to sing/write lyrics because just guitar couldnt cut it. I conquered my fear of singing/performing in front of someone in 2009 at an open mic at Taffy’s in Eaton ohio. I was scared to death and shaking but gained confidence as the night went on. I started playing for free at coffee shops after that and got my first paying gig at starbucks in miamisburg Ohio. Since then I’ve played at weddings, funerals , large events and festivals, breweries, event centers such as the shuster center. , wineries And about every venue you can think of. I lost my grandpa and biggest supporter in 2016 and it hit me hard so I took a break from playing out music for a few years because every time I picked up a guitar after that tears would tend to follow. I also at the same time went through a break up with a woman I was in an acoustic duo with called “best for last” so it really took the wind out of me. Since then I had only played out a few times. Until about 2 years ago when I asked my best friend Jesse Gilmore to join me for some serious music. We had previously done comedic tenacious d type of music for fun. Now we are playing 60+ shows a year and have seen serious growth within the last couple years. He does it for actual work and it’s been a big help for me financially as well. We also play at an old folks home called storypoint in Troy which is super rewarding. Just focusing on writing music, having fun, meeting great people and seeing where it goes before we turn 40 years old as sort of an unspoken goal. Balancing all this with kids is very tough, I have two and he has one but we greatly appreciate the support we have from family to be able to chase our dream for a little bit. We’ve won some awards and participated in cool events with national acts such as Sponge and blessid union of souls. Going to continue to expand and reach more people.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The death of my grandpa in 2016 was a huge blow to my music for awhile. He was at every show and supported my music to no end. Losing him made it hard to get on stage for awhile but I know he’s proud of where I’m at now. Also, I involved a partner into my music and when her and I broke up the same year it also had a negative impact . So I had to regain lots of venues and network again after taking years off of playing music. So the last few years it’s been about rebuilding and giving it more of an honest go at music. I’m more ready than I’ve ever been and think I needed that time anyway to improve on my craft. I wasn’t where I needed to be and know that now .I’ve also worked strenuous jobs as a construction worker and also worked in a warehouse environment which was tiring doing that and going to a 3-4 hour show. It started to feel like work at times. Along the way there was brief periods of writers block but listening to new and different bands helped that. My grandpa always told me the greatest strength we can have is to listen. Everyone is their own hero and they want to be heard. If you listen to people and the world , it will appreciate that and listen back

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a songwriter/performer. I’m very proud of my original songs. I can write in any genre and something straight from my heart but I can also write about any topic. My friend Jesse and I wrote a song about taco Bell and sent it to their corporate office And they featured it on a website. But that’s what sets me apart I feel from other local acts. My song writing ability and to make even certain cover songs sound very original. The music I do now is still sort of indie/folk/alternative but I’m a melting pot of many different genres. Everything I’ve listened to and been exposed too. I’ve been writing so long that I swear the songs write themselves and just happen. It’s pretty weird

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Being humble… I’m never satisfied with what I do. I can always improve and get better every day and every year. Being humble is the key to success in my opinion. I try to view everything I do from an unbiased perspective and zone in on my weaknesses and try to work at it

Contact Info:

• Website: https://linktr.ee/TheWaywardJs
• Instagram: Thewaywardjs
• Facebook: https://Facebook.com/thewaywardjs