The power of attorney vs. the ability to rock a power chord.
On paper these two don’t sound like likely bedfellows. How could the detailed-oriented psyche of a lawyer coexist in the same cranium as the right brain world of a rock star?
It’s working for Atlantan Marshall Seese. And he’s not alone.
Seese is one of several local musicians with law degrees who will be taking the stage June 9 for LawJam, the Third Annual Battle of the Atlanta Lawyers' Bands, held at Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points. A total of eight bands will be plugging in and duking it out for awards and studio time, not to mention the badge of rock ‘n' roll honor they’ll be wearing around the law firm water cooler.
Event proceeds help the philanthropic work of the Atlanta Bar Foundation, the charitable arm of the Atlanta Bar Association. The funds go to support Atlanta youth programs and free legal services for those who can’t afford it.
“I can’t think of any sort of industry or business association where they organize a charitable event to take over one of the coolest venues any musician in Atlanta can play and support the hobby of a bunch of lawyers,” said Seese.
According to Seese, the local law community recognizes the fact that in order to stay sane in the law profession, you need an outlet. Some legal eagles shake off the stress and long hours with music and songwriting.
When the Atlanta Bar Foundation decided to put on the first edition of LawJam, the idea made sense to Sally Hogsette, the group’s executive director.
“Music is the universal language,” Hogsette said. “It brings people together. The foundation’s mission is to bring the Atlanta law community together to serve the common good. We thought the synergy was perfect with what we were looking for.”
But Hogsette had no idea how many lawyers were closet rockers. Her main concern was finding bands that met the criteria? Each group must include at least one lawyer.
She soon had nearly 20 acts asking to be involved. It became apparent that lawyer and musician DNA aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive.
“I always find out that there’s a lot more talent out there than you’d think,” said Brenton Hund, LawJam’s stage manager, who spent nearly a decade as a touring musician before going to law school and eventually landing a gig as music counsel at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. “I think the legal profession is pretty demanding and takes the front seat of the careers of lawyers who are also musicians. But we do have some who straddle the fence.”
Seese is definitely one of them. Although he began taking piano lessons at age 6 and continued for eight years, he didn't pick up his first guitar until he was a teen. That's when he would trade Playboy magazines to a friend in exchange for a crash course in guitar chords.
He eventually found himself playing in praise and worship bands at church and in acoustic duos with friends. This carried on into college. While Seese attended the University of Georgia, he played in the band Blue Light Special, which rocked the Georgia Theatre, Tasty World and other Athens music venues.
The idea of a career in music never occurred to Seese and upon graduation from UGA, he decided to study law at the University of Michigan. His passion for songwriting kicked in during this time, he said, and by the time he graduated, he started imagining a career as a full-time musician. By then it was too late, he thought.
Fascinated by technology law, Seese returned to Atlanta to begin work as a lawyer for two different employers and starting his own law firm in between. Most of that time, however, he still had a grip on his music dreams. Even when he went a good stretch without playing live, Seese was knee-deep in songwriting.
It was last July when Seese stepped away from a full-time legal career. He had already started Mowgli, a social gaming company whose first game, Songster, allows players to become virtual rock stars. Seese soon found his musical and law backgrounds converging.
While serving as the CEO of Mowgli, Seese simultaneously keeps his music career going. His band, Marshall Seese and the Abandoned, has a recording agreement through the locally based Backspace Records. Each month Seese uses a long weekend for a short touring jaunt. And when he’s traveling on business, he might pick up a solo coffeehouse gig along the way. In July he’ll go on a 14-day tour through Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois.
Using both his law smarts and musical ability is something Seese said he would never have imagined. It all comes to a head at LawJam.
“At LawJam we’ve been fans of Marshall Seese since we received his first demo tape,” Hund said. “I think what’s cool about an aspiring original band is that there’s hope. I think people are excited to see someone blazing their own trail and doing it a high level.”
Having this unique trail to blaze is something Seese remains grateful for.
“Everyday I get to not only use what I’m good at and what my career and background have been in, but I have an absolute blast doing it,” Seese said. “Having it all come together is really special.”
7 p.m. June 9. $10-$20. Variety Playhouse, 1099 Euclid Ave., Atlanta. 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.
