Jeff Abarta

Product Manager

01. How long at Epitaph?

14 + years, I started in 1991. I was the first full-time employee that Brett ever hired.

02. Place of birth?

Downtown LA

03. Goal in life?

To raise my son so that he doesn’t grow up hating his parents.

04. All-time favorite artists?

* The Beatles
* Grateful Dead
* Bad Religion
* Frank Zappa
* R.E.M.
* Lots of goth bands (The Cure, Bauhaus, Sisters of Mercy, etc)
* Miles Davis (the Prince of Darkness)

05. Recommended Reading

The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown
Life of Pi – Yann Martel
Cat’s Cradle (or most anything by Kurt Vonnegut…Slaughterhouse Five, Galapagos, Blue Beard, etc…)
East Of Eden – John Steinbeck

06. First major concert?

U2 at the LA Sports Arena in 1985, on the Unforgettable Fire tour.

07. What do I do for a living?

I do whatever I can do to help our artists make the best records that they can make, whether it’s booking studio time, hiring producers, graphic designers, or overseeing their budget. Then I create a timeline & deadlines, and start cracking the whip.

08. Currently listening to:

* Spoon
* Calixico
* Talking Heads
* CAN
* The Police
* Neil Young
* Sufjan Stevens
* DANGERDOOM
Frequent re-visits to any of the above in answer #4