Aaron Stroessner chased his rock’n’roll dreams to New York City in the 1990s where he spent a decade performing with his band ‘Dead Left’ and working behind the scenes at the Knitting Factory. Fast forward a few years, he now hangs his fedora in eastern Nebraska where he’s an essential member of that region’s jazz scene.

For those keeping score at home: the frontman of the band Soul Coughing was Mike Doughty; Dan Wilson launched his career with the band Semisonic.