Jared Scharff has many guitarists' dream job. He's got a steady gig playing for millions of people every week, he rarely (if ever) has to deal with music critics or traveling the country in an oft-broken bus, and he knows where his rent money is coming from every single month.

But being the guitarist for Saturday Night Live isn't enough for Scharff, so the multi-talented musician decided to launch his own project, in which he does everything from the initial brainstorming for song ideas to the finishing touches on each track from the production end.

Influenced by everyone from Flying Lotus and Kanye West to Bon Iver and Sigur Ros (and of course Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, from a guitar standpoint), Scharff's Pearl Lion is as interesting as it is diverse.

With the release of two mini-albums (the atmospheric Light and beat-oriented Dark) Pearl Lion is showing that Scharff is far more than a guitarist and producer for others.

Hometown: NYC/LA

What's it like being the producer for all of your own music?

It's a lot of time spent on computers! It’s mostly just making music and promoting all the releases. Constantly.

How did the name Pearl Lion come about?

Pearl Lion is a combination of two words that have great personal meaning to me. Pearl was the name of my grandmother. She was the most positive person I’ve ever met. Pure sunshine. The lion part was from a vision I had during a cranial sacral therapy session. She told me that the lion was the protector of my dreams. At the time, I felt like I wasn’t following my heart, so I brought together those two words Pearl and Lion because it felt completely honest, true and was my dream. So the name felt right.

Why did you decide to start creating music as Pearl Lion aside from your other projects?

I’ve wanted to make an instrumental album my entire life, so I took a break from producing/writing pop music to focus on my own artist thing. I started to write ideas, eventually recorded some ideas, and then finished some songs. Once I heard the first finished song I knew this was exactly what I needed and wanted to be doing for my own music.

How did you choose the sound for Pearl Lion?

A lot of trial and error. Since this is modern instrumental music, but not synth-based, I didn’t have many things to use as a blueprint. I pretty much had to figure out how to make this music make sense on my own. I have so many different genre influences that I took a little from everything. The producer and beat-maker mindset mixed with a pop producer brain, sprinkle in some ambient/indie feel and add the guitar. Voila.

What's the coolest experience you've had so far as Pearl Lion?

Definitely collaborating on the "Alpha4" music video with FOX ADHD (Animation Domination High Def). 

Where do you draw inspiration for your music?

I think that stuff all happens organically. I’ll just pick up a guitar and jam out until something great finds me. I’ll also work on some drum ideas or mess with an analog synth. It all depends on what I feel like doing. And then once I find that “thing” that hits me in the chest and gives me all the “feels,” I’m off to the races. Then my entire musical heart and mind takes over and does its own thing.

What's one lesson Pearl Lion has taught you?

I need to be involved with people I really love and respect. It makes all the difference. Also, I have to be the leader. I just know what I want and have a vision for what needs to going on, so it’s difficult for me to sit back.

What's the songwriting process like for you?

I have a few different ways that I can go about it. What happened most for these two mini-albums was just me sitting down with a guitar and some pedals making noise. Maybe some great riff, chord progression or melody eventually comes out, and then I’ll just work it out until I have a full song. I make sure every part of the song is purposeful. No wasted space, only the good shit! So it may take a few different sessions to finish something, or it may come out in one. It's not up to me. That stuff comes from somewhere else.

What do you want people to know about the two mini-albums?

That I’ve spent months and years making sure every song and every second of these two mini-albums are purposeful and hit you with emotion in some way. So for you, it’s three-and-a-half minutes, but to me, it’s my entire life.

What are you working on next?

As a creator, I’m already onto the next. Writing new material for the next mini-album or full length. As well as evolving and starting to collaborate with some vocals/vocalists on the new stuff.

Is there anything else about Pearl Lion or your other projects you’d like to add?

I love ramen. Rediculously so. And I’m learning how to play hockey and borderline obsessed with it. Also, I’m the guitarist for the Saturday Night Live House Band.