Why are we drawn ro Jeff Buckley nearly thirty years after his death?

It’s more than the music.

Jeff approached creativity—with child like wonderment with a strict discipline, Jeff was vulnerabile , with a hunger for perfection. In a culture that often rewards certainty, Jeff remained a student of the process.

In this second episode of my series on Jeff Buckley, I look at Memphis—the city that that was the setting for the final chapter of his life. Memphis wasn’t just where he died, but the place he was living, writing, exploring new ideas, and trying to discover where his music was taking him.

Together with Jessica Snyder of Mystery Dream Boy, we talk about Memphis, the mythology, and the reality of those final months. We explore why Jeff’s work continues to resonate across different generations, and why artists today still find inspiration in his commitment to authenticity, collaboration, and creative growth.

This conversation isn’t about an ending.

It’s about a creative life still unfolding through the music, the images, the archives, and the people who continue to find meaning in his work.

I hope you’ll join us.

Listen to the latest episode of Refractions with Harper P. Gentry.

On this episode of Refractions with Harper P. Gentry, I talk with Jessica Snyder, curator of @mysterydreamboy, about Jeff Buckley, Merri Cyr, and the relationship between music, image, and memory in a time before social media.

We talk about why his work still connects with people today, and how certain artists continue to find new generations long after they’re gone. #RefractionsPodcast

In this episode of Refractions, singer and songwriter Reba Rambo reflects on a life shaped by music—on finding her voice, writing songs that endure, and what it means to remain a true artist over time.

Featuring a tribute written by songwriter King Rio Nevada:

“Lady, sing to me of rainbow painted skiesand Joseph coats of multi-coloured leaves—let your words become a wall around my heart,and let your voice become a place of peace.”

Some voices are like home—a place we return to.

In this episode, we talk about photographers who shaped their way of seeing—Eve Arnold and the way she met people where they were, Herman Leonard and those deep shadows and smoke-filled rooms, Henri Cartier-Bresson, a “pioneering photographer who captured life’s fleeting moments with precision and intuition, defining what he called ‘the decisive moment,’ and the instinct to catch something just as it’s about to disappear.”

Bethany talks about what it was like to be a muse, and Penny talks about capturing Bresson and Harper Lee, and that moment when she paid attention and noticed what’s right in front of her and did not turn away.

This episode isn’t just about photography. It’s about preserving legacy.

—Harper P. Gentry

In the years following Hurricane Katrina, three women—Allison Wonderland Schwabaker, Sandy Maggio, and Ann Dwiddie Madden—helped shape that spirit into something lasting. What began as a simple idea grew into Dolly Should and Frida Fest, where creativity became a way to rebuild, to gather, and to remember who we are to one another.

This episode reflects on how a town, a café, and a few determined voices turned celebration into community—and community into something enduring.