Guitarist Jason Heeter is a regular on the local music scene, from solo performances to various band memberships

Jason Heeter has a life that has been built around music.

"I work in a music store and play music," he said.

The native son sang in church as a child and played in the band in high school. He then attended Southeast Missouri State University, where he majored in music, and has been active in several bands on the local music scene.

Heeter currently plays bass guitar and sings for Shugyo, a band he started with two other local musicians, Matt Gates and J.J. Seabaugh, in May.

Jason Heeter poses for a photo Thursday.Glenn Landberg

For four years, the three men were members of Monstars. The band did two small tours, but after two of the other band members moved to St. Louis, the trio decided to start a new group with a new sound.

Jason Heeter poses for a photo Thursday.Glenn Landberg

"We started off in our own new musical direction," Heeter said. "It's a dark, heavy, progressive jazz kind of thing. We're trying to distance ourselves from what Monstars was."

The band has a few out-of-town festivals scheduled in the spring, including the MoRoots Music Festival in Steeleville, Missouri, and Cosmic Reunion, a four-day event in French Village, Missouri. But for now, Shugyo is mainly focusing on composition and playing in the Cape Girardeau area.

"We've been writing a bunch and staying local," Heeter said. "We really like the direction the sound is going."

One of his fellow bandmates, Seabaugh, owns Pitter's Cafe and Lounge, where Shugyo often can be found playing, and hosts an open-mic night every Wednesday.

At 9 p.m. today, the band will perform at a "Prohibition party" with a speakeasy theme at Dempsey's Drinkery in downtown Cape Girardeau, though Heeter pointed out the band's music doesn't relate to Prohibition-era tunes.

"We will dress the part, even though we sound nothing like that," Heeter said.

He also plays guitar with local band Beef and recently was hired to play bass guitar in a 12-piece band, Shades of Soul, which plays a variety of music from mainstream artists.

"It's great and a lot of fun," Heeter said. "We played the Isle Casino on New Year's Eve, and it was packed."

When he's not playing, he works at Shivelbine Music Store, where he repairs brass instruments, such as a stuck valve on a trumpet.

"I would take it apart and straighten out the valve casings," he said. "Basically, anything to make sure it's clean and in working order."

Jason Heeter poses for a photo Thursday.Glenn Landberg

That's a natural fit for Heeter, since he studied tuba and trombone at Southeast.

"I went to school for that, not bass or guitar," he said.

Although Heeter didn't graduate from Southeast, he said he is more than satisfied with the direction his career is taking.

"I don't even know what I'd be doing differently if I had a degree," he said.