15 OctOber 1 - 7, 2026 dallasobserver.com DALLAS OBSERVER Contents | Unfair Park | CUltUre | Dish | Music | ClassifieD F rom a hospital bed in the in- tensive care unit, Jeff Saenz wasn’t sure what had hap- pened to him, how he sur- vived, what the rest of his life would look like and when he could get back in the control room at his recording studio, Modern Electric Sound Recorders. On June 1, 2021, Saenz came into contact with a downed power line. “We had a killer day at the studio, worked with an incredible cast of guys, and had such a great session, went home that night, tried to get home early enough to just see [my daughter] before it was bed- time,” he says. Following an aggressive storm in the days before, there was a blackout on his street in Little Forest Hills; Saenz walked into his front yard to investigate. Watching the shadow figures of his neighbors peer down the street is his last solid memory of the night. “I later came to find out that moonrise that night wasn’t even for another two hours, so the moon was below the horizon, no cloud in the sky for it to even reflect off of. It was eerie, and it was just black,” he says. He was shocked by 7,876 volts, or more specifically, 12 amperes. At one ampere, the heart stops pumping blood normally; car- diac arrest is almost certain; amputations aren’t even a question. Miraculously, his heart never stopped beating; he believes it’s because the current flowed through a silver St. Michael’s medal around his neck, a tradi- tional pendant worn as a symbol of protec- tion and strength, rather than his heart. He still wears it. After almost two weeks in a medically induced coma, another 10 weeks in a burn unit to address third- and fourth-degree burns covering 25% of his body, and several surgeries, including the amputation of his right arm and left hand, Saenz returned home to his wife, Monica, his children and music. Now, five years later, Saenz views his life in two segments: before the ▼ Cover Story >> p16 Jeff Saenz finds his way back to the stage after a life-changing accident. WORDS BY ALYSSA FIELDS PHOTOGRAPHY BY MADISON TRUSCAN FACING THE MUSIC Jeff Saenz at Modern Electric Sound in Dallas