Album Notes

Jake Armerding didn't have much choice about getting into music--his dad was jamming earphones on his head before his first birthday and had procured a small violin for him by age five--but he never put up much of a fight. Armerding studied classical violin until his junior year of high school, when he quit lessons to devote more time to improvisational music.

A six-year stint with his father's newgrass band, Northern Lights, began at age 14. His performance on Northern Lights' recordings won him praise from critics and the respect of others in the industry. Bluegrass Unlimited admitted, "It is tempting to single out Jake Armerding as a budding star." The exposure to an audience also brought him requests for session work, and during his teens he contributed to recordings by Jonathan Edwards, Jason Harrod, Amy Gallatin, Bob Martin and others. In search for new challenges, Armerding picked up the mandolin at age 16 and the guitar a year later. He also began to focus on developing his vocal skills and writing songs.

Armerding left Northern Lights in 1998 to pursue his own music career. In March 1998 he received a call from mandolinist Matt Flinner, presently touring with Judith Edelman, a singer-songwriter from Nashville. Flinner asked Armerding to join the band for a tour around the West Coast. Armerding accepted, and toured intermittently with the Judith Edelman Band over the next two years.

An album of original songs, Cagèd Bird, appeared in March 1999. On the strength of that recording, Armerding began opening shows for artists such as David Wilcox, Over the Rhine, and old friends Northern Lights. Songs from Cagèd Bird have become staples on Boston radio stations 91.9 FM (WUMB) and 89.7 FM (WGBH). Armerding currently lives in Boston, and tours with his father, Taylor (vocals, mandolin, guitar), in the New England region.