"Everyone sings when they're little," says singer-songwriter Christopher Jak, on the phone from his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. "Then the world conspires to stop you." In Jak's case, the world conspired to do the opposite: in fourth grade, his music teacher recommended him to the American Boychoir, based in his native New Jersey. The Boychoir is a boarding school whose students receive intense training in classical music and performance-and then give concerts all over the world. "When my parents dropped me off that first night, I wanted to go home. By the second night, I had decided I never wanted to go home." Although his musical style has changed- along with his voice- Jak remains grateful for the experience and remembers it fondly: "Around there, life moved a lot like a processional: marching lines, uniforms...But I had a wonderful musical education and I saw the world."
After leaving the Boychoir, Jak turned his attention to the guitar and began to write his own songs. "You know those 'Singers and Songwriters of the 1970s' compilations?" he laughs. "I learned the guitar from those guys, and they still influence the way I play." Residing for a time in Portland, Oregon, with its diverse, committed songwriting community helped to expand his horizons: "Listening to the sounds that were out there inspired me-- writers like Elliot Smith, Pete Droge, Craig Carothers, and so many other talented songwriters around back then". It was during this time that the fledgling artist formed his first real band: "I was really lucky; these guys were great musicians. The first song we played through was the first song I'd ever written, and I'd never heard it played by a full band. It was a huge thing. I admit it-- I almost cried, which was so lame. But I still feel like that a lot of the time when we finish producing a track. It's all I can do to keep myself from putting an orchestra on every song."
Resisting the temptation to overproduce-Jak's initial effort, 2002's Applause of the Rain, is an intimate album featuring compelling, hook-filled melodies and poetic lyrics. Released to critical acclaim, the album helped Jak secure a host of bookings at prestigious venues around the country, including New York's The Bitter End, where he is now a regular. In addition, Jak is in high demand at campus locales nationwide, as well as being a mainstay on the daily playlists of hundreds of college radio stations. Jak's music was also recently featured on the WB television shows "Smallville" and "Summerland".
Although Jak describes himself as a cynical, sarcastic intellectual-type, the motives behind his second album, The New Nostalgia, are earnest and close to the heart. "I think back to times that I'm nostalgic about, and it's the music that stands out the most." Taking cues from some early heroes like Elvis Costello, Cat Stevens, The Pretenders, Tom Waits and Elton John; The New Nostalgia blends a storyteller's lyricism with a pop singer's love of melody. "The New Nostalgia isn't about looking back; it's about referencing the past to consider what you'll be looking back on in the future. I guess I'm saying I want people to have good memories of this music and still like these songs in 30 years. I suppose that's fairly optimistic."
Recorded in a fairly unconventional location-the Balmead Plantation in Palatine, VA, The New Nostalgia represents a significant evolution from the style and mood of Chris' debut album. "The recording process was incredibly different. The first record was very much an individual effort, I didn't really have a plan going in-- I was just ready to make a record. This time, everything was carefully decided from song selection through mastering. The result is a record that feels more finished and is much more artistically satisfying."
When he's not touring or in the studio recording, Jak is a still a pretty happy guy: "I cook a lot. I walk my dogs. I get all domestic, and then I get to go away and play, meet people, hang out... hopefully make good memories for people. I'm really lucky because I live dual lives, and they're both very cool." Jak smiles at his good fortune, and at his anticipation of his ultimate goal: a long career. While singing and performing comes naturally, his focus as of late has been writing songs. "All of my heroes are great songwriters. I am working so hard on my writing right now, because that's what lasts. It sounds trite, but being a great singer-songwriter is entirely about the singing of great songs. The goal is simple. I want to do good work, I want to be appreciated for my good work, and I want to continue to do that good work for a long time."
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