Album Notes

Jake began playing the guitar at 11 in his hometown Akron, Ohio after a friend let him take home the metal masterpiece by Metallica, “Master of Puppets” for his listening pleasure. After his jaw hit the floor and he procured his first pawnshop guitar, he was faced with a challenge. Although he had two musical parents, he was on his own to learn. Without any instruction, Jake found it difficult to develop anything useful and spent the next few years confused and frustrated.

At age 15, Jake finally began learning fairly quickly from a Mel Bay book and tape set purchased from the clearance bin at a music store. From those Blues and Rock riffs, he began piecing together solos from Clapton and Hendrix recordings and teaching them to friends. Many Beatles albums, Pink Floyd, Punk rock, some Jazz and Jazz Fusion added to his diverse collection of music.

After a couple years, Jake was getting restless and desired to find a group of guys to jam with. He heard of a “Rock & Roll class” after school and approached the students who were heading it up. He then began jamming and gigging around town playing cover tunes at parties after school with positive response. After graduating high school, Jake continued with the band, learning from recordings by Zakk Wylde, Joe Satriani, Gary Moore and many others. They switched to writing and playing original tunes at local clubs; mesmerizing audiences with spontaneous improvisations and an eye popping live show.

Jake still felt that there was something missing, which led Jake to search for his own style and write his own music. He began restructuring his sound by testing different guitar and amp combinations, listening to non-guitar oriented music and keeping his chops tight. Jake still listens to all kinds of music, while being stirred by the creation that’s inside him, waiting to be birthed. That which excites the soul, ignites the mind and hopefully, brings peace and joy to those who will listen.