Biography
- Top 10 Video (#6) on MUCH MORE MUSIC Canada (Apr/May '09)
- Regional Finalist - Canadian RadioStar Songwriting Competition - Jan 09
- Recently seen in Toronto opening for Mel C (Spice Girls) - June '08.
- Radio play in Western Canada and Toronto (Fall '08 - '09)
- #11 on the top 20 chart on Proud FM - Toronto (summer '08)
- 2008 Toronto Independent Music Award Nominee/Best Pop Album
- 100+ shows performed per yr '06/'07/'08
Music Video & Live Performance footage at www.jeffstraker.com (VIDEO)
BOOKINGS:
Canada/US: Paquin Entertainment
agent: Grant Paley 204-988-1125
grant@paquinentertainment.com
Asia:
contact us by e-mail - EastWest Entertainment Group:
query@eastwestentgrp.com
Publicity/Media:
Lorraine Quartaro
Phone (416) 433-7232
LQuartaro@solutionswithimpact.com
“Rufus Wainwright, as well as k.d. lang, are among Canadians making essential and beautiful music. Add the name Jeffery Straker to that list. Straker’s strong and playful vocals combined with his considerable songwriting talents make his debut album “Step Right Up” an invitation that’s nearly impossible to resist" Gregg Shapiro / Chicago Free Press (Jan '09)
"Cycling through that Justin Gray-produced record I could not help but wonder why he’s not already a star in this country. Over time, he’s evolved into a fine songwriter with great lyrical sensibilities... His music is a marvelous marriage of style and substance that draws inspiration from classic pop music, cabaret, and folk music... Straker is very much an artist to watch." (Canadian Musician Jan/Feb '09)
Singer-songwriter-pianist Jeffery Straker grew up listening to classical and pop music while nursing an addiction to his classical piano studies. He practiced for hours every day. This wouldn’t be abnormal except he grew up in a small farming community in rural Saskatchewan (population 250) where the norms were country music and ice hockey. He trended a little against the grain and got a kick out of doing things a bit differently. And so continues this pattern with his latest album “Step Right Up”. Blending cabaret nuances into his pop tendencies, the result is a Chamber-Pop release that shines a light on his distinct tenor voice and nimble fingers. Songs from the album have risen to the top 10 on Much More Music Canada, and have seen him perform over 100 shows a year including opening for Brit Superstar Mel C. He’s received nods for his songwriting as a national finalist in the Canadian Radiostar Songwriting Competition and as a top 20 finalist in the global 2009 Unisong Competition.
“You’re a superb performer! . . . your music has great energy ” Sandra Butel-Artistic Director Regina Folk Festival (July ‘07)
Being the son of an auctioneer and a church organist might explain why he enjoys making music for an audience. His musical mother recognized his talents and had him in piano lessons by age 6. but his tuneful leanings reach back much further than that. An actual musical descendant of a composing master, he is separated by only 6 degrees from Beethoven through teacher student lineage. At his peak Jeffery practiced piano 4-5 hours a day and earned a degree in piano performance from Trinity College of Music (England) when he was just 19. But he was also listening to his parents’ Elton John and Fats Domino LPs which began seeping into his soul and his fingers started to produce something different. “I remember learning the intro to Tiny Dancer, and the riff to Blueberry Hill and feeling like I’d slipped into a new skin”.
He spent 2006/2007 touring his previous album “Songs from Highway 15”- a collection of piano-folk-pop songs inspired by growing up on the Canadian prairies. FACTOR hopped on board to support the album, while CBC radio helped grow his fan base. Having performed over 200 shows in 2 years he created some good momentum for his music with tour stops including Canada, China, Ireland, and Panama (touring there with the Canadian Embassy). He also performed in New York City with a nomination for ‘Recording of the Year’ at the Outmusic awards. He sold almost 2000 CDs - quite a feat for an indie artist in Canada - and reviews said things like:
Now Jeffery has released his new chamber-pop album “Step Right Up”, produced by Justin Gray (Joss Stone, Emma Bunton, Jacksoul) in Toronto & Los Angeles. The two met at a songwriting workshop and with the pairing Straker’s artful songs met Gray’s incomparable pop-touch that has helped him sell 20 million+ albums worldwide. The recording features industry heavyweights Randy Cook on drums (Five For Fighting, Chantal Kreviazuk, Kelly Clarkson), and Justin Abedin on guitar (Amanda Marshall, Jacksoul). It also features a tuba and a string section caressing Straker’s cabaret leanings. And to tap into more musical vibes while recording in LA, Jeffery slept at the famed Alta Cienega Motel in room 32 where Jim Morrison slept during his Hollywood stint in the late 60’s.
The songs create interesting and colourful narrative snapshots for the listener. “Flat Lines” paints the picture of a friend as she struggles with bi-polar disorder. The 3rd verse chases her as she steals a black-forest cake from a Tim Horton’s and feeds it to a statue of Alexander the Great. The gospel-tinged “Tykie’s Comin Out” spotlights a friend who came out of the closet in 8th grade in a small rural town while “Hypnotized” tips its hat to early Elton John with its driving piano as the uptempo love tune unravels. Also, a trilogy of piano-vocal songs dot the album (“Bookmark”, “Emoticons”, “Dressed to Kill”) in a tongue in cheek ode to on-line dating.
“I was just handed your disk, had a listen, and LOVE your sound - we've added you to our regular rotation” - Jason Stone, DJ Z99 (Regina) May ‘08
Jeffery is touring across Canada at a feverish pace. The past 10 months have seen 100 performances including opening for Brit Superstar Mel C (Spice Girls) in Toronto, playing to 10,000 and most recently his music video ’Hypnotized’ has risen to the top 10 on MUCH MORE MUSIC airing across the country. He was nominated for a Toronto Independent Music Award (Best Pop Album), and was a Top 10 finalist in the Canadian National Radiostar Songwriting Competition. He showcased at Canadian Music Week in 2009 and as a result signed to East-West Entertainment booking/management in Taiwan (for the Asian market). Songs from his album have been licensed to MTV US, and Canada’s Out-TV has licensed the video of his Toronto CD release concert to air as a prime-time TV special to it’s 500,000+ Canadian subscribers. Add to that some steady gains in radio play with songs spinning on fm radio on the prairies as well as CBC. All summer long on Toronto’s PROUD FM the anthem “Tykie’s Comin Out” sat at #11 on the top 20 chart. Jeffery has landed performances at festivals including JUNOfest, CMW, Ness Creek Fest, and many PRIDE festivals across Canada while his recent CD release concerts Regina and Toronto sold out. Additionally, Jeffery’s engaging stage flair and frequent sprints through the crowd with tambourine in hand caught the attention of the CBC who recorded and broadcast a live performance. After performing a knock-out set opening for the Regina Symphony in 2008 he’s been invited to perform his own Pops concert with the RSO in 2010. Encouraging reviews have recently landed in print, coming from the likes of Canadian Musician Magazine and the Chicago Free Press to name just a few.
As touring momentum continues to build with his songs, Jeffery looks forward to getting “Step Right Up” into more and more listeners’ hands across Canada.
“Another great disc of music!! I am always happy to spin good tunes, thanks for continuing to make them!”
- Dan Reynish - Host/Producer, Saskatchewan Weekend CBC Radio (June ‘08)
For more info visit: www.jeffstraker.com
phone (cell/text): 416-882-0992
e-mail: jeffstraker88@rogers.com
Instrumentation
Jeff Straker - Piano & Vocals for solo shows
In full band show:
Bass, drums, guitar backing vocals & cello, and sometimes Sousaphone
(Solo performances work well in the right venue)
Discography
NEW 2008 RELEASE - Step Right Up
Songs from Highway 15 (full length CD) - Jan 2006 - (2000 units sold)
Petrified (full length CD release) - March 2003 - 1000 units sold. Title track + select other tracks received Canadian radio airplay
Middle of Somewhere (2-song single) - May 2002. 500 units sold. Received Western-Canadian airplay.
Links
| http://www.jeffstraker.com |
| Website |
| Myspace |