Del Water Gap

"Lamplight" featured at number 100 on We All Want Someone To Shout For's "Best Songs of 2012" list. - WE ALL WANT SOMEONE TO SHOUT FOR

Del Water Gap is the stage name of 19-year-old Holden S. Jaffe from upstate New York. He self-produced his debut EP during his senior high school year and released it on May 18, 2012 via his Soundcloud where you can download all songs separately and completely for free. On his homepage, he describes the five songs as “inspired by romantic encounters and dimly lit rooms.” But no matter what inspiration served him, the songs impressively demonstrate his songwriting skills, and here and there it’s quite hard to imagine that one’s currently listening to a man who’s just nineteen years of age. - Music Pickings

yet another youngin’ making strides. del water gap’s s. holden jaffe is only 19, yet makes well-arranged and thought out tunes. below check out his debut ep which was recorded in the closet of his high school during his senior year. also check out a video of him preforming the track “no fear, dragon here” via a stairwell. - Magic Arrows

Evocative vocals and driving instruments carry me along to a back porch or a public park bandstand with blue collar workers, families and the under and unemployed. We’re all looking for some joy and fellowship. Maybe finding some meaning to the mundane after a weary work week on a Saturday afternoon. You can just hear the audience singing along on these heartfelt songs.

Hailing from upstate New York, S. Holden Jaffe is a song and dance man. His solo project, Del Water Gap, launched in October of 2011 as a means by which to put music to words written over the last two years. His self-produced EP was released in May of 2012 as a compilation of songs inspired by romantic encounters and dimly lit rooms. - Heroes of Indie Music

One listen to Del Water Gap, and you get the feeling that this is a seasoned musician that has been at it for years. His tremendous “In The Yard” is something that sounds light-years ahead of his 19 years of experience.

That’s because S. Holden Jaffe isn’t most 19-year-olds. He spent most of his senior year in high school recording and producing his debut EP in a closet at his school on upstate NY. His EP is a compilation of “songs inspired by romantic encounters and dimly lit rooms”.

“In The Yard” is a perfect example of just what he is capable of. This is stuff that rivals the likes of The Tallest Man On Earth, which is saying something.

You can stream the entire EP below, and grab it for free at soundcloud. To see just how skilled this fella is, check out his live performance in a stairwell below. - WE ALL WANT SOMEONE TO SHOUT FOR

I met S. Holden Jaffe, the mastermind behind Del Water Gap, in the dining hall of his NYU dorm. Considering he’s a current student at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, this setting seemed fitting. Jaffe brings emotion and honesty back to music in a poetic, yet edgy way…the kind of music that made Greenwich Village what it was back in the day of Bob Dylan and Simon and Garfunkel. When listening to the music of Del Water Gap, it feels like Jaffe is telling his listeners a bunch of little secrets, and talking to him was no different. Every word was thoughtful, just like his music. Every word had purpose, just like his music. Every word was gentle, just like his music. Most importantly, every word was honest…surprise, just like his music. As we talked over cereal and macaroni & cheese, I was able to get an incredibly personal look into what makes Del Water Gap so great.
What do you love about music?
The thing I like most about music is the fact that it’s a medium of expression that appreciates ambiguity. I think a lot of times people feel discouraged by ambiguity in conversation but in music a certain level of vagueness lets you be very implicit rather than explicit, and I like that.

What’s pretty special about your first EP is that you wrote and recorded everything yourself. Did you like it like that or did you ever wish you had someone else there to help you?
I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I didn’t it realize until I did it, but there’s something huge to be said for having complete creative control. In the wake of that I think I’ve recently had a little trouble collaborating with people. Collaboration can be a compromise.

Is it harder to write a song or record it?
They’re two completely different processes. Writing isn’t a very solid exercise. One song can take you one year to write or 10 minutes to write. It’s constantly changing. Different bits from different corners of yourself. It can take months to put that all together. Recording is a creative process in its own, but it’s much more obvious.

Do you think it’s easier to write about heart break or happiness?
Happiness.

How did you get involved in music?
It all started with Raffi and the Now CDs. Those are kind of the quintessential tastemakers of the 90s/early 2000s. I mean from there …. I dated this really interesting bass player singer songwriter from Mexico who was really first person that inspired me to write music. She eventually moved to Thailand and then Cuba but I still greatly appreciate the effect that she had on me.

Why did you think that the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music was the right fit for you?
It was the only fit for me. It was the only school that really felt like it would teach me how to take my self seriously. There are so many great trade schools out there, but Clive came off as a school that could teach me how to be a productive creative person and also come out with a legitimate degree in four years.

Do you collaborate or do you only write by yourself?
I had a very positive experience this past spring on a project I did with a close friend of mine. We looped a track for an hour or so and just started bouncing lyrics off of each other. It all felt very organic. The words just fell into place. But for the most part I haven’t collaborated on any of my own stuff. It’s just a very solitary process for me. I think I would find it distracting to have anybody else with an eye or ear on a piece I was working on. Hopefully that will change. I’ve seen great things come out of collaboration, but it’s something I’m going to have to grow into.

What can everybody expect from your concert at Sullivan Hall on December 5th 2012?
You should expect a plethora of saccharine Del Water jingles.

Who would your dream band consist of?
Steve Jordan, Robin Pecknold (Fleet Foxes), Yo-yo Ma, Thom Yorke, and all of the Avett Brothers.
And Annie DeFatta on tambourine…
Yes. You can write that.
Best compliment you’ve ever gotten in regard to your music?
“I want to take your music home from the bars and fuck it.”

Favorite lyric you’ve ever written?
One of my favorites is from the song “No Fear, Dragon Here” off the EP. The lyric is about falling in love with someone on the subway. It’s not my favorite lyric, not my best song, but I think it has the best story behind it. I always liked it because it was true. I think oftentimes the best words in songwriting are exaggerations of real events so it’s nice to have a lyric that is completely true… that can stand on its own and have something to say for itself. The line is about finding a very instantaneous and carnal attraction and trying to milk that for all that it’s worth but getting dissed in the end. I think that’s a very relatable thing.

What’s the lyric?
Listen to the song. You’ll hear it.
Don’t miss the opportunity to be a part of Del Water Gap’s rise.
http://www.facebook.com/delwatergap?ref=ts&fref=ts
www.dwatergap.com
https:// - 194 Recordings