Jake Laufer & Sherpa Underground

We met singer-songwriter JAKE LAUFER at Iota while we were being wowed by Chaise Lounge. He had an easy smile and a convenient business card. The CD arrived in the mail soon after. Sharp guy, we thought, knows how to work it. And now, after listening to A Viking Named ¡Caliente!, we realize—omigod, this kid's really going places! The disc puts all the pieces together: clever, thoughtful lyrics; supremely confident playing; solid production; and compelling melodies. - Dave Nuttycombe

Thursday night, January 30, 2003 was the First DC101 Local Lix Showcase featuring three distinctly different musical acts from around the Metropolitan area held at Jaxx Nightclub Concert Hall in Springfield, Virginia. First up was Jake Laufer, an Arlington, Virginia based singer/songwriter. The Sherpa Underground Frontman stepped on stage and did what few have ever done before; play solo acoustic on the large Jaxx stage. Jake was magnificent. His songs were a blend of rock, funk, wit, humor, and really catchy hooks. And his stage presence was commanding enough that he easily won the crowd over. - Carl Raether

Jake Laufer is a young American musician who has been compared to everyone from They Might Be Giants to The Clash. Regardless of what you may find in the man’s music, there is a talent in him that can’t be ignored and shouldn’t be missed.

Laufer is a captivating songwriter with a sweet voice reminiscent of a kid with his first guitar. His lyrics are full of intriguing stories and feelings, with such influences as The Who and Black Sabbath. He also has a grasp of the best ways to balance his lyrics with his instrumentation, in order to make his songs send the strongest messages possible. Consider “Walkabout,” in which Laufer’s lyrics explore his search for something that he can’t explain. After listing nearly every possible description for what he could be looking for, a burst of guitar and saxophone kicks in and takes over, showing the importance of his search is really too strong for words.

Laufer is also able to convey a sense of humor in his music. In “Paste-Eating Johnny vs. Mrs. Edison”—which, by title, recalls a Moxy Fruvous piece (and there are moments when Laufer’s work certainly sounds a bit like that quirky group)—we find the funny and poignant story of a grade schooler’s crush on a cool kid’s mother.

The vigor Laufer puts into singing that he’s “wicked awesome” is an example of the humility he brings to his art. He combines the experience of Bob Dylan with the enthusiasm of Jad Fair in order to present songs that illustrate how much he loves music. In addition to singing and playing guitar, he also plays an Arabic drum called a dumbek. He insists he does not know how to play the instrument, and that it’s “for the neighbors to decide” if he sounds any good.

Laufer is also the leading force behind the band Sherpa Underground. They are a quartet that combines the sounds of punk, rockabilly and pop, “sometimes within the same tune.”

Starting in Washington, D.C., the group has been steadily working to become one of the best acoustic experiences in the mid-Atlantic.



- Ted Hornick