Jake Lear

“Lear is a guitar god, influenced by everyone from
Hendrix to Buddy Guy.” – L Magazine

“He is at a Place where he deserves to be heard.” – Mark Drneck of WSRK’s Blue Light Central.

“Lear has the skills that will eventually take him beyond the small-town gigs to national recognition.” – Press & Sun Bulletin.

Jake Lear has spent the last year playing club dates from New York to Mississippi. He has opened up or played with the likes of Anson Funderburgh, Robert Bilbo Walker, David Lee Durham, Bill Abel, Wesley Jefferson, Paul Geremia, Eddie Shaw and the Wolfgang, Lightnin’ Malcom, Terry Harmonica Bean and Monroe Jones. In October Jake played the emerging artist stage at the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival in Helena, Arkansas. After the festival Jake spent the next two months living and playing with local blues legends in and around the Clarksdale, Mississippi area and was a featured guest on the oldest radio program in the country - The King Biscuit Time Radio Show on KFFA hosted by the legendary Sonny Paine. Jake Lear is currently recording his first CD and will be having his CD release party at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, NY on May 18th.

“ When I was young I began listening to blues records by Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Sonny Terry and Brownie Magee and shortly after that records by Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Freddie King, Elmore James, and so many more. Those records are what made me want to play guitar then, and ever since. Later, in my twenties, I got into some country and folk and listened to a lot of Bob Dylan, but for a long time all I listened to was blues.”

That is what has shaped Jake Lear’s sound. Whether playing solo, as a duo with bass player Carlos Arias, or in a full band, you can hear the commitment to the masters that made the blues what it is. Jake performs with an originality and intensity that pays homage to those masters.

This spring Jake will release his first album. “ I have wanted to record for a long time and now feels like the right time. I will keep almost the whole album original and will include some favorites that I have been playing live for the last couple of years, and maybe a couple of acoustic tracks.”

Jake has been touring, writing, playing festivals, and recently spent two months living in Mississippi playing at legendary clubs, and along with some of the greats of Mississippi music. “It was an amazing experience to be in Mississippi this past fall. I felt really lucky to be there. To play in places like the Ebony Lounge where B.B. King played so many gigs as young guitarist was a whole lot of fun. I hope soon that I will get to go back and spend more time there.”

Jake Lear was born in Montpelier, Vermont and now lives in Binghamton, NY.

RECENT AND UPCOMING GIGS

2007 Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi

2005 + 2006 Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival –Helena, Ak
Formerly The King Biscuit Blues Festival. Annual attendance of 100,000+.
Past Performers include Pinetop Perkins, Buddy Guy, Albert King, John Lee Hooker, James Cotton and many more.

The Night Eagle – Oxford, NY
Winner 2005 songwriting contest. The premier listening room of upstate NY. A regular stop for artist like Alvin Youngblood Hart, Rory Block, and John Hammond.

The Knitting Factory –New York City, NY
Famous NYC club with sister club in Los Angeles, California.

The Stephen Talkhouse – Amagansett, NY
Long Islands best live music club. Performers include Taj Mahal, Richie Havens, Derek Trucks, The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Dicky Betts.

Brackins Blues Bar – Maryville, TN
Contemporary blues artist Tinsley Ellis, John Lee Hooker Jr., and Mark Hummell regularly play the Brackins.

Dan Electros Guitar Bar – Houston, TX
The oldest blues jam in Houston started here at Dan Electros. Guest include Tab Benoit, Greg Allman and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top.

Rockwood Music Hall – New York City, NY
Best and newest addition to New York City’s popular lower east village music scene.