January

“Something new. Something fresh. A clean start.” We all find some place along
our lives where we may think these words or utter the phrase, often on New
Years Eve. For many of us the decision falls in January. Not only the first month
of the year, but a Miami based band who proudly wears the same name and
reiterates its meaning. It represents what they do and the music they play, in a
city where rock and roll is packed deep into the far corner of the closet.
January’s sound is something that will surprise most people; it is unexpected
and experienced. Rock with an emotive edge, driven by pop melody and
powerful atmosphere, steeped in pleasant jazz chords and head nodding
beats, which at times seem surprisingly energetic yet somehow calmingly
smooth. Live the band offers a powerful performance with an emotional
energy that permeates the crowd and captivates their listeners with songs
that ring on personal experience, messages and meaning. Every show and
song is a window into the lives of this quintet.
The band started up in 1994 after founding member and vocalist, Jacob Gabriel,
decided to start up his own band after reaching a crossroads in his life. For
Gabriel, a new band, a new sound and a new direction was best represented
by the month of January. It has been 13 years now and the band has come a
long way. January’s current line up consists of Curtis Lewis (bass, guitar,
backing vocals) from New York, Zeus (drums) from New Jersey, Jacob
Gabriel (vocals), Castor Pauls (keys) and JP Romano (guitar) all of whom grew
up in Miami. Each member is from a different background, has a different
approach to the music and adds to the unique feel and sound of the band.
The sound of January is flavored by the band’s unique mixture. With influences
ranging from Janis Joplin, Guns and Roses and James Brown, to Red Hot Chili
Peppers, Miles Davis and Army of Anyone, the band combines to make a
melodic rock that Gabriel describes as “Maroon 5 with balls.” The band’s
foundation is in jazz, though, giving them a pretty good edge; utilizing their
technical prowess and jazz chops to add credibility to the outfit, becoming
known as gifted musicians who utilize the value of other genres in the music
they play.
Miami is not exactly the best city for rock music. “The city is more about drugs,
clubs and beautiful women, not that that’s such a bad thing,” as Gabriel says,
but its not an easy place to be when rock is at the very bottom of its artistic list
of integrity. For the rock musician in this city, finding gigs, earning fans, and
making bank is twice as hard and twice as frustrating. January has built
themselves up over the years, but not without their fair share of frustration and
hard work. For Gabriel it’s a hard scene because the appreciation doesn’t
exactly rival that of other cities such as New York. He says, “In a scene like this
its unfortunate. Don’t get me wrong, I mean, I love Miami. I love my town man,
but unfortunately it’s squeezing me.” The pressure to play in Miami is sometimes
overlooked or taken for granted; but it doesn’t keep January down. In fact, it is
quite the opposite. Despite the deterring nature of the scene in cities like Miami,
there are still fans - they are far and few between - but when you find them
they are likely to be a little more die-hard. The same goes for the bands. For
January, it is about the music and the passion, not the setting. Miami rock bands
have a stronger work ethic because their craft is not so prevalent here. They
all love what they do and simply being based in rock-starved Miami doesn’t hold
them back. January is a totally independent band, and puts forth a lot of
personal time, effort and money into making it work and doing what they feel a
passion for.
Their first album Things I forgot to Mention, is scheduled for release at the end
of April if everything goes according to the band’s plan. It will be released under the title. “” It will be mastered by Mike Fuller, who has worked on big name
releases by the likes of Eric Clapton and Shakira. The album’s been two years
in the works but that’s not to say the band is slow at writing songs. Gabriel
says, “We’ll be together and, like, write a song in ten minutes. We all know
where we’re going and we all know what we want so we’re pretty productive.”
The time spent on the album is primarily spent developing the “meaning” of the
album. All the songs have been thought out, planned and organized as to give
the album its own feel and own meaning. In this case “the meaning is about
things you want to say but don’t say or forget to say.” Gabriel explains, “Like
when you forget something, go home, figure it out later and say ‘oh shit, I should
have said that.’” Each of January’s songs has its own message relating back
to this theme. To the band, “Every song is a different experience in this world;”
an organism of sorts where each song is a separate organ functioning on its - THE RAG MAGAZINE