Jeffrey Gaines
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Jeffrey Gaines

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | MAJOR

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | MAJOR
Band Rock Singer/Songwriter

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Music

Press


""Gaines' deceptively simple, disarmingly direct ruminations on life finds an audience of those desiring more from music than a fleeting flavor-of-the-month buzz. Gaines is extraordinary and timeless.""

"Gaines' deceptively simple, disarmingly direct ruminations on life finds an audience of those desiring more from music than a fleeting flavor-of-the-month buzz. Gaines is extraordinary and timeless."
- Chicago Tribune


""Jeffrey Gaines applies a roughened, unconventional voice to sparkling pop... acoustic-guitar strums, sustained electric guitar chords, repeating arpeggios and slow-motion lead guitar into dizzying harmonies.""

"Jeffrey Gaines applies a roughened, unconventional voice to sparkling pop... acoustic-guitar strums, sustained electric guitar chords, repeating arpeggios and slow-motion lead guitar into dizzying harmonies."
- Washington Post


""Gaines possesses a raspy, soulful voice and a knack for soul-searching, gut-check lyrics.""

"Gaines possesses a raspy, soulful voice and a knack for soul-searching, gut-check lyrics." - Paste


""Gaines has earned endless cult and critical acclaim, and juice enough to be touring partners with such celebrated icons as Stevie Nicks and Sting ... ""

"Gaines has earned endless cult and critical acclaim, and juice enough to be touring partners with such celebrated icons as Stevie Nicks and Sting ... his compositions should continue to add more laurels to his arsenal." - The Village Voice


""One of pop's finest singers, Jeffrey Gaines is the voice of a new generation.""

"One of pop's finest singers, Jeffrey Gaines is the voice of a new generation." - Rolling Stone Magazine


Discography

- Jeffrey Gaines (Chrysalis Records)
- Somewhat Slightly Dazed (Chrysalis Records)
- Galore (Rykodisc)
- Always Be (Artemis Records)
- Toward the Sun (Artemis Records)
- Jeffrey Gaines Live (Artemis Records)

Photos

Bio

FACTS:
- Appearances on major television shows:
“Conan O’Brien”, “Good Morning America”, “Live with Regis & Kelly” and VH1, MTV, MTV2 and Much Music.

- Special Guest on international tours with Sting, Joe Jackson, Live, Tori Amos, Joss Stone, Stevie Nicks, Tracy Chapman, Tom Petty, Melissa Etheridge, Gregg Allman and Sheryl Crow.

- Honored with an Emmy nomination for his song “I Want You To Want Me” and also was featured in AT&T’s "Let’s Talk" Campaign.

- Original composition, “Hero In Me” and cover version of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” positioned him as the # 3 Artist on R&R’s Callout America.

- Most Requested Artist on New York’s WPLJ-FM (Hit Hot AC Station) for 10 straight weeks with his version of “In Your Eyes” – then topped the charts at #1 across the nation.

- Major press features: Billboard, SPIN, Rolling Stone, AP, East Coast Rocker, Vanity Fair, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Village Voice and many more.

- Appearances on major national commercial radio shows including events for WPLJ (New York), K-Rock (Los Angeles), Sirius Satellite Radio (Howard Stern), XM Radio and World Café.

BIO:

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE heralds Gaines as “an ethereal soul….insistent, impassioned, full of self-knowledge. He is the voice of a new generation.”

“The only live records I had as a kid,” Jeffrey Gaines explains, “were just unreal and completely crazy, like KISS’ Alive II. They set this precedent that there was no way anyone could ever match what I came to know as a live album. There’s just no way!”
Swapping riotous pyrotechnics and campy costume makeup for his compellingly personal and passionate songs of hope and unwavering faith, Gaines has captured the magic and intensity of his much awed and revered concert performances on Jeffrey Gaines Live, his first ever career spanning live album.

With only his voice and a guitar for accompaniment, Gaines has earned a reputation as a captivating performer entertaining his audiences everywhere he goes. On the road for over 150 nights a year, he recorded and documented one special night in November 2003, hosted by WXPN at the Theatre of the Living Arts in his home city of Philadelphia to record this album. “Some artists record their whole tour, picking the best stuff to release. We didn’t do that here. This is one show, one night being captured. It’s a snap-shot of the truth. It’s like ‘Hey, look over here, the picture has been taken.’”

The photo album Gaines’ collected from that magical night contains fourteen sensitive and melodic portraits including the inspirational “Hero in Me,” the sensual “Without You” and a heart-leaping, spellbinding version of the Sam Cooke staple “Change is Gonna Come.” Gaines is backed on the record by Don Piper (lapsteel, percussion, guitar) of A Don Piper Situation and Matt Thomas (pianos, organ, accordion).

Included with the live audio disc is a twelve song video culled from the same night appearing on the new DVD Plus format. Jeffrey Gaines Live is the first full-length album ever released in the U.S. as a DVD Plus, which incorporates the audio portion of the show on one side of the disc and the video segment on the other side. Exclusively featured on the DVD is Gaines’ chart-topping rendition of Peter Gabriel’s classic “In Your Eyes,” complete with a roof-raising sing-along from everyone in the audience. “They just got completely into it,” recalls Gaines, “I just played a little lighter so I could enjoy that moment myself because it was simply amazing to hear them all singing along.”

Raised in Harrisburg, PA by parents more inclined to spin soul classics by Aretha and Otis than the New Wave and Brit Rock blasting from their son’s room, a teenaged Gaines began playing guitar in several local garage bands covering The Who, The Kinks, and The Jam. He soon decided to set out on his own and quickly landed a record deal in 1992, releasing Jeffrey Gaines, the first of his five studio releases. The album garnered four stars from The Philadelphia Inquirer, describing Gaines as “…an ethereal soul…insistent, impassioned, full of self-knowledge.” 1994’s Somewhat Slightly Dazed, and 1998’s Galore followed suite. Interview Magazine called Gaines’ music “soul-searching” and “refreshingly free of jargon, sentiment or cliché.”

In 2001, Gaines released Always Be (Artemis) to both critical and commercial praise. Featuring his emotional interpretation of “In Your Eyes” and his own soaringly beautiful “Always Be,” the album hit #5 on R&R Callout America CHR/Pop list, also reaching #45 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart. The New York Post proclaimed Always Be as “a dozen-song mix…that completely illustrates the depth he is capable of.”

Gaines’ impressive catalogue grew with 2002’s Toward The Sun, produced by Mitchell Froom (Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, and Crowded House). The Boston Globe declared that “Gaines’ soulful, wounded vocals make a case for his being one of pop’s finest singers…an arti